Pacing vs. pushing: How to avoid overexertion with Pompe disease
Fact-checked by Living with Pompe disease can make it difficult to know the line between pacing yourself and pushing your limits during physical activity. This difference can be much narrower and less predictable for people with a neuromuscular condition. Pacing involves balancing activity with rest and recovery, while pushing yourself means doing more than your body can comfortably tolerate.
While research shows exercise can improve endurance and muscle strength, people with Pompe disease may not have the energy or stamina to exercise, depending on the condition’s progression. Experts recommend working with a healthcare team, especially physical therapists, to determine appropriate exercises and rest periods.
You can learn the difference between pacing versus pushing with Pompe disease by following some practical, intuitive guidelines. There are also ways you can stay active in daily life without overdoing it.
Healthy exercise vs. muscle exhaustion
Pompe disease muscle fatigue requires balancing physical activity and rest. Resting can help prevent overexertion of muscles that are already weakened or fatigued and may be particularly crucial for people whose respiratory muscles are affected.
Exercise is an important supportive therapy for Pompe disease, partly because it can promote autophagy — the body’s cellular recycling system, which allows old or damaged components to be recycled and reused. In Pompe disease, this process doesn’t function the way it should, contributing to muscle damage.
According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, appropriate exercise should allow you to recover within 30 minutes to one hour while still having enough energy to go about your daily activities. The association recommends against high-impact or high-intensity exercise and to avoid pushing through any pain or fatigue.
Your abilities may change over time, depending on the progression of your condition and other factors that affect energy levels, such as sleep. What you may have been able to do last week or month may not be safe for you today.
Practical pacing techniques
Pacing yourself can make a huge difference in how much energy you conserve. Energy conservation in Pompe disease largely means spreading out physically demanding activity across longer periods of time so that no single day tires you out too much.
For example, spend 20 or 30 minutes doing house cleaning instead of multiple hours. You can also sit for some tasks that are usually done standing, such as cooking, folding laundry, and washing dishes. This can help you preserve energy for other tasks that cannot be done while sitting.
When you’re planning out your day or week, consider creating a “high-cost” activity list that details two or three tasks that are the most energy-draining. That way you can deliberately schedule rest around those activities to avoid overexertion.
How to spot overexertion before it hits
Avoiding overexertion with Pompe disease starts with catching it early. Be sure to watch for these early warning signs:
- change in breathing effort
- increased muscle heaviness
- unusual or worsening fatigue
You should treat these warning signs as opportunities to stop the activity rather than push through to the end of the task.
Consider keeping a journal or log of your activities and how you feel afterward and the next day. This can help you identify which tasks drain the most energy and how long you need to recover.
Communicating your energy limits to others
While it may feel uncomfortable asking others to slow down or reschedule plans, it’s important to make your needs known. There are ways to adjust your routine and ask for and accept help from family and friends. You can use simple statements like, “I can go to the store today, but I’ll need help carrying the bags.”
If you’re able to let someone know how you’re feeling ahead of the activity, you may be less likely to feel like you have to explain or justify your energy level afterward.
Here’s a potential script you can use if you’re feeling stuck on what to say.
“I want to keep doing the things we enjoy together, but I’ve learned that pushing past a certain point costs me for days afterward. Can we build in breaks or split this up so I can still be part of it?”
Essential next steps for people with Pompe
Having Pompe disease doesn’t mean you have to stop your daily activities. It just means you need to be more mindful about how and when you perform certain tasks. Physical activity pacing with Pompe disease is a skill that gets easier with practice.
You can start by:
- creating a log of your daily activities and recovery time to identify overexertion patterns
- recognizing the early warning signs of overexertion
- identifying two or three high-cost activities and scheduling your rest around them
- communicating your limits to friends and family before the activity comes up, not after
Pompe Disease News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
