Fibromyalgia

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Is there anyone here who suffers from Fibromyalgia? I would love to tackle a good cardiovascular dvd but my illness dictates what I can do on a day to day basis (which I hate). So is there anyone here who has Fibromyalgia and what exercises do you find beneficial?

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  • chunky_pinup
    chunky_pinup Posts: 758 Member
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    Are you a swimmer? When my fibro flares, swimming is one of the only exercises that doesn't seem to trigger worse pain.
  • lenn1e2
    lenn1e2 Posts: 6 Member
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    I've started swimming but the local pool is so cold but I'm still going.
  • SpringBack20
    SpringBack20 Posts: 9 Member
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    I was recently diagnosed with fibro (2 months) and have been battling to find that "happy place" for me in terms of exercise. I did join a water aerobics class "Oh My Aching Body" and it feels great. It is done in a warm therapy pool. I have attempted to walk like I used to (8-10 kms) but that was a no go and brought on flare ups. It has been suggested to me to start with 20 minute walks and add 5 mins each week if I can. We have also recently opened our pool and swimming has been wonderful. I have actually started to have better sleep because of it. I also do gentle stretching everyday. It truly does help. I know how frustrating it is not to be able to do things you may have done in the past - I too am having major anxiety over this but "steady as you go". Just do what you can. :)
  • DesertGunR
    DesertGunR Posts: 187 Member
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    A good foam roller might help you keep your muscles stretched out and a little more relaxed. I do no suffer from Fibro, though I do have chronic muscle spasms. I use a foam roller by HyperIce called the Vyper. It helps me, so something similar might help you.
  • bwelches
    bwelches Posts: 14 Member
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    The best thing I've found for fibro is to have frequent massages to the hurting muscles. It hurts like heck at first, but over time I've found that it helps significantly. It's totally worth the cost to have a massage therapist session at least once a week.
  • BikerGirlElaine
    BikerGirlElaine Posts: 1,631 Member
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    I have had FM for 11 years. The first few years it was much worse than it has been since.

    I can always walk, although some days I can only walk 5 minutes out and 5 minutes back. I don't walk particularly fast, hardly ever even average 3.0 mph, but walking is a core activity for me. These days I go for 10,000 steps per day, although if your fibro is bothering you that is probably too high of a goal. Remember that you can do your exercise in small chunks -- 5-10 minutes at a time. Doesn't have to be an hour workout to do your body good.

    I find that the a recumbent stationary cycle is my go-to activity. I can almost always do that. I read a book while I pedal.

    I found swimming in a cold pool was terrible for me, made me feel much worse. If you have a warm pool -- the kind that is kept very warm for arthritis patients -- available to you, go there. That made me feel much better when I did it.

    Yoga is often a good one for me. Try some of the Yoga with Adrienne videos on YouTube -- her style is very relaxed and she helps me to only do what feels good and to truly *own* my yoga practice.

    Re the foam roller, that will probably hurt like hell, at least it does me. But I do it regularly anyway. If you foam roll for about 8 weeks and can't see a difference, then I would drop it. But I do feel better overall when I am foam rolling.

    One of the theories about FM is that the capillaries are not acting the way that they should, and one of the effects of that is that lacitic acid builds up more than in normal functioning people. So weightlifting yields huge DOMS for us compared to others. I find this to be very true for myself. But, I have also learned that I can lift when I am feeling well. If you build up your baseline fitness enough, you might find that doing some lifting works for you. And if so, you might find, like I have, that it makes your FM recede quite a bit. But I have to be pretty fit through doing these other things before I can lift weight.

