"Moving for fun - it’s a serious confidence boost."
Day to day life is now easier for Liam as being active has helped reduce his pain and improve his confidence at the same time.
In his 20’s Liam experienced an injury to his elbow which left him with restricted movement and arthritis. The restriction affected not just his elbow but much of his upper body, making everyday activities and physical movement harder, and he became less confident using the rest of his body physically. He also felt self-conscious about how he would look being active, saying “I beat myself up” about how he looked in public spaces and worried he looked awkward. He did find support through the NHS physiotherapy, but after a short course he found it hard to keep going on his own, so the pain and movement restrictions returned.
After 15 years of restricted movement, physical activity has become something that feels possible, fun and beneficial for Liam.
He can now do “far more” than he could 12 months ago because he has found different ways to move that work for him. A big part of that has been finding others to be active with. Supportive people helped him stop focusing on what he could not do or how he looked, and instead explore what his body could do. He describes how day to day life has become much easier now. He feels less restriction, less pain and his overall wellbeing has improved.
“I find that by moving your whole body day to day stuff just becomes a lot easier. I'm not sitting at the end of the day with the aches that I did have 5 or 6 years ago.”
How Liam is Active
Rather than “forcing himself into the gym or running” he found playful, supportive and manageable activity through Zoe Logic and The Big Movement. The Big Movement has provided him a space to move with other men in safe, supportive spaces, helped him feel less alone and more able to keep going. He joins a monthly 'walk and talk' on Southampton Common and takes part in movement workshops where the group move through games, warm-ups and dance activities. This sometimes leads to the group performing together in places around Southampton. Crucially, he says he now moves in ways that work with his body, and has fun at the same time.
For anyone starting to get back into movement, Liam's advice is to find something you enjoy and celebrate the small successes, because every movement counts.
Getting Started:
- Try The Big Movement
- The We Are Undefeatable App is completely free with activity designed especially for people with long term health conditions
- The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Activity Finder can help you find something local to you
If you would like to share your experience about being active with a long-term condition, to help inspire and encourage others to get moving, please contact marketing@energiseme.org.
