The exercise thread

[Peaceandquiet]

suncacola, sorry to hear you have lost that motivation you had. You have been a great inspiration to me, especially with using small weights. I can totally relate though.....in hot weather it's so difficult if not impossible to exercise.

I have always been useless in summer except in an air conditioned mall. There I have found that once my body cools down I can do some laps around the shops and I used to do the stairs too before my knees were a problem. Not real exercise but it was at least something.

The pitfalls are the obvious....maybe no malls nearby.....and too many people!! I would go at the quietest times when the mothers have all gone to pick up their kids from school. You might look rediculous doing weights there though...lol!

Thanks again for starting the thread and for your encouragement and support. Good luck with getting back to it yourself though.

 

[Peaceandquiet]

Pegleg84, that's great that you tried the aquafit class! Like you, I was never much of a swimmer but my doctor suggested I try it too. I was too scared, stubborn and frightened of the bacteria in the heated pool, so I didn't go. Tai chi was another suggestion but I'm not comfortable in groups so maybe down the track. At present I'm having some slight improvement with my home routine of stretches, warming the joints and arm exercises with little weights. Totally gluten free now and feeling much better for it. We all have to find the right thing for us.

 

[Pegleg84]

My problem is if I take a class, I'm really bad at sticking to it. I took tai chi a couple years ago and really enjoyed it, but you have to go to class every week to keep up. I started missing too many (cause of fibro!) even though it was just down the street. I still do some stretching exercises I learned but can't remember enough of the routine. I might restart the class this fall.
So it's good that the aquafit class is a free drop-in. Also, even though I would have time to go home first, I find I have to take all my stuff with me to work and then go straight to the class or else I'll sit down and not get up. I'm a horrible swimmer but I do like the water. It's not heated but it's going to feel great in the summer when it's stupid hot out. I'm also more of a shut-in when the summer heat and humidity kicks in.

 

[medicmurphy]

So, thought I'd catch up with those who are working on their activity level. I ran a 5k race with my sister on the weekend. Not a bad time of 30min. It was fun and I felt I accomplished something after this fall and winter flare. These past few days have been tough. Not sleeping well, fatigued and nauseous. Obviously I'm going through a mini flare. Our bodies can sure remind us that the Fibro is ALWAYS there. Sometimes it's lying low but still insidiously lurking. I'm listening to my body and resting. I ran 4K couple days ago and biked for 40 min on the stationary bike yesterday but it was a struggle. Today I'm doing NOTHING. I'm sitting on my deck with my pup, sipping on some decaf tea watching storm clouds roll in. I'm working on my attitude on avoiding discouragement. Tomorrow is another day with its own possibilities.

I know I'm fortunate that I can accomplish this physical activity while others struggle to walk a block. Please know though that I exert huge efforts and energy. It's not easy. My mindset is to constantly see what I CAN do instead of accepting I can do nothing. I say this because these last two years have seen me decline to the point of being bed ridden and I concluded that this is my lot in life. It will not get better. Because of this thinking, my attitude greatly affected my activity level. Like many of you, I hurt every single day, get little sleep, and have no meds that help. I weaned off of a second go at Cymbalta after 4 months with no relief of my symptoms and suffering side affects....constant headaches and nausea.

I'm sharing these thoughts along with my set back because a part of me feels guilty that I can do more than others. I also feel sometimes that because of this, my suffering is less than others. I hurt to the point of moaning. I can't sit, stand or lie down. No position provides relief. What's ironic is that I go through this pain regardless of how little activity I participate in, hence, the reason I keep pushing myself.

Please keep posting our successes and set back people. We need to see that we have support. When we fall, let's pick each other up! When we accomplish a goal, let's shout out with jubilation!!

Thx for listening, cheers

 

[diamond]

Well done medicmurphy i wish i could do what you can.I totally get you are suffering at the same time and get pain if you exercise or not.

i wish my body would push through but sadly it 'seizes up' in the joints and tendons as well as muscle pain.
This is something some don't seem to suffer from and i didn't for the first few years of fibro to this degree so its like broken bones that grind the more you push ..there is no pushing through you get crippled and end up limping and unable to put your feet to the ground to point it takes 2 attempts to stand long enough to brush my teeth.

