尼基的故事

五年前，有35岁的Nicki被诊断出与克罗恩病有关的炎症性关节炎。受年轻女儿对跳舞的热爱的启发，她上了初学者的芭蕾舞课。尼基解释说：“芭蕾舞确实有助于我的关节炎。这一切都是关于伸展和加强以及姿势，而且我没有意识到这对我的关节是如此有益。

"I struggle a lot with fatigue so it can be hard to get motivated to exercise. But ballet just doesn’t feel like exercise to me, not like forcing yourself to go to the gym. It's physical but the lessons allow you to ease into it. Doing lots of stretches and strengthening barre work means I feel like I have had a good workout, but the difference is I always look forward to going.

"It’s important to have an understanding teacher. My teacher knows my medical history and tells me if there are certain exercises I might want to sit out. I only do what I can do. I have periods where my symptoms mean I need to stop going for a couple of weeks, but I dip in and out depending on how I'm feeling."

Nicki的脚踝，膝盖和臀部患有关节炎。她说：“有时候，我的关节炎确实会影响我。有时我会因疼痛和疲劳而苦苦挣扎。当我第一次被诊断出时，我非常非常沮丧。我有一些认知行为疗法（CBT），就在电话上，but I found it really helped me to manage how I feel. I plan my week carefully and keep on top of my housework by doing a little bit every day, so I don’t overdo it."

心情提升

Nicki feels ballet has been good for her mental health and mood, as well as helping to strengthen her joints: "On the days when the pain and fatigue really drains me, going to ballet gives me a boost. It relaxes me, it’s time I can focus on me and it’s also a sociable way to keep active. I’ve got to know the other people and the teachers at the dance school.

"I feel like if I can do this I can do other things. Sometimes you just need to take that first step and try something new and it can make a massive difference to how you feel. I started ballet aged 34 and I’m not the oldest person there. I was completely new to it; I’d never taken dance lessons when I was younger. I love it. It has given me a real sense of achievement.

"I’d say to anyone else with arthritis looking for some inspiration to help them keep active – find something you’ve always wanted to try and give it a go. Everyone is different, so I think the key is to find something you love doing, something that works for you."