Hi Chelle, don't force yourself to workout on the days you are weak, on days
you feel a little better then you can do some light weights  work maybe?  If
you are feeling weak, your body is obviously telling you its tired!!  I used
to be a bdoy builder in my past, so know how you feel, but making yourself
overtired is a negative thing!!  Good luck
Janet

Tips  for job completions

Give yourself little rewards every time you can accomplish a goal.  
Write lists of what you want to do each day.  Choose one  and when
you get it done,  take time out  and have a cup of cocoa or tea   or
a computer game you like to play.  Then onward to the next item on
your list.  Since I am self-employed these little rewards get me through
the day.  If someone comes in and finds me working out a cross-
word  puzzle  its  okay.    Be kind to yourself each day.    Be sure
to take Vitamin D  when you can't get outside     cheers      you
just won the marathon   ruth

On some days my exercise program amounts to saying
"Okay, eyelids, drop and give me fifty!"  Not to mention
bench-pressing the sheets--it always amazes me that
bedding can weigh so much.

A neighbor gave me a like-new rowing machine in mid-'05.
I've set it up across the room from the TV.  I'll put on a
movie and exercise while it plays: pull on it until I start to
get tired, rest a while, then do some more.  After a while
I'll get bored, because I can't hear the TV over the noise
of the machine.  I'll say to myself  "If I've got enough
energy to do this, why don't I do something useful, like
cooking, or woodworking, or better yet, put some lighter
sheets on the bed?"

Cooking is a good exercise for me.  Think of someone who
could use a batch of chocolate chip cookies, or a pie, then
make delivering it my goal.  There's all sorts of light exercise
involved: standing in the kitchen (without falling down), then
delivering the finished product (which gets me out) and
listening to the recipient say "You're going to make me fat!
How do you stay so thin?" (the energy involved in not laughing
really adds up).

--Bill Thompson

Putting on your work out clothes is a great way to get one step closer.

Don't go crazy with goal setting, list making, or comparing yourself to
how you used to be. That is a recipe for failure and depression.

Instead, observe your body and how you are feeling. Try to rest BEFORE
you get tired.

When you decide to work out, each time, make a reasonable goal. On my
worst days, I decide to walk for 5 minutes. I go out after dinner to
avoid the sun. I walk 2 and 1/2 minutes and turn around. I have
succeeded. Once I start, I often find I want to keep going. Fine. I do
it. But if after 5 minutes I am still pooped, I go back and rest. Most
nights I manage to go 3 miles. Some nights, I go down the stairs and
realize that this is just not going to happen.

When you don't feel well enough to work out, journal instead. This is
also very healing and helps you clarify what you are feeling. Once you
have bemoaned your losses (and you probably will) make list of what you
DO have and what you CAN do. Can you breathe, eat, see, hear, smell,
taste, touch, walk, talk, breathe, think, read, learn, love, smile,
frown, cry, be with loved ones? What else is still yours. Do you have a
place to live? Food to eat? etc.

I am not saying to be a Pollyanna. When I was newly diagnosed and
people suggested that lupus was " a gift" or "we are never given more
than we can handle" or "it could be worse" and all that bull, I used to
snap back, "Yes and I am soooooooooooooooooooooooo thankful that I am
an unemployed zombie but at least I don't have leprosy and my fingers
and nose are not falling off!" (OK I am prone to bizarre humor and a
touch of sarcasm from time to time.)

However, I have found some gifts. I don't take things for granted as
much. I am more thankful for all the little things as well as the big
things. I make wiser choices in how I use my time and energy. I have
learned what is really important to me and what can be discarded. I
have learned to redefine myself in a hundred ways. Most important, I am
not a human DOING I am a human BEING. I don't beat myself up over
unattainable goals. In fact, I rarely beat myself up at all anymore.
It's not worth my time or energy.

We have a lot of adjustments to make because of our autoimmune disease.
But, sooner or later others have to make similar adjustments for
various reasons. And chronic diseases are being diagnosed earlier and
medical treatment keeps people alive longer. This means there are more
and more of us with chronic illnesses. In the US there are an estimated
141,000,000 people struggling with chronic illness. We are not alone.

Linda

this may not be possible for you, but i got dogs. i had a problem never
getting motivated to go out, but now i HAVE to, and it helps me to take
walks, and when i feel a little more energized, sprint with the dogs.
in addition, i also take them for walks in different places, which was
the most helpful thing i had found prior to the animals. just driving
to different places: parks, college campuses, bike trails, and choosing
different scenery that i enjoyed made going out meditative and
interesting. i was never much of a work out fan, and since i got sick
my level of energy dropped dramatically, so walking is really the most
i can manage at this point. i also swim when i can, which i find to be
very relaxing as well. i think exercise that helps calm has been the
most successful for me since i have sworn never to be stressed anymore
and when i used to run i often got too goal-oriented ("just one more
lap...") and it wasn't relaxing to me. good luck staying fit & healthy!
i have also heard that yoga groups are good, esp for lupus, but i have
yet to go regularly.