Dont feel guilty though we are all different in how we respond....even at my best that felt fantastic, for me running would have caused injury type reaction. I could walk for 40 minutes to an hour back then but that was enough and my body knew its limits...gentle and slower...no harsh fast movements or impact.

I have either overdone just walking round the house several days in a row trying to build up and going up and down stairs a few times more now im in terrible siezed up pain and barely able to walk to kitchen to make a meal. Its so frustrating and quite frightening feeling so trapped in a body like this long term.

Plus there were no signs it just changed overnight..then got worse and spread. Its like concrete has set in that no amount of movement will change and movement feels like concrete cracking and grinding in the joints and muscles and tendons that builds the more you try to do..rather than ease out which is how my fiibro was at the start and for many years....it could be eased out to a degree.

I have been like this now for almost 2 weeks and no improvement with rest and trying to keep flexible and warm showers..my bodies not responding.

So yes lets all keep encouraging and supporting each other either way. x

 

[diamond]

I would like to qualify the seizing is also not just my legs and knees , if i do something repetitive like typing my arms wrists and shoulders gradually tighten and start to seize so i stop but its still very stiff and painful from use..or if i did more vigorous thing..so i once used shears for a few minutes on a hedge...the next day i could barely stretch my arm out or up to open a kitchen cabinet or press on a light switch..so loss of range of movement from shoulder down arms including the blade and ribs .

Its like ive turned to stone with severe rigidity and pain. At the time i dont always feel it happen and it can takes days or weeks if severe to go off enough to do anything other than rest and minimal things like make food.

Its very weird and i was fit when i got fibro and this is how i got diagnosed because of such response to activity. Im very worried now 2 weeks and i can hardly weight bear on both legs and knees particularly bad .

By knees i mean 6 inches above and below and through the knee joint....so not just a little knee pain. Im stuck guys and so fed up like this month after month then thinking maybe i can do a little more and now it seems worse than ever when i was being careful.

So i am sat here my bottom hurts from sitting in a soft lounge chair and legs knees like ive explained and throbbing like medicmurphy even though im sitting..i can cope with all that its once weight goes through my legs it's being trapped for best part of 2 years mostly barely able to hobble in the house that's wearing me down.

They say fibro isnt progressive but I'm not sure i agree?

Sorry i should have put this under vent!

 

[medicmurphy]

@diamond. Were you diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue?

 

[medicmurphy]

HI diamond,

The reason I ask if you have chronic fatigue along with FMS is because of your severe symptoms. Chronic fatigue is notorious in causing the symptoms you describe such as losing the ability to fully use limbs. I knew someone who ended up walking with a cane. My heart breaks for you diamond. I can feel your frustration and sense of futility. I so so so wish I had some suggestions on how to help you. The only thing that comes to mind is physiotherapy designed uniquely for you. Not sure if your medical plan covers this? I totally agree in your desire to keep moving in an attempt to spiral even further. This must be especially difficult since to were a very active person not too long ago. Sending you hugs. Big ones! Ginormous ones! Ones that leave you feeling you are cared for!

 

[diamond]

Thank you medicmurphy..well i think my practitioners think they are all one and the same. I do believe i didnt have the fatigue/weakness element quite like this at the beginning and is why i was able to do more but within limits or at least recover again...but it always kicked in if got stressed..i would land in bed barely unable to do basics or even felt too weak to sit in a chair..then it would pass again after about a week of rest.

So i did everything i could to avoid stress...sadly this had an impact on all my relationships as one minute i could seem fairly active but the next non functional. None of my family or partner really understood and i felt high demands from their wants and attitudes because i am sensitive.

I also have high expectations of myself and felt hurt and rather insulted they could think i wasnt doing my absolute best.

Everyone's underlying thinking seemed to be ' i worried too much' like i just had a few aches and was making a fuss...all sorts of comments over the years which i could deal with OK... until a big upset with my partner who seemed to join in the criticsm....why cant you do it....your not good enough party.

