Start your My Hip Exercise program this week.

How to get started:

After reading the My Hip Education information it’s time to start your exercise program. Make sure you have downloaded the My Exercise Messages app onto your mobile phone. Make sure you have set up the app as instructed. To see the instructions, go to My Exercise Messages App. The app works as a logbook for you to record your strength exercise sessions. You can find the exercises in the program links below.

STEP 1

Go to Program 1. Follow the instructions and start your 5 hip exercises this week.

We recommend you complete this program for the first 8 weeks.

STEP 2

After 8 weeks, go to Program 2. Follow the instructions to begin your next program of exercises.

We recommend you complete this program for weeks 9 – 16.

STEP 3

After 16 weeks, go to Program 3. Follow the instructions to begin your third program of exercises.

We recommend you complete this program for weeks 17 – 24.

You might find it tricky to remember which week you are up to, and when to switch programs. To help, you can download and print this Strength program reminder table which you can pre-fill with the dates you’ll need to move to each new program. Stick it to the fridge so you won’t forget! Putting a note in your calendar or a reminder in your phone might also help you remember when to move to the next program.

In the next section, we’ll learn what simple equipment is recommended to help you progress your exercises.

In the My Hip Strength programs, you’ll notice that some exercises recommend you use simple exercise equipment like ankle weights or resistance bands.

You won’t need exercise equipment to start your My Hip Strength exercise. But after one week, if any of the exercise feel easy, we recommend using some simple equipment to increase the challenge. If an exercise feels easy, it’s important to make it harder. This will help you build muscle strength and ultimately reduce hip pain. Within Program One, Two and Three, each exercise will have instructions about how to add weight or resistance. This information can be found under a tab called ‘Increase the challenge’.

Increasing the challenge using ankle weights

To add weight to an exercise we recommend using ankle weights. Ankle weights can be a cheap and simple way to add weight to an exercise to increase the challenge. Ankle weights can be used in many ways. They can be strapped to your ankle, held in your hands, or hugged to your body to make an exercise harder.

Recommended ankle weights

As a guide, people with hip pain have gradually increased to use 10kgs or more for some of the exercises. If you don’t have weights, we recommend purchasing adjustable ankle weights. Adjustable in 1kg increments is best. The reason we recommend adjustable ankle weights is because you’ll find some exercises easier than others. This means you’ll use different weights for different exercises. Adjustable ankle weights may be less costly in the long run.

Where to buy ankle weights?

You can buy ankle weights from a range of places.
In a store: Try your local sports or department store. Most department stores stock ankle weights in their sports section. Department stores are more likely to stock single ankle weights. Not many stock adjustable ankle weights. We recommend calling and asking before you head in-store.
Online: You can order ankle weights from an online store. All online stores can deliver to your home. We recommend searching online for ‘adjustable ankle weights’. You can select from a range of different companies offering the price and delivery time that suits you. Example online stores include Ebay and Amazon.

Resistance exercise band
A couple of the exercises suggest using elastic resistance band to increase the challenge. If you decide to use resistance band, you’ll need a 1.5 meter length. Resistance band comes in a range of strengths. We recommend getting two pieces. One piece of the easiest strength, the second piece the middle strength. You can purchase the bands where you get your ankle weights. You can also purchase a piece of band from a gym or physiotherapy clinic.

While we have good intentions, we all know it’s tough starting and sticking to regular exercise.

A range of obstacles can and do get in the way of regular exercise. Some you can anticipate and plan for with prepared strategies. Others you will discover as you go. You will get better at finding ways to overcome exercise obstacles with time and determination.

For any obstacle you face, try think of several possible solutions. Try one and if it does not work, try something else. Some solutions may take time to work out. Be creative and don’t be afraid to try out ideas even if they seem a little crazy.

Here are some common obstacles people experience when trying to stick to regular exercise. They might give you some ideas!

Time as an obstacle

Lack of time is the most common obstacle. To help overcome time issues preventing you from carrying out your physical activity/exercise plans, it may help to have a good look at your daily routines. You may be able to come up with creative solutions. Look for small windows of time that you are free to take a short walk, for example. Plan when you will do your exercise session by scheduling it ahead of time in your calendar. The other important way to overcome time as an obstacle is to ensure that physical activity is right up high in your list of priorities. Think about how a stronger, less painful hip and better overall health will benefit all the other aspects of your life!

Pain as an obstacle

It is common for people to feel pain in their hip joint, in the muscles, or in the back during exercise or for a short period of time following exercise. This is normal and does not indicate that OA is getting worse or that exercise is not good for OA. However, pain should not be severe or lasting. If you get unacceptable pain (moderate to severe intensity) during an exercise, or increased pain after exercising that lasts through to the next day, something about your exercise program needs to be changed. You should back off a little and perhaps try a suggested modification. You could leave out an exercise if it seems that one in particular is causing the problem, or you could try cutting back to doing half the number of sets/repetitions of the exercise. For more information about pain and exercise see the next tab Managing exercise pain.

