Important facts to consider when planning anactivity program

The key to becoming more active is to aim forconsistency and regularity in both activity and rest, regardless of how you feel. It is important that you plan small chunks of activity at regular intervals,rather than long periods of occasional activity. As you increase your level of everyday activities you will gradually become stronger and be able to cutdown on rest.

Try to plan to do about the same amount of activity, and have the same number of rests, each day. This may be difficult due to practical restraints such as work or childcare commitments, but aim for as much consistency as possible.

When writing your first activity program, aim for about as much ‘overall’ activity as you are having at present. So, for example, if you do all your cleaning on one day and it takes you two hours, break it down into four half-hourly chunks spread throughout the week.

It is important to think about what you will do during your rest time. Rests are a time for you to try to relax. What you do in your rest time will depend on your level of fatigue and the things that you find relaxing. Some people may find that reading is relaxing; for others, reading may be a major activity. Listening to the radio or music, or watching television, are other relaxing things you may consider. The important thing is that the rest time is used as a break from activity.

Try to avoid using your bed for resting or sleeping during the day, however tired you feel. Sleeping in the day or resting in your bedroom is likely to affect your sleep at night.

Refer to your target breakdown sheet on this page for guidance on some of the activities that you may like to include in your activity program.

Steps to creating an activity program

Planning activities

Write a list of activities that you would like to doduring the next week on your activity program. (Examples can be found on this page and a blank activity program is provided on this page.) For each activity, specify how often you want to do it and how long you want to spend on it on each occasion: e.g.‘talk to a friend for 15 minutes every other day’; ‘read for half an hour every day’.

Use your activity diaries for guidance on the time tobe spent on each activity during the week to make sure you don’t overdo it.

Remember to make your activity times manageable chunks, rather than one long session; e.g. if you have been doing one solid hour of housework each day, divide it into three chunks of 20 minutes each.

Remember to include strategies to improve yoursleep.

Planning rests

Look at the activity diaries that you have completed and estimate the average amount of rest taken each day.

Write down on your activity program the number of rests to be taken each day, and the length of each rest.

For example, you might specify three one-hour rests everyday, or two half-hour rests, or eight rests of 45 minutes.

You can use the formula below to calculate your initial amount of resting time.

Look at your activity diaries and add up the total number of hours of rest that you have had during the period in which you completed them; e.g. if you have completed your diaries for 14 days, add up the times you have spent resting during those days.

Divide the number of hours of rest by the number of days you have completed your diaries: this will give you an estimate of the amount of rest that you should have each day.

Example:

Total rest over 14 days = 42 hours

42 ÷ 14 = 3

Amount of rest to be taken each day: 3 hours.

Examples of an initial activity program

FOR SOMEONE WHO IS RESTING FOR ABOUT THREE HOURS A DAY:

To get up and get dressed by 8 a.m.

To have three one-hour rests in a chair (e.g. at 10 a.m.,2 p.m., and 6 p.m.) every day.

To go for three ten-minute walks every day.

To read for 20 minutes every day.

To do chores for half an hour twice a day.

To talk to friends on the phone for 15 minutes a day.

To go to bed by 11.00 p.m.

FOR SOMEONE WHO IS RESTING FOR ABOUT SIX HOURS A DAY:

To get up and get dressed by 9.00 a.m.

To go for two ten-minute walks every day.

To do chores for 15 minutes four times a day.

To talk to friends on the phone for ten minutes, three times a week.

To read for ten minutes twice a day.

To rest in a chair for six one-hour periods, evenly spaced throughout the day.

To go to bed after 10.30 p.m.

FOR SOMEONE WHO IS RESTING FOR MOST OF THE DAY:

To get out of bed by 9.00 a.m.

To walk around the house for one minute each hour.

To rest for 50 minutes each hour.

To do some activity (specify what) for ten minutes each hour,

e.g.

get washed and brush teeth by 9.30 a.m. every day;

get dressed by 10.30 a.m. every day;

read for 10 minutes twice every day;

wash and dry dishes twice a day.

Recording your activities

You will already be used to recording your activities in your activity diary. It is important that you continue to write down what you are doing for each hour of the day in your activity diary as you begin your activity program, so that you can monitor your progress.

What to expect when you start your activity program

As we mentioned earlier, your symptoms may increase slightly when you start your activity program. However, this is generally temporary and occurs as a result of changing your usual routine. Even though you may feel like resting more, it is important that you keep going with your activity program. It is usually the case that your symptoms will gradually decrease, although this may take a few weeks, sometimes longer.