Tips for Exercising When Suffering From Fibromyalgia

Most people who suffer from fibromyalgia suffer from a lot of muscle pain and chronic fatigue. Hence the thought of engaging in regular exercise may seem daunting. However, doing so can put you on a faster road to recovery, as it helps to strengthen muscles, increase energy levels, and decrease pain.

Here are some tips to help you get started.

Talk To a Physio Therapist

Fibromyalgia is a muscle disorder, and the last thing you want to do is further aggravate those muscles. Therefore a physio therapist can help you figure out what you are capable of and which exercises to start with. They are trained professionals and will be able to guide you in the right direction so that you can avoid further injury.

Always Listen to Your Body

Always, always listen to your body and stop any exercise session when you become tired or when you begin to feel pain. Just because you were able to handle 10 minutes on the treadmill yesterday, does not mean that you have to endure that long today. Some days are better than others, and you should always exercise according to how you feel.

A small amount of pain after the session is okay, but if the pain persists or gets worse, then you need to reduce your exercises and/or talk to a medical professional.

Learn to Breathe Correctly

Breathing correctly during exercising can help to increase energy as well as reduce the pain.

You may be surprised to discover that you most likely are not breathing correctly. Most people breathe into their chests rather than using their diaphragm. When breathing into the chest you are only using the top portion of your lungs, and your goal is to use the bottom portion as well.

To find out whether you are breathing correct or not, pay attention as to whether or not your stomach expands when you inhale. If it expands, then you are breathing correct. However, if it does the opposite then you need to do some practising.

The best way to practise is by lying on your back, either on the floor, your bed or even in a bath tub. Then with your hands on your stomach, consciously practise breathing deep into your stomach so that it expands when you inhale. It may take some practise, but you can do it.

Join a Group

There is nothing like joining a group that has the same agenda as you. This allows you to motivate others when they are feeling down, and most importantly, others will be there to support and motivate you on your not-so-great days.

Click Here for some easy exercises for fibromyalgia

Simple Fibromyalgia Exercises

Fibromyalgia is a chronic muscle disorder that can affect a number of muscles in the body particularly in the neck, shoulders, back, elbows, wrists, hips and ankles. On top of the pain, those who suffer from fibromyalgia, also suffer from chronic fatigue. As a result the thought of exercising may not seem reasonable to those who suffer from the disease.

However, exercising can help to relieve both the physical as well as the mental pain that is associated with fibromyalgia. In addition it can also help to increase energy levels, so that you can begin to make a recovery.

The key is to start off with simple exercises, and short exercise sessions to prevent further injury. Over time you will be able to move on to more challenging exercises and endure for longer as well. Here are some simple exercises to get the ball going.

Stretches

When you are first starting out, you may not be able to do much more than simple stretches, and that is fine. You can do whole body stretches or just certain parts of your body such as the neck, arms or legs. Your goal is to stretch just enough so that your muscles can open enough in order to improve the blood flow. Never stretch until you feel pain, as that may worsen the condition.

If your muscles are very tight and they do not want to stretch without pain, then you may want to try warming them up in warm water first. You can add sea salt, Epsom salt, grated ginger or relaxing bath oils to your water to help with the process. Once you feel that your muscles are more relaxed, then you can begin your stretches.

Hatha Yoga

Hatha yoga is perfect for beginners and those who suffer from fibromyalgia. The techniques used in hatha yoga are proper breathing techniques, meditational poses and simple stretches. These work together to strengthen the muscles, and help the body and mind to relax as they become one.

Walking and Biking

Walking and biking are also very simple exercises to engage in. Just remember that you will have to walk or bike back, so make sure not to travel too far on your first few journeys. The key is to find out what you are capable of doing, and then build upon that. Thus everyday you may be able to travel slightly farther than the previous day.

Water Exercises

Water Exercises such as swimming, marching, stretching or floating can also be very beneficial in helping the muscles to strengthen and relax. Water exercises also make it easier on the body because the water naturally reduces the weight of the body.

Click Here for some Exercise Tips for Fibromyalgia

A Bittersweet Day

I could not sleep any more; I would toss and turn for several hours every night before I would finally fall asleep. And to make matters worse, I would wake up crazy early and could not go back to sleep. My overall sleeping time was maybe 5 to 6 hours per night.



And that is how I went to work every day for about 10 months. Well not everyday, because there were days when I just could not get myself out of bed. Even though I could not sleep, just laying there seemed to help me feel better.



I had a lot of issues, but the worst one was the pain in my neck and shoulders, and because of it, I could not do my job duties anymore. I did not believe in conventional medicine, but I finally went to see a doctor just so I could get a note stating that I could not do the heavy lifting anymore.



Well my doctor told me that I had muscle spasms and thus he prescribed pain killers and muscle relaxers. Right away my instinct told me that it was a bad combination and thus I never even went to pick up the meds. However, a month later, my condition got so bad that my doctor told me to just quit my job, and look for something else.



And so I did. July 4, 2008 I signed my release papers, and on July 11, 2008 it was official that I was no longer employed. It was a bittersweet day. Sweet because I was able to take a break from work and recuperate, but bitter because I did not know what kind of job I would find, or how I would end up paying my bills.



My doctor had given me anti-depressants, and this time I actually went and picked them up, because I had hit rock bottom and I needed something to pick me up. However, when I got home I read the warning label, and flushed them down the toilet. Why did I do that? Because the label said that they would cause thoughts of suicide. I have never been suicidal and even in my worse situation, I knew that it was not the end even though it seemed like it. I knew that things would get better, and I had no intention of ruining that.



Since I had quit my job, I decided that I no longer needed the doctors and that I would find my own way to heal myself. I figured within a few months I would be good as new. But a few months went by and I still had all the pain, not as severe, but it was still there. I spent a lot of time in front of the computer and there were many days when I could not hold my head up. I mean literally.



I did all my exercises that I had been given, but I was not getting better. I kept searching for answers online on how to cure muscle spasms, and in almost every forum that I went to there was talk of fibromyalgia, and how it resulted from prolonged muscle spasms. I had never heard of it before, and had no idea what it was, but from what I read I discovered that it was incurable.



I knew that I did not have anything that was not curable, and thus I did not look into what fibromyalgia was. But one day, as I in desperation searched for answers again, I decided to look into what fibromyalgia really was. I cried when I saw the list of symptoms that are associated with the disease...because I had just about all of them.



I knew that I could not go back to the doctors, and so I continued to search online on ways that I could help myself naturally and heal myself. It is now just over 2 years and I have come a long way! Most of my symptoms are gone, I still get cold easy, but I don’t crank my furnace to 28 degrees F anymore. And I still battle with depression from time to time when the pain returns. But for the most part I feel good, and am ready to take on the world.



I have found so many good people here online who have helped me, and there is no way that I can ever thank them enough. But I figure the least that I can do is pay it forward, and that is my reason for starting this blog and my website LivingFood101; to share my story and help spread the news about natural health.

Thanks for reading...