Low energy or fatigue as an obstacle

People tend to find that exercising actually gives them more energy once they’ve managed to get themselves started. While you might feel tired initially, as you continue you will start to feel more energised. Also, people often sleep better and therefore feel less tired during the day. Regular exercise and physical activity can help break the negative cycle of feeling tired and doing less activity, which leads to feeling even more tired and lethargic.

Lack of enjoyment from exercise

Not everyone is lucky enough to actually enjoy exercising just for the sake of exercising. There are many forms of exercise and physical activity; it often comes down to choosing activities that you dislike the least. Boredom can be a real problem in maintaining enjoyment and motivation. Vary your exercise routine. Keep a look out for other ways you can be physically active that you might enjoy a little more, at least for a while. There are also ways that you can help make physical activity a more pleasurable experience. For instance, meet a friend for a walk or join a group, walk or ride in a beautiful place, listen to music that lifts your spirits while you are doing your exercises.

Sickness

Everyone gets sick from time to time. It’s OK to stop your exercise routine while you are sick and recovering, but it is surprisingly hard to get back going again after a break. When you are on the mend, start thinking ahead and make a plan or set a date for when you are going to start adding your physical activities back into your daily routine again. You might need to build up gradually all over again, but it is worth it. The activity will probably help speed up your recovery and will certainly help maintain your health over the long term.

Holidays

Holidays disrupt routines and can cause set-backs if you don’t plan ahead. Sometimes holidays provide new opportunities to vary your exercise routine or try new types of physical activity. Try doing some research before you go and make some plans on how you can build some activity into your holiday. You might plan to ask the hotel reception staff on your first day there to recommend a nice local walk. You might plan to hire some bikes for a day, or book a walking tour. A break from your routine is not such a bad thing as most people will get bored with doing the same thing over and over. When you come home, make sure you set a date for resuming your exercise and physical activity back into your daily routine.

Strategies to overcome obstacles

Your mobile phone message support

To help you stick to your My Hip Strength exercises we ask you to use the My Exercise Messages app. It’s free! See the section “Access your tailored exercise support” here for more information [link].

Reminders

If you have a tendency just to forget to exercise, you can try some little tricks like leaving your shoes or exercise clothing out where you can’t miss them, leaving yourself notes or setting alarms or reminders, or scheduling activities into a calendar or diary. The My Exercise Messages app will also help you remember by sending you regular notifications about your exercises.

Rewards

Some people find a reward system really helps them to keep motivated. Examples of rewards include:

• Giving yourself points each time you achieve an exercise goal and planning to do something nice for yourself each time you reach a target number of points.
• Rewarding yourself with some relaxation time with a book or a nap.
• Set yourself some targets and plan a treat such as a new pair of (walking) shoes when you reach your target or a massage. Be creative with your rewards (but don’t reward yourself with a week off!)

Social support

Enlisting someone to help you do your exercises or become more active can help you stick to your plan. Even better, if you and your buddy do it together, you can help motivate each other.

Watch the videos below to learn tips for starting and sticking to regular exercise.

It’s hard to predict how your hip will feel when you start a new exercise or activity. It’s important to start slowly.

Initially, do less than you think you can manage. If you cope well, do a little bit more next time. Keep building up gradually as you become more capable and your strength improves.

Starting an exercise program can cause some discomfort or pain in and around the knee, hip or lower back. This pain should be of a tolerable level and settle within 24 hours.

Some important points to remember:

• It is normal to experience some pain or discomfort when starting a new exercise. Pain is NOT a sign that exercise is causing hip damage. Pain or discomfort can be a sign that your joint and muscles are not used to movement.
• After doing muscle strengthening exercise, it’s normal to feel some pain or discomfort in your back or leg muscles 1-2 days after exercising. In fact, it’s a good sign that you have worked the muscles hard enough and exercised them appropriately.
• Sometime people can experience an increase in joint symptoms after exercise that they feel is not tolerable. Typically, this is not an indication that you have damaged your joint. It is usually a sign you have done too much too soon and that the exercise program needs to be modified.

 Signs that the exercise program needs to be modified include:

• Increased joint pain that is more than you find tolerable/acceptable. This could be increased pain in your hip joint or your knees or back
• Increased pain that lasts for more than 24 hours after exercise/activity

 Tips to manage pain from doing the My Hip Exercise program:

If you experience an increase in pain in any of your joints (e.g. your hip, knee or lower back) that you feel is unacceptable from doing the exercise it is recommended to:

• Decrease the amount of exercise you are doing until you feel you can cope with it again (e.g. do each exercise 10 times once (1 set) instead of each exercise 10 times x 3 (3 sets). We recommend you don’t stop exercising completely. Complete rest is unlikely to solve the problem. Complete rest can make it harder to start exercising and moving again
• Try to figure out if one exercise is the cause. If you can pinpoint an exercise, reduce the amount of that exercise or reduce the challenge (e.g. most exercise instructions will include a tab called ‘Make it easier’) . Or you could substitute the problematic exercise for another exercise
• If the pain persists, consider seeing your regular healthcare provider. They will give you advice on how to manage your symptoms

For more tips on managing pain during and after exercise watch the videos.