Fibromyalgia and exercise

The bike is easiest for me on good days and bad

Hi,
I am the same as most of you.
I find it very difficult to exercise and to do regular household things without debilitating fatigue and pain.
I cannot even take meds due to my sensitivity to them (I have the 1% of all people get this reaction type problem).
I know this is not uncommon in fibro.
What I have found to help my pain in stretching.
Simple, easy and free.
It doesn't take the pain away but, it has made it possible to exercise sometimes and alleviate the pain.
I got a book from the local library called "Healing Pelvic Pain" by Amy Stein.
And even if you do not have pelvic pain these stretches help everything loosen up.
I highly recommend them.
Another thing I do is take Magnesium SRT (sustained release technology) from this website for fibromyalgia (from endpain.com is the website but you can get it other places too).
Magnesium and Vit. D allow me to exercise more than before I started taking them.
It doesn't give me any GI problems either. :-)

So, stretching really well and mag. + vit D.
Nothing fancy but it works for me.

My advice is to listen to your body but also push yourself just a bit. Stretching is great, as is warming up before your work out. Also, stay active. Yes, it hurts but the less you do, the more you hurt when you are forced to do little things like go shopping or other everyday tasks. Heating pads and ice therapy are great to help joint and muscle pain. And keep your exercise low impact. Low impact aerobics, pilates, yoga, swimming, recumbent bikes, etc. Or just a simple walk. I know it's harder when it's cold out.

I have RA and Fibro and have worked my way up to doing Jillian Michaels' workouts. I find that doing strength training with 3lb weights really helps to build up my muscle strength which takes pressure off my joints. Also, losing weight helps too.

I agree with whomever said to take Magnesium. I take Calcium with Vitamin D and Magnesium every night before bed. It helps with deep muscle aches and restless leg. Also get a electric blanket or something similar to keep your muscles from seizing up when you sleep during cold nights. Hot baths or showers too. If you can, get a gentle massage which helps your muscles release toxins. I wish I could get them more than once or twice a year! And stay hydrated!

I take muscle relaxants to help my fibro but have used Cymbalta and Savella in the past.

I also do not take prescription medications. I take high doses of Vitamin A, B12, C, D plus Amino Acids, MSM, Garlic, & Fish Oil. Try simple workouts like walking or using an elliptical or glider. Stretch deeply before and after. Start out at 5 minutes everyday, then add a minute or two every week. The key is to do it every single day, otherwise you get out of the habit and end up right back where you started. Also, as you lose weight you will feel a LOT better and be able to do more than you imagined.

I was diagnosed with Fibro in the late 90's and was originally treated with Darvocet and Vicodin for pain, neither of which made me feel any better during the time I took them. Eventually my doctor heard about a 10-12 week program that he was able to talk my insurance company into paying for. M-F, 8 hours a day, for 11 weeks I attended this program which consisted of gym exercises on the exercycle, treadmill, free-weights, bands, etc, warm water pool exercises, group therapy to talk about stress and ways to deal with it, bio-feedback, accupunture, massage, stretching and yoga. The first day I was sure I was going sneak back to my car at the lunch break and never come back, but it turned out to be such a positive experience and taught me a number of ways to deal with the Fibro. Shortly after that, the doctor I was seeing passed away and I found another doctor who changed my medications to a muscle relaxer and an anti-inflamatory along with Prozac. Within about 4-5 weeks I started noticing a difference in how I felt. I believe the med change and some of the things I learned in that program were extremely beneficial in my battle with Fibro. I have very few flare-ups these days but when I do, I MAKE myself get up and do some stretching, dancing or just move around, it really, really helps! It's great that the word is out there about Fibro now because when I was first diagnosed, so many people told me it wasn't a real medical problem and that it was all in my head. Hang iin there!

I also have Fibro --- it makes me incredibly tired all the time & makes me sore & achey --- and makes exercise really hard!

