It is true that it's not easy to maintain a healthy lifestyle with a chronic illness. Fatigue, lack of appetite, achy joints, and just the general "icky" feeling can leave you feeling helpless. Most days you don't even want to get out of bed. Much less keep up with any kind of fitness routine.

Honestly, I have never been able to exercise during the really painful and vicious flareups. I've talked about exercise a little bit in another post (read it here).

My favorite type of exercise is definitely karate. I've talked a lot about how I was six months away from becoming a black belt when Ulcerative Colitis struck. I someday hope to get back into it. I have since moved away from my original dojo... three hours away to be exact... and it still kills me. I have visited several dojos in the area. Unfortunately none of them have lived up to my expectations. I'm sad about this. 

I really want to get back into a routine of some sort... I'm not a runner. I'm not a swimmer. I don't like aerobics. I've dabbled in yoga (kinda fun) and I like walking... but still, nothing has pulled at my heartstrings quite like karate.

Do any of you have any favorite fitness routines? How do you handle your fitness routine with a chronic illness?