Fibromyalgia and exercise
Before Fibromyalgia I was a gym junkie, I walked for 1 hour every day, and I had heaps of energy and I was super strong. However, my body stopped responding to exercise and I found that I could not exercise anymore. I was in too much pain and I was so fatigued that getting out of bed was difficult enough.
I knew that I had to participate in some form of exercise or I would develop more health issues.
I now look at Fibromyalgia and exercise in a completely different manner. I have had to find what is right for me and my body. You too can find that balance, however, it will be easier if you can start by looking at different forms of exercise that you might not have considered before.
Changing your exercise to suit you.
The first step to exercise and Fibromyalgia is what your mind and body can do, as there are now 2 completely different scenarios, aka you know you can run, jump and pump weights, but your body seems to have lost the ability to sustain at its previous performance levels.
Back to basis is the holistic method that worked for me. Every time I pushed the boundaries during a workout I ended up paying back 10 fold. So I left the days of ‘no pain no gain behind’ and have not looked back since.
Low impact bicycle riding can be a great form of exercise if you suffer from fibromyalgia. I had to change to a bike with wide handlebars and a big seat. By having this kind of bike my shoulders were not as sore and either was my bum!
Fibromyalgia and exercise are very important for getting the blood to flow to and through your muscles. It eases the aching feeling.
Exercise enables you to keep some of your muscle tone,and or rebuild it.
Exercise also gives you the opportunity to focus on something else other than your pain.
I also found that just the act of getting outside was a powerful healing process, to feel the sun on my face, hear the birds singing and the wind in my hair helped me feel connected and that awful feeling of being isolated disappeared.
I started with slow gentle walks, focusing on my breathing and nothing else. I found that due to my feet and legs being in so much pain I changed to walking on grass or hard sand, which was and still is a lot more comfortable. I focused on walking for 15 minutes in one direction then I would stop and then turn around and walk back. That’s it!
A simple stretch gets the blood flowing through your muscles.
Yoga was and is very much a part of my daily routine. Yoga has enabled me to rebuild my strength and move the toxins that built up in my joints from the wrong foods in my diet and also from not doing any exercise for so long.
I was in so much pain that I did no exercise for years. Let me tell you that was a huge mistake!
If you learn anything from reading this blog is you must move! Anything is better than nothing. Just start!
I hope my journey back to exercising is motivational for you. We as humans are made to move, and yes it will be painful when you first start out BUT remember this, it’s painful and tiring if you do not exercise so you might as well get outside. Besides, I know from my experience that you will feel better emotionally and that will lead to a better physical experience with your amazing body.