These were my feelings ( I'm sure they didn't mean to do long term harm and dont get the mind /body link ) and as we know negative feelings impact our health once we have these kinds of diseases..so then came this big upset that lasted for a while r and as usual my body seized and kind of shut down.

Since then i have never regained my previous level of fibro activity..so i am guessing the CFS side lurked and was kind of contained so long as i didn't either physically or mentally overdo it.

Thanks for the support...yes its sooo frustrating..i cant accept this is my life forever yet feel powerless as i have tried and tried and tbh am afraid to give control of my body to anyone because of how it reacts and the fact not even medical professional seem able to grasp that they might tug or pull me and im going to get something terrible go wrong long term as a result.

Obviously this makes me look anxious if i try so then they too have in the past labelled me as over anxious but if they lived in my body for a month they would be shocked as to what its like.

Validation not sympathy is so important and hard to come by aside from other sufferers. We all want to keep our dignity and be as functional as possible and not labelled' poor so and so'.

With respect and understanding i dont think i would have ended up like this.

I have always been the person they all turned to in my prefibro days and i gave instinctively and freely and care so much about others.

Anyway i think i must stop taking over the exercise thread now!

Its why im so protective when newbies and others do posts urging them to put them selves first and avoid stress as much as possible..i dont want anyone else to end up as bad as me.

 

[diamond]

Sorry again that above post was too long on reflection..i will leave you all to support each other in your exercise regimes. Good luck to everyone building up.

 

[sunkacola]

I thought that this was a very interesting article and study that might be of interest to you all:
-finding-different-types-exercise-affect-different-parts-brain New Finding: Different Types of Exercise Affect Different Parts of Your Brain : Conscious Life News.

Do A web search: Link not allowed!

 

[sunkacola]

Diamond, you are not "taking over" the exercise thread, so don't apologize.
We are here to support each other. Sometimes the topics get blurred a bit and there's absolutely no harm in that.
I feel for you and wish that there were something I could do to help. What you go through sounds horrible. The fact that you keep trying is admirable.

I am going to try to get back to working out, doing something each day even if only a little, something different each day so I don't over do it.

 

[1sweed]

To the Exercise Thread:
I find some types of exercise easy as long as I don't have to get down on my knees or reach over my head. lol But I get most of my exercise on my job where I do cleaning at a fitness center. I use my arms in sweeping, mopping, dusting, and running the upright sweeper. I bend over in picking stuff up off the floor and scrubbing the shower floor, so that exercises my lower back.

At home is the regular housecleaning, but what I love best is getting out in my backyard to plant flowers or weed the beds. So I do some gardening, raking, pulling weeds, composting, and just sitting down to admire the view. This month I hurt my left arm after trying to empty a 16 pound water pot from the dehumidifier. I thought I just strained the muscles but I can't turn my arm inward or hold anything even slightly heavy because of pain.
So I am a one arm exerciser at this point and time.

I watch the folks in the gym lifting weights and running on the tread mills, but the exercise bike is my limit. I always worry about doing too much and then not being able to do anything.

Thanks Sunkacola, for this fun thread.

 

[medicmurphy]

I joined a FB closed group called Run Like A Girl. It is a community of women of all age groups and walks of life who share a common interest in running. What is so inspiring is that each member has a different fitness level. Some are new to fitness, desire to lose weight, just gave birth, struggle with different health problems. I was amazed to hear about the number of autoimmune conditions many of them have. Included among these health issues is FM and CF. Their attitude is one of not giving in and allowing this condition to rule their world. Agreeably, everyone's situation is different. However, I thought I'd share this wee tidbit with you all. This world is small really, and every positive vibe we get is worth sharing. So, for those of you still trying to increase your activity level YOU GOOO!!! Keep up the brave fight. As the one woman I spoke to on the RLAG site, said "I'm going to hurt anyways, might as well hurt for a good reason"!!

 

[sunkacola]

"I'm going to hurt anyway, might as well hurt for a good reason"!!

Good point! I have thought that a lot, myself.