The exercise thread

[Marvis]

A little fibro humour -- the PT asked his assistant to show me a gentle neck stretch, so he's demonstrating and he's looking at me, waiting, and says, 'OK, you're turn, you try it now..' and I'm like 'Yeah, I am ... this is as far as my neck will go.' lol

yeah, so tiny, simple arm exercises twice a day and one super gentle neck stretch and so sore and tight ... you'd have thought I'd been in an arm wrestling contest. So I'm back at that ... keep going? ... take a day off? .... muscle buidling vs fibro pain.

 

[diamond]

i know Marvis its such a juggle one minute im in sooo much pain that's lasted for days i don't know how to get through one more day..then i might get an hour or 2 where i feel a little better..then bam small amount of 'doing' whether it be a few small chores i go very slow at or a little exercise... pain is back so bad i cant believe it ..

Just do what you can.....that's all you can do! slow and gentle.

Are your legs generally better than your neck and arms?

Take Care

 

[sunkacola]

Sending cheers to all who are getting some exercise these days!
Seriously, every little bit that you do will help you, and it will get easier in time.

I am bummed because I have had a *very* painful stiff neck for 5 days now and it is not getting any better.

I recently joined a dance class and I still went to it this week, but other exercise has stopped the past couple of days because of this neck!
It is just killing me! Arrrgh.
Lying on a cold pack doesn't seem to help, and it's too hot out to lie on a heating pad although I might try that tonight anyway. I finally broke down a few minutes ago and took an extra pain killer that I really try not to take, but I just can't take it any more.

oops, sorry, this post should really have been in the complain and vent section!!

 

[Marvis]

Diamond - My neck is always my worst area - it's where I've held tension and stress my whole life. I also had very large breasts (reduction at age 28) and had a lot of issues from the weight. I do have pain in my low back/ hip area, sometimes worse than others. And my feet hurt all the time. I can still walk ok, I just have to take care to walk on dirt or gravel, rather than pavement, and alternate shoes, so no one pressure point is being affected all the time.

 

[Marvis]

Sending cheers to all who are getting some exercise these days!
Seriously, every little bit that you do will help you, and it will get easier in time.

I am bummed because I have had a *very* painful stiff neck for 5 days now and it is not getting any better.

I recently joined a dance class and I still went to it this week, but other exercise has stopped the past couple of days because of this neck!
It is just killing me! Arrrgh.
Lying on a cold pack doesn't seem to help, and it's too hot out to lie on a heating pad although I might try that tonight anyway. I finally broke down a few minutes ago and took an extra pain killer that I really try not to take, but I just can't take it any more.

oops, sorry, this post should really have been in the complain and vent section!!

I think it's ok to vent here a little. We do have to be careful with the exercise and part of that is figuring out what is good and what isn't working. I'm trying to find my way through that as well. I'm supposed to do my pt twice a day, but I was having a lot of pain, so I took a day and a half off, and am feeling much better. My PT is good, but I have to remember that I am the expert. Even the best professional has a hard time understanding this wacky disease.

 

[Peaceandquiet]

Hi all,

I had a few days off due to a virus but yesterday I went for a lovely walk in the sunshine with a friend and we laughed and talked and had a really nice time. It was only on flat ground and only about 20 minutes but really boosted my mood.

I'm picking up the weights where I left off and haven't had any ill effects but I put that down to my very mindful way of doing each repetition to avoid strain. The trouble is trying to balance my fear of injury with pushing myself that little bit further each day.

Oh, and I've lost a couple of pounds! Yee ha!!

 

[sunkacola]

Peaceandquiet................so good for you!
As for the balancing act, I know it well. But keep in mind that even totally healthy and fit people have to do that same balancing act when working out with weights. You always have to focus on form and doing it correctly, and you always have to find that delicate place between pushing harder to do more and staying safe so as not to injure your muscles. It sounds as though you will do very well with that.