    Hope this helps you some. Bottom line for me is that doing a little bit of exercise helps my FM and allows me to do more, but building up has to go really really slow, or else I'll crash into a flareup.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,325 Member
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    My gym put in Panasonic full body massage chairs and I use them twice a week...its eliviated much of my pains.
  • lsykes1611
    lsykes1611 Posts: 2 Member
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    My local gym offers exercise classes that are described as being for those over 60 but can also be attended by younger people with mobility issues. They are chair based exercises that help with toning and stability. Could be with checking if there is anything similar in your area xxx
  • renrun
    renrun Posts: 3 Member
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    Hello. I'm 28 years old, have fibro, and live in MN. I find the drastic and sudden swings in temperature to be the most brutal in terms of flare-ups, which is something I cannot control. Therefore, my best defense (which is a work in progress) is trying to maintain a foundation of regular movement. I love running, but since one great run can put me down for a couple weeks, I've decided to stick to walking my dogs as much as time permits. A one hour walk this time of year is almost effortless, however, there are days when 15 minutes feels like too much. I try to fight through the pain anyways then because I know if I don't, I'll backslide to the point where EVERYTHING is ALWAYS a struggle. Having said that, I know everyone's situation is different. Fortunately for me, I don't have kids, so when I absolutely need to rest, I usually can. I've also gradually made adjustments to my day to day life to reduce the amount of effort I have to put into those little things. For example, I went from an on my feet all day job to a desk job and exchanged my 2-story house for a small 1 bedroom apartment. It sounds drastic, but it has been worth it for me. Simply running up and down the stairs to do laundry could have me nearly in tears when I lived in the big house. Now, I conserve energy as much as possible at home and at work so I can devote more to truly beneficial activities. Started the 30 Day Shred today, so I'm hoping that's something I can add to my foundation of walking. Good luck, everyone!

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  • lenn1e2
    lenn1e2 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thank you for your reply. I too find the changes in temperature affects me so much. I've started swimming and I use my exercise bike, when I can get on it. However most of my exercise comes from walking the dogs.

    I am on several different medications to try and eleviate the symptoms a bit but find I am always hungry when I take them, do you find this?
  • elmh64
    elmh64 Posts: 4 Member
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    lenn1e2 wrote: »
    Is there anyone here who suffers from Fibromyalgia? I would love to tackle a good cardiovascular dvd but my illness dictates what I can do on a day to day basis (which I hate). So is there anyone here who has Fibromyalgia and what exercises do you find beneficial?

  • elmh64
    elmh64 Posts: 4 Member
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    Im a long timer of fybromialgia so i feel i can relate and share honestly.
    First being determined is a must as i am fed up with medical terminology. I did my own research and highly recommend for everyone.
    Juicing and cleaning out the colon, liver and kidneys was a life giver and i now am riding my bike, walking and dance for exercise.
    Food is a biggy to relearn how, when and what to eat. Plenty of water is essential. I add whole lemon, lime to it which helps also clean oneself out. Nutrition of whole foods will bring anyone serious and pesistant through.
    I hope this helps.
    Erin
  • olseniteachem
    olseniteachem Posts: 16 Member
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    I have FM and yes, foam rolling hurts like hell! The most important thing I can do no matter what kind of exercising I'm doing is to BE CONSISTENT. Taking breaks or too many days off in a row means I'm back at baseline pain. So I make sure I do something....even gentle exercise....on days I'm hurting. Otherwise it's a whole new cycle of serious pain again for a while.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    I have a different type of myalgia but I do yoga and started walking and now finally moved on to jogging.
    foam rollers and massages can be very useful
    I don't like pools because of cholorine. that makes my skin burn like a sunburn.

    I also remind myself that the pain is real but my body send extra pain signals. so while the pain is real, it won't kill me. that sometimes helps me keep going
  • extacymoon
    extacymoon Posts: 141 Member
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    I to was diagnosed with FM. My diagnosis came last year so I am still trying to find my way through this. I have started to change my diet and try to get in 30 mins of exercise at least 3 times a week. Some days are better than others. Somedays I just have to push through. I would like to find friends who can relate and offer ideas. I look forward to offering motivation and support to anyone who would like the do the same.
  • lenn1e2
    lenn1e2 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks for all the replies they have been very helpful. Now a weird question, have any of you been diagnosed with having an intolerance to gluten? A friend of mine has a little boy who is allergic to dairy and wheat and whilst reading info on his intolerance she came across the suggested link between FM and gluten. So have any of you been diagnosed with that also?