Exercise w/ fibromyalgia

http://exercise.about.com/cs/exercisehealth/a/fibromyalgia.htm

This is an article I found. If you go to the link I pasted, they have a lot of links at the bottom of the article to direct you in you excercise quest.:flowerforyou:

Exercising With Fibromyalgia
Exercise can help!
By Paige Waehner, About.com
Updated: April 19, 2006


Fibromyalgia News
It's hard enough to exercise when you're healthy...try doing it when you have something as energy-consuming as Fibromyalgia. People with FM have a variety of symptoms ranging from fatigue to constant aches and pains. This kind of chronic pain can leave you feeling depressed and hopeless, but there's something you can do about it.
What is Fibromyalgia?
FM is characterized by aches, pains, stiffness, fatigue and other difficult symptoms. It is hard to diagnose because symptoms are different for everyone and little is known about what causes it. Researchers are making progress, however, and believe FM is related to faulty sensory processing in the nervous system. FM sufferers have higher amounts of the neurotransmitters that signal pain responses and lower amounts of natural pain killers (like serotonin). This means FM sufferers experience chronic aches and pains, interrupted sleep, and other symptoms that can make life feel impossible.

Exercise Can Help
If you have FM, exercise is probably the last thing you feel like doing. Your body already hurts, why would you want to make it worse? But, for you more than anyone, it is crucial to get your muscles healthy which can offer some relief. Healthy muscles are flexible, which can increase your range of motion and the stronger you are, the more you can move around each day. Other benefits include:

Better sleep
Reduced stress and depression
Improved your energy levels
More endurance
Weight control
Exercising With FM
Your first order of business is to start SLOWLY. Your goal should be to improve your health (so forget about weight loss for now). Even walking feels like a chore so you may only be able to exercise for minutes at a time. That's normal! Setting small goals (i.e., walk two minutes today and add a minute every day after) can help you slowly increase your exercise time. Other activities you might enjoy are:

Swimming - This is a great way to condition your heart and body while getting full and gentle support from the water. No impact means your joints are protected
Yoga - Increase your flexibility and de-stress by learning how to relax and breathe. Take care to keep movements easy...some postures may be too difficult so talk to your instructor about modifications.
Tai Chi - This 'moving meditation' helps you get back in touch with your body and stay active without impact or jarring movements. Check out Collage Video, searching for 'Flow Motion Simplified Tai Chi' to get started.
Cardio is important, and so is strength training. But, before you do anything check with your doctor and get a referral to a physical therapist so you know exactly what to do. In general, strength training exercises for people with FM can include:

Pushups--Do them against a wall instead of on the floor
Lifting weights--Use very light weights or even canned food for resistance
Resistance Bands--Use a light resistance and take your time.
Machines--Make sure you get instructions on how to use them and start with NO weight.
Condition your body slowly and only do as much as you can. Give yourself at least one day (preferably two) of rest before going back to weights.

The hardest part of exercising with FM is the frustration--knowing that you used to be able to do more and now you can barely get out of bed. Try channeling that frustration into your workouts, reminding yourself that every time you move around you are improving. Taking control of your health can provide tremendous relief, not only physically but emotionally.

Thank you so much for sharing that with me.

My mother suffers from FM, and has chronic shoulder pain from an accident she had 30 years ago, and a knee replacement. I'm trying to slowly get her 'onboard'. She's 69 in November. I've saved it to email and will send it as soon as she is done digesting the diet tips I sent her.

A good friend of mine has fibromyalgia and she walks everyday. Started small and slow. She has felt a dramatic improvement since walking on a daily basis. If she misses a day of exercise, she feels it.

Best wishes! :flowerforyou: