I'm keen to start taking more action and trying to build a better diet/exercise/medication treatment plan because what I'm doing right now simply is not working. I really need to sort myself out otherwise I will pay big time in the future.

If anyone can give me a little guidance and help with building an AS exercise program that would be brilliant

everyone with AS is very different in what they can and can't do safely and comfortably so it's hard to make generalisations. this is what i'm doing at the moment.

mobility exercises - several times daily. taking all major joints and muscle groups through full range of motion. sort of like what you see athletes doing when they warm up. a lot of swinging arms and legs around, torso twisting, squatting down etc.

spinal stretches - daily. sit on floor and reach forward and grab feet. lie on front push up with hands and arch back.

foam rolling - every second day. i've found this to be useful.

running - around 4km most days at a very easy jogging pace (no shoes).

strength training - once every 5 days on average - push ups, chin ups, pull ups, squats, dead lifts, calf raises, sit ups.

interval training - once a week. around four x 20 second sprints with a few minutes rest in between.

cycling - once or twice a week about 5km each time.

I do the 10,000 step a day workout. You wear a pedometer for a week to see where you are at now. You increase your steps gradually until you reach 10,000 and then maintain. I also follow a total body physical therapy flexibility program. I must admit I don't stretch as much as I should.

Craig

as others have stated already, we're all different, but this is what i do now, what i've done in the past.

when i can, i walk. its gentle, i tend not to hurt myself when i do it. i can do it anywhere at any time so its convenient.

can't walk when the SI joint is too bad, or the hamstring tendons are flared, or the feet are bad. otherwise, its a good thing for me to do. especially good for my ribs, moving my arms back and forth seems to be good for them.

i bike when the weather permits. even when my SI or feet are bad, i can bike. indoor recumbent bike too.

i used to swim, but that bothers my SI joint anymore. but it is a good exercise for the ribs, upper back, neck.

i took yoga class for a year or two, but kept pulling things, so stopped the class. kept doing the positions i could do on my own. was in PT for many years, learned a number of exercises in there. now i do a daily yoga/PT exercise routine. a combo of stretching and strengthening exercises.

also band exercises at times. learned them from my PT and chiro. they're awesome for the rotator cuff complex. but they bother my wrists so i don't do them much any more.

mostly the thing i do daily is walk. and some PT/yoga exercises. a lot of stretching, especially in between all the sitting i must do for my job. so i get up and do corner stretches and other stretches in between sitting.

i'd say, whatever you enjoy doing that makes you feel better and doesn't make you feel worse, go for it!

I usually swim with mask and flippers 30 minutes 3 Xper week. but lately it's causing pain in my neck and shoulder...Looks like AS is moving up!....So having to adapt that. I also have AS pool exercises from Arthritis Physio
I also walk daily, short if SI pain really bad. longer when better.

I also have core Strenghtening and AS exercises....Try to do them on days I don,t swim....

These are perfect and easy exercises that i perform daily ... they dont need extra effort....

http://mypartnerspondylitis.blogspot.in/2012/05/blog-post.html

http://mypartnerspondylitis.blogspot.in/2012/06/how-to-maintain-good-posture.html

Am Trying this.... http://www.lifebydesignsc.com/move-by-design-dynamic-mobility
there are links to Youtube Videos of my chiropractor doing the ... um stretches??

i really like those

but i do have to be careful of pivoting my SI too much; every time i try to sweep, mop, vacuum, rake, my SI joint shows its displeasure; otherwise though most of that looks similar to a lot of what i do myself, especially all those neck rolls and stretches.

to be clear, i'm talking about the first video

i also have a foam roller; i use it mostly for my back, but have planned on buying smaller rollers for my overall body.

Stretches downloaded from an AS information website (NASS has them, and I think Spondy. assoc of America does too). Can't do all of them, but intersperse as many as I can throughout the day just a few minutes at a time with my normal activity.

No impact exercise. Never did jog, or do heavy weights, etc. But as much as I can of walking and swimming and very light weights or stretchy band exercise (resistance - helps bone strength). I always walked loads from teenage years well before I knew I had AS and am sure it helped keep me flexible and delay the onset of major problems.

Definitely no hard physical contact sport (even if I could).

Would probably use a wii-fit if I had one.
Would probably do pilates or yoga if classes nearby (but avoiding anything that hurt, and modify to suit me).

In the gym I do rowing machine (but not set too high or it strains my back), cycling (preferably recumbant bike as more comfortable on SI) and the stepper/crosstrainer thing (elliptical), but don't use the machine that gives a kind of twisting skiiing motion (wrecks my SI).