Fibroymalgia

I have Fibro and I walk on days that I am not flaring. On my bad days I try to do some chair exercise but don't over do it!

I have fibro (and PCOS) I was diagnosed about 4 years ago - I had decided to not go the medication route, and just last year I started trying to treat it with excercise. It works! I was symptom free and in remission for about 4 months, somethings still set off "flare ups" in the last couple months, but trying to move, walk, stretch everyday is the most important. I find low impact exercises work the best as well as making sure I don't do cardio at a high heart rate. Walking swimming, stationary bike are all good. I have recently started the elliptical machine, and that seems really good. You just need to find what works best for you and what doesn't set you off.

I don't have fibromyalgia but I do have chronic fatigue syndrome which is pretty similar. I've had it for a while so I've learned how to read my body and know when I'm overdoing it. I was really scared of doing anything at first in case I made anything worse so I started with pilates. It's really low impact and teaches you how to listen to your body more and be more aware of it. From there I moved on to some strength training and cardio. I currently use dvd's from The Firm. I just really like the instruction they give and they always have modified moves. I can understand being scared of trying things but if you start off slow you'll ease your body into it and become more aware of what it's capable of. Walking, if you can, is good just to get you moving. I sometimes only do 15 minutes but that's better than nothing. On bad days I don't workout. At all. And sometimes not for a couple of days after either. It can be frustrating but it's the long term that's more important. I still do my pilates as well because I really enjoy it and it's good for the days when I'm not feeling so good.

I've been seriously doing this for a couple of months and it was hard at first I'm not gonna lie. But the more I've been doing the more I've been able to do. I feel a bit stronger.

Like I say, start off slow and figure out what you're capable of. Try things out. If it feels too much then stop. You know your body better than anyone. You will eventually be able to tell the difference from workout pain or pain pain. Good luck. I hope any of this was useful :-)

I have FM - have recently started on the weightloss journey (lost 40pounds since having my baby; but stalled for the last year (mid-FM diagnosis and put on some - now starting again with another 40pounds to go).

I am finding that taking a multivitamin, VitD, calcium, mganesium and fish oil VITAL. Whenever I stop - it all comes back (and takes a month or so to recover again). I've learnt this the hard way, but am now sticking with it.

Am hoping that walking (then adding swimming) combined with light weights, and healthy eating will do the rest.

I have Fibromyalgia, as well, and am currently off work, living back with my parents (for a few more months, anyway). November will be the 5 year mark, since I was diagnosed. I believe I developed it in part out of a motor vehicle accident I had a year before that (I was a pedestrian hit by a driver who ran a red light), because my injuries from the accident seemed to gradually morph into the aches and pains typical of Fibro. I now suspect that the MVA was just the tip of the iceberg, and my years of depression and anxiety and extreme stress and medications for all of those things took their toll on my poor brain, and something in there finally just... broke beyond repair. Fibromyalgia is, more and more, looking like a CNS condition, involving hormones/neurotransmitters/brain/nerves. It would also seem that there is something to a hereditary predisposition... as my cousin on my dad's side has just been diagnosed, after suffering with the symptoms for 13 years (I never knew this until she announced her diagnosis on FB).

When my symptoms were really bad, I started with just going to my chronic disease management classes at the local rec centre pool. They were covered by my local health authority. It really helps relieve the nerve pain (that burning sensation in the limbs) to be in the deeper water. We got to wear float belts, so knowing how to swim isn't required (just know how not to drown; don't breathe in water! You head is above water in these classes, anyway). I actually built a LOT of muscle in those classes, and the feeling of being weightless was so awesome that if I could live in the pool all of the time, I would. Even if you don't have classes available that are specifically geared to people with chronic illnesses, you can probably find deep water "aqua fit" type classes at most public, indoor pools. I highly recommend it, to start.

I have graduated back to land exercises (the indoor pool is closed, right now, anyway). I push myself to do serious weight training at the gym, with walking as my cardio (at 70% of my MHR, so that more of the calories I'm burning are from body fat). It can be tough to get going, but once I do the endorphins make me feel great, and the added muscle has done wonders for my joint and back pain, as well as overall energy. I get quite tired and need a lot of extra sleep when I come down from my exercise high, but while the endorphins are serving as a painkiller, I ride them out by using that time to get other stuff done.

Doing the weight training and walking, despite the flare ups of fatigue (it actually reduces my flare ups of burning pain and joint/connective tissue aches), is one of those things that makes you feel worse in the short term so that you can feel better in the long term. From what I've heard, plus some person experience, extra weight and poor health and diet make the symptoms so much worse. I hope that by buckling down and getting fit, I can beat it into remission, or at least bring the symptoms down to a minimum that is very manageable. I'm not one of those people content to coast through life. Whereas some people with this illness give up, I WANT to work and do something ambitious with my life.

Other tips that I have for reducing symptoms (and there are so many):

-I don't always practice what I preach, because I'm still trying to recover from food addiction, but I find that eating a lot of processed sugar really contributes to nasty flare ups of that burning nerve pain, as well as the joint aches.

-Invest in a freezer. Batch cook meals when you're feeling better, so you can grab something healthy to just heat up, when you feel like crap. That way you reach for less junk food.

-I avoid air fresheners, especially of the aerosol persuasion, as well as scented laundry products (unless they have natural fruit oils). I also avoid chemical cleaners, and stick with the biodegradeable kinds that are either fragrance free, or use natural fruit oils. In general, some people with Fibro also have multiple chemical sensitivities, and it's hard to tell which ones affect them and which ones don't. I just try to remove the harsh chemicals from my home, as much as possible. Standard house paint was a MASSIVE trigger for me, the week that my landlord was painting the suite above me (when I was living in Toronto, a couple years back). Read your labels, and research the chemicals as well as environmentally friendly alternatives. One to avoid for sure is formaldehyde. Western society is so used to practising paranoid overkill when it comes to cleaning, when items as simple as white vinegar and baking soda are reasonable cleaning products in all but the most high risk circumstances.

-If you have a big event scheduled, stockpile your sleep hours. Plan to get plenty of extra sleep beforehand, so that you are at your best and can last as long as possible. Right now, for me, it's mostly preparing for training... but also it is for bigger errands, like a large grocery shop. Sometimes I sleep for up to 14 hours (although the heat has made this difficult). I find it also greatly reduces my pain symptoms.

If anyone wants to talk to me further about Fibromyalgia, by all means shoot me a message or a friend request. Bear in mind, I strongly champion the strength training, and do not believe in the "avoid all movement" approach to dealing with this condition.

My doctor thinks I do, but I never went back for a confirmed diagnosis. I'm in pain 24/7, but I'm at a point where I don't care anymore. I run, surf, dance, walk...and whatever else I want to. Some night I'm in so much pain I can't sleep, but it's better than sitting on my butt