exercise with fibromyalgia

[chestert6]

How do you exercise to keep off weight and gain muscle with this disease? getting a little depressed with the flare ups and not being able to do daily routine plus wanting to exercise.

 

[SBee]

Oh this is a big problem for me too @chestert6.
I have gone from a 4 mile fast walk followed by an hours run down to a max 20 min slow walk, any more than that and its taking breaks every few mins, and an hour or afternoon rest once home. In a flare? I'm pretty much housebound. Drives me nuts.

The big way to help, in my opinion is to let go of ' how we used to be' and accept our bodies simply cannot do so much anymore. That takes a lot of doing, as it's so frustrating and definitely depressing. It took me many months of fighting against my body's limitations, then having to spend days recovering as my body took a real dive downwards.

So i have learned to go slowly, even in household tasks, let alone exercise ( which for me had huge mental health benefits). I try to stop and rest before I even feel tired. Rest, then do a little more. Build up slowly. And its important to do this as consistently i can. It avoids the boom and bust situation.

However for me it is not foolproof. Some days frustration gets the better of me - and I pay for it big time. Other days, we simply have to do jobs around the house\work that just have to be done immediately. On these occasions I have to ' borrow some energy ' from the following day. I.E Take it very easy the next day.

i am aware I am not giving you a happy this will cure it method, which is what you ( and I ) would love. Living with chronic pain and chronic fatigue needs a lot of adaptation and acceptance.

i am learning to appreciate what I can do now, as opposed to constantly mourn ing what I cannot do. It may slowly improve a little , I remain optimistic.
Respect what you body needs rather than what your mind works. And I wish you well.

 

[SBee]

Ever come across #spoonies? I have only just come across it, explains our limitations in a way that simplifies things, it may be a way to help describe our health battles to others.

 

[sunkacola]

@chestert6 , Everything that @SBee says above is similar to what I would say to you, and all of it is very good advice.

I think the most important thing, when dealing with a condition like fibromyalgia, is to experiment.
You have to try things, carefully, to find out what works for you. This goes for diet and exercise and supplements and medications and activities such as meditation or relaxation protocols....pretty much everything.

I have found that the things I used to love the very most to do in my life are now not possible for me, and that has been a huge challenge for me. I have learned a lot about practicing Radical Acceptance. But one still has to find ways to keep the body moving.

Many of us find that walking is a good activity. Putting on music you love and dancing in your home is another thing that works for many. You can find thousands of YouTube videos with Pilates, yoga, exercises, and dance on the internet and try them out. No matter what age you are, if you try the ones listed "for seniors" they will probably not be too much for you, and you might be able to move on from those to something more strenuous in time.

Gaining muscle is another thing. I used to lift weights and I loved that. These days, I can't do anything even close to what I used to. I used to work out every day with 15lb dumbbells and a 35lb barbell. These days, 5lb weights are all I can do. I found that depressing at first, but I have adapted to it . If you use even 2 or 3lb hand weights, but do the reps very very slowly, you will build muscle over time. Again, you can look for videos online to help you to do this, because form is very important to avoid injury, even when using light weights.

Whatever you can do, do.
And no matter what it is or how light the exercise needs to be, especially at first, it is very important to give yourself credit for doing it. Tell yourself that you have done a good job, and do that every time. Might sound silly, but do it. It will help.

 

[chestert6]

i think the most distressing thing is I have kept my weight and body at a certain size and now i feel myself gaining weight and losing muscle. not a good feeling. Both of you have offered good advise and I here you. I think I just have not given into the disease and what it is doing to me. thank you both.

 

[SBee]

@sunkacola I so miss using weights. I had a very effective floor yoga\weights plan I did each night until the inflammatory arthritis and the OA both attacked my hands and wrists, so I had to give them up. I can do a reduced chair yoga,just miss out anything that puts weight on my hands, but it helps muscular tone.
I also do that thing where doing household chores I exaggerate bends and stretches. Multiple small things do add up to benefit.
The hard things always is knowing when to stop, before you push yourself too far.
Good point you make with searching anything that is labelled for seniors. Also I prefer to use sites set up by physio depts, rather than someone who does not know about body movement constraints with chronic health conditions. As said before ,any movement is better than none.