I think slow gentle stretching does help (it starts out really painful each time) but hang in there and hold the stretch for longer periods of time & it will loosen you up. I try to make sure that I hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds and push into it harder (NO BOUNCING) every 10 seconds.

Water is much easier on the joints and muscles then floor work - it doesn't mean you shouldn't do floor work - but if you have access to a pool you can do a lot there.

I have to take medication - but it is only partially helpful - I think it is one of thsoe things through which we have to just hang tough

I do think it is important to try and take plenty of Potassium, Magnesium, Vit B, and Pro-biotics to keep our bodies as balanced chemically as poss.

I am all for having a group where we can discuss this stuff together - it is hard!!!!!!!

Hugs - Dia

Wow, such great tips!
I am looking up the body brushing now.
I am going to try to get a dry brush and see if that helps.
I will try to incorporate yoga and walking as soon as I am able to get about (had foot surgery and am non-bearing right now).

My Dr. keeps trying to put me on Prozac but I am afraid it will make me fat and also that it will mess me up somehow (I have a hard time with medications as a lot of fibro. people do).
I am doing well with End Pain from the Fatigued to Fantastic website to manage my pain. It takes longer to work than other reg. meds but it works just as well as them and is gentle on the system.

I agree about the vitamins though. I take D3, Jarrow Magnesium SRT, and pretty soon Naturemade for Her Multi. (I will see if I can tolerate it). As is usual with fibro I have overlapping issues: IBS and irritated bladder are 2 that make it hard to take supplements.

I take Calming Balance for anxiety right now which has a lot of B-vitamins in it but only 1-2 per day.
I also was prescribed a low dose of thyroid med. (Levothyroxine).
So, just wanted to let people know what works for me for pain/anxiety in case it might help someone.

I agree about moving/stretching when all you want to do is lie down.
It really helps and I am always glad after a stretch. I think the muscles get so tight oxygen can't get to them. That's my humble theory anyway.

Also, wanted to share The Spoon Theory in case you have not read it yet. It is worth reading if you have the time.

http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory-written-by-christine-miserandino/

Gentle stretching, yoga, exercise bands, walking, stationary bike (though this one hurts my tailbone a lot of the times!), swimming-these are my list of "safe" things to do. When I'm feeling brave I might throw in some actual hand weights or jog for a few minutes. The best thing I've learned is to listen to my body. If riding the bike is hurting me, I'll walk instead. If I'm having a really crappy day, I'll stay in my bed and stretch. Just gotta keep my body moving-and not eat to try to mask my pain!

I contracted Lyme disease 5 years ago. I have had fibro type pains ever since. I can't get a DX though. I have felt better the past couple of months than I have in a very long time. When I was constantly in pain, I would take apple cider vinegar capsules and they would help with the inflammation and pain quite a bit. I used to have days where I could not even get out of bed. I am hoping if I lose some weight that if I happen to have another flare up that it won't be as bad if I'm not as heavy. Also, body brushing helps clear the lymphatic system, you should look it up. Plus it softens my skin, feels nice and my loose skin is starting to firm up better than it would without Body Brushing. For exercise I either walk, stretch or do T-Tapp which is very easy on the joints but still causes inch loss. (I've lost 21 inches overall since I started on Feb 1, and I haven't been super consistent with it.) I hope you have good days!

I see this is an old post but hope to find you still here. I have fibromyalgia and am about to have a hip replacement. I just ran into a reminder about T-Tapp while online and a lightbulb went off. I had the pleasure of meeting Theresa years ago at a T-Tapp seminar but didn't really try it as I was a runner, lifted weights, etc. with my fibro life is very different now and I struggle to be able to exercise at all and think T-Tapp might be a great alternative. Do you still use the T-Tapp? I was wondering if you started with the More series which is for those with health issues. I am afraid it won't be enough for results. I know that sounds silly. My mind still can't comprehend the limitations my body has. I definitely plan to try T-Tapp but being it is a bit expensive hope to purchase the correct one for my needs.
Thanks for any advice you can give. I hope all is going well for you.