 

[medicmurphy]

Way to go Peaceandquiet!!! That is so wonderful to hear. I think you're approaching workouts smartly. We all have limitations, especially with Fibro. Even when doing everything right, FM can still bite us in the butt so the fact you are taking it slow so as not to suffer a set back by attacking your fitness program too aggressively is wise. This is so encouraging for all of us. And as a bonus your are losing weight!! Yippee >insert clapping hands<

 

[Pegleg84]

Hello Excercise Thread!
Thank you to whoever started this. Great encouragement and ideas.
I've never been an "excercise" person, but I love to go for walks and such. I can't jog or run, but I can walk for miles (or I used to anyway).
It's been hard to get into anything resembling a routine since I was diagnosed, but I am trying to at least get off my butt. Some days it's running errands, or doing some tai chi stretches (I took a class last year, but missed too many lessons to learn the full form), or getting out in the garden for a while. Even climbing stairs at home and in the subway is excercise. At the very least I try to keep on top of the dishes at home.
My doctor says I should try aquafit for low impact aerobic excercise. I haven't yet, but there's a drop-in class twice a week at a nearby pool. Will try to do that next week.
Sunkola, weight training sounds like a brilliant idea! I think I might get some little ones (1-3-5lb) and try that to build up my arm strength. Can do that watching tv or listening to music/radio. I also like to do stretches in the kitchen while I cook.
Anyway, this is very encouraging and motivating! I'm grateful that I can still move a lot, but I'm trying to take things slower so I don't use all my energy at once. Every little bit counts. Don't stop doing something when you can.
DON'T QUIT!

 

[sunkacola]

Pegleg84....yay for you! Be proud of yourself for what you can get done!

I just have one caution for you.....doing exercise while watching TV or listening to music is great because it can really keep you going.
but....
Just make sure that you don't get distracted to the point that you forget to focus on maintaining really good form when you are using weights. It really matters.

My weight training coach told me that you should focus on form no matter what; even if you are literally just picking up a pillow off the floor, you should bend your knees, keep your back straight, and lift with your legs. If you do that it will become second nature to you and you won't get hurt even if lifting something heavy.

the same thing applies to doing arm curls or anything else. Be sure your form is good, and you are protecting delicate areas like your lower back and knees. If you are not certain about what constitutes good form, look it up online, print out a photo or drawing of the right form, and put it up somewhere that you will see it.
Or, get yourself a weight traiining video -- that will teach you the proper form.

Also, try doing the same exercises with no weights at all the very first time you do them, just so that you can memorize the form.
You will be amazed at what you can accomplish in muscle tone with even 1-3-5 pound weights!

Make sure you never move up to a heavier weight until doing the same number of reps is really easy with the weight you have been using.

and .................let us know how it is going!

 

[Sagey]

Hi All,

I went for a long walk with my husband.I know it's only walking but it's all I can do right now.We went by the water and enjoyed the views and climbed on the rocks by the ocean.It was relaxing and nice to get outside.

We saw a lot of nature too! Ospreys in the nest and wild turkeys by the roadside lol.Love being by the water.Here's some pictures.



Sagey

 

[Peaceandquiet]

Love the pics, Sagey!

 

[diamond]

That looks lovely ..so relaxing

 

[Pegleg84]

Morning,
I went to my first aquafit class last night. It was a lot of fun, but definitely a workout. I even attempted the front crawl for the first time since failing level 3 swimming for the 2nd time when I was 12 or something. I've never been a good swimmer, but maybe can build up to it. Also, jumping around in water is always fun.
I was afraid I might not be able to move this morning, but aside from being tired and a few achy muscles, I'm good to go! Maybe it'll hit me later, but I'm hoping I'll be ok. I'm going to try to go to the class once a week.

 

[sunkacola]

Good for you, pegleg!!
I feel like crap because I started this thread and now I have not followed through with my plan to exercise every day.
It's hard because it is over 110 degrees pretty much every day this month and in order not to have a catastrophic electric bill I only cool my house down to 89, which is very comfortable but a bit on the warm side still for exercising. (lol) Just hard to get motivated.