 

[sunkacola]

@chestert6 .....To me, and of course this is really just semantics....it's not about giving in to fibromyalgia, but rather learning to accept what today brings me, whatever that is. Again, this is just how I look at it, but if I practice Acceptance it is different from giving in, because it is not a defeat (which "giving in" seems like to me). I think it's important for each of us to examine the words we use and how we feel about them, and to use the ones, whatever they are, that really resonate for us and that bring us the most positive energy around our very difficult situation.
I also try to maintain, as best I can, a steady outlook. This is very challenging on some days. But I find that if I don't let myself get too excited or happy when I am having a good day with less pain, and don't let myself sink too far into despair when I am having a bad day, it helps. Not easy to do, but for me this is also a worthwhile practice. It can, when I succeed, keep me from overdoing it on a good day or feeling as if life isn't worth living on a bad one.

 

[thparker13]

I can relate all too well, I was easily 80 lbs overweight weight and in an ongoing cycle! I’m overweight so I hurt, then go to the gym to try to exercise but I’m overweight so it was counterproductive and then I’d hurt from the gym and start all over again. Luckily, I found a doctor that said I qualified for the gastric sleeve and am now 60 lbs down. I’d like to say that losing the weight helped, but in all honesty it has not and I try to go to the gym 5 days a week. I do feel better with the weight loss though considering I’m getting stronger and I can see it now, but mentally I feel better about myself as well. I’d say health wise I am healthier in general, and only because I have to eat a certain way and for the most part avoid junk food (I splurge every so often)
If you are able to get the gastric sleeve, I’d recommend it, but it is no walk in the park! I’m still trying to figure out how to eat and drink enough all day, and I’m nearly 8 months out. I probably am making it harder then necessary though due to my own anxieties!
My husband is on ozempic and has lost nearly 30 lbs, which is pretty amazing as well. Maybe see what your options are, and realize that it’s a big cycle that is complicated, so if you are able to figure out how to get a handle on one, maybe the rest will fall in line as well.
The more you stress about it, the worse it makes it!
Try to take a deep breath and see what options you may have out there.

 

[Frizzybee]

Medications I was given have caused a lot of rapid weight gain for me and the only thing that helped was going on the Paleo Diet. I lost 44 lbs. in about 3 months without being hungry. I had a lot of gas though from all the extra veggies! It got so bad, I did not want to leave the house. I went off the diet and gained back 22 lbs. so if you want to try Paleo, or Whole 30, or Keto, or Carnivore, all of which will work to lose without hunger, try to stick with it as a new way of eating.

I found I could work up to exercise very slowly. I started with water exercise since it hurt less. I even lift weights, but only 4 lb. weights and only for about 7 or 8 minutes, once or twice a week. It does help me hold onto my arm muscles. Try to do something you like so you can stick to it despite the pain. I chose aerobic dancing, since I love to dance, and I sing along with the music. That keeps me in the sweet spot, where I am not working too little or too much. If you sound good, work harder and if you can't breathe enough to sing, ease up on the exercise. Keep trying. It really does help as long as you don't try to over do it.

 

[chestert6]

i'm not considered over weight by doctors. But I made a pack with myself when I was very young not to get like my mom. needless to say the packed worked. on the bad side now it is always on my mind and turning 52 today I am fretting the weight especially with not being able to exercise like I used to. Exercise has always been big in my life. My big problem is not pain it is fatigue. It's is hard enough trying to get house work done much less exercise. with that being said I am three months in from my diagnosis and I have not gotten adjusted yet. Medication for fibro was increased so hopefully that will help the flare ups. best of luck to everyone who has the same issue.

 

[SBee]

@chestert6 i fully understand you wanting to maintain a healthy weight. Excess weight can put extra strain on a body, and for some people can affect their self confidence. I suffer badly with chronic fatigue, and like you I miss proper exercise intensely. I have put on weight due to not being able to exercise like I once could. And as someone who has in the past developed two serious eating disorders this can be hard to accept.

As you are newly diagnosed, I would suggest you put the worry of your weight on the back burner for a while if you can. You say yourself you need to adjust to the idea of living with fibromyalgia?
I am not saying give up your need to maintain your preferred weight, but maybe try not to overwhelm your body ( and emotional thoughts) with trying to do too much all at once.

Go slowly as you adjust. As @sunkacola suggests, move in newer ways - dance a little, stretch your limbs out carefully. Swim if you are able. Try Pilates or yoga. Move carefully and at this stage with consideration to your newer limitations. Try to think eat healthily as opposed to cutting out or restricting food s too much.

i can generally tell what days, if I can manage a short walk outside. Sometimes I get to the bottom of our lane and turn straight back home- I began to listen to my body better and if I attempt to push through the fatigue then it can take hours or days to recover. I am no where near I would prefer to be, but know that I need to understand and respect my body.
Do go gently with yourself.