I’ve struggled with fatigue in one way or another most of my life. Even when I’m in a healing phase, I always tend to use all my extra energy to “catch up” or do the things I missed while I was in a flare or having a down day of some kind always finding myself in an energy deficit overall. I’ve learned not to think of exercise the way I used to. I’d just rather move better, move more with less pain, and know I’m doing the best I can to prepare for whatever unexpected thing may be coming my way.

Here’s a couple things you can do, even if you’re too tired to get out of bed.

• Focused breathing – Lying in bed, start with 1 minute of focused breathing. Inhale for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds and exhale for 5 seconds. That’s a win.
• Use where you are to move more. Don’t think of this as exercise, just 10 repetitions of shoulder shrugs lying down can begin to move you forward (and maybe help with the neck pain that inevitably comes from lying in bed too long). That’s all we’re looking for here. A small win.
• Hit the floor. Even the act of getting up and down off the floor can be enough to spark feelings of accomplishment and make you want more.
• Meditate about movement and how you’re going to get there. Simply thinking with intention about habits we want to act on can be the stepping stone to starting them. Thinking about moving leads to moving.

To be clear, if exercise seems like an utterly daunting task, it may be best to put it on hold for a bit. We all have to move though. Start small, lower your expectations, and if it can’t be fun yet at least let it be easy and actionable.