Concierge & Internal Medicine | Rheumatology Expert to Get to the bottom of your diseases.
Uncover the secrets to crafting a successful home workout routine, whether you're a beginner or a fitness enthusiast. From bodyweight exercises to low cardo to HIIT workouts, discover how to achieve your fitness goals without stepping foot in a gym for healing your chronic conditions.
Title: Fitness Fundamentals: Building Strength and Stamina at Home with a Chronic Condition
By Dr. Susan Baker | Rheumatologist in Beverly Hills with a focus on autoimmunity
For individuals managing autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases, exercise is not just about weight loss or muscle tone — it's a powerful form of medicine. Research has consistently shown that safe, structured movement improves pain tolerance, reduces fatigue, and even modulates immune function1. But figuring out how to start — especially on tough days — can be intimidating.
Dr. Susan Baker encourages her patients to redefine fitness not as intensity or performance, but as consistency, adaptability, and body awareness. The goal isn’t to push through pain — it’s to move in a way that honors your condition while building strength and confidence.
Conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, and Sjögren’s syndrome often cause joint stiffness, inflammation, and overwhelming fatigue. Traditional gym workouts can feel inaccessible or even counterproductive. Patients with hypothyroidism may experience slower recovery, while those with vasculitis or scleroderma may have vascular or connective tissue complications.
This is why home-based, low-impact fitness is often the best entry point — it allows for flexible pacing, targeted movements, and flare-friendly adjustments. In fact, a study published in Rheumatology International found that home-based exercise programs significantly improved function and reduced pain in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases2.
Before you build muscle or stamina, build awareness. Begin each session with a few minutes of diaphragmatic breathing — which helps regulate the autonomic nervous system and reduce stress-driven inflammation. Follow with gentle joint rotations, cat-cow stretches, or wall-assisted mobility movements to ease stiffness and awaken muscle groups.
These are often overlooked “pre-fitness” steps, but they’re crucial for patients with autoimmune disease. They help prevent injury and can actually signal to the immune system that your body is in a state of safety — not danger.
Yoga is one of the most studied forms of movement for chronic illness, and for good reason. A review published in The Clinical Journal of Pain found that regular yoga practice improved pain, sleep, depression, and physical function in fibromyalgia patients3.
Dr. Baker recommends restorative or Hatha yoga styles that emphasize:
Online platforms like Yoga with Adriene or apps like Down Dog offer accessible, free programs that can be done from home and customized to energy level.
Static and dynamic stretching improve joint mobility, reduce muscle tension, and combat the deconditioning that occurs with inactivity. Stretching also stimulates lymphatic flow — essential for patients with immune dysregulation.
A few stretching routines to incorporate:
Stretching for just 5–10 minutes daily can yield compounding benefits over time — from reduced pain to improved circulation and better sleep.
Low-impact cardio supports heart health, circulation, and oxygen delivery — all of which are vital for autoimmune patients, especially those on immunosuppressants. However, “cardio” doesn’t have to mean high intensity.
Dr. Baker recommends:
A study in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation showed that even modest aerobic exercise improved fatigue and quality of life in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus4.
Strength training is essential for maintaining bone density (especially in osteoporotic patients), supporting joint stability, and reducing fall risk. But autoimmune patients must be strategic — using controlled movements, lighter loads, and longer rest.
Safe bodyweight movements at home:
Start with 1–2 sets of 6–10 reps, twice weekly, and adjust based on fatigue. Remember: the goal is to activate, not annihilate.
Many autoimmune patients resonate with Spoon Theory — a metaphor for limited daily energy resources. On flare days, exercise might mean 5 minutes of stretching. On good days, it could mean a full 30-minute session. Both are valid.
Dr. Baker advises her patients to use body-based pacing: do less than you think you can on good days and always leave some energy “in the tank” to avoid post-exertional crashes, especially in conditions like ME/CFS or fibromyalgia.
Set up a “wellness corner” at home with a yoga mat, resistance bands, foam roller, and a playlist that helps you stay calm and focused. Temperature matters too: for Raynaud’s or scleroderma patients, a warm environment may prevent vasospasm; for those with fatigue or heat sensitivity, consider light, breathable workout gear and cool fans nearby.
Most importantly, remove judgment from the equation. Every stretch or step is an investment in your long-term strength, not a test of endurance.
Building strength and stamina with a chronic condition is about momentum, not milestones. It’s about listening more deeply to your body and learning how movement can support, not punish, your physiology.
Dr. Susan Baker integrates fitness guidance into her care plans because she sees firsthand how movement transforms confidence, circulation, and even inflammation. Whether you're taking your first steps toward mobility or refining an at-home regimen, know that fitness is not off-limits — it just looks different, and that’s perfectly okay.
Sources: Footnotes
