So, let’s sit down and have a very important conversation
about…..Exercise. Tell me, how is Fibromyalgia working out for you? Ok, yes I
did that on purpose – I rather like puns. But in all seriousness, do you
incorporate any kind of exercise into your daily activities? Or are you like I was
for year and year and literally dreaded the idea of exercise because just
saying the word made me hurt.
When I was first diagnosed with Fibromyalgia almost 6 years
ago, I very quickly noticed that movement of any kind was not only near
impossible but it left me in unimaginable pain. I would make it a point to move
as little as possible because the pain was so bad that it was exhausting. I
went from being able to run an Army PT 2 mile run to crawling my way to the bathroom and avoiding all other
activities that would increase my pain or fatigue me. I used to cry in
frustration because I would literally have to have help going to the grocery
store because I couldn’t push the cart or pick things up off the bottom
shelves. As time went on, I became more and more sedentary and oddly enough,
the more I sat or lay around, the more I was hurting. I also put on gross
amounts of weight which didn’t help with the mobility or pain in the least.
If you saw me today, you would not believe that I was ever
like this, but I can assure you that if you talked to any of my military
friends or even my new co-workers, they will tell you that I have come light-years
from where I was 6 months and I owe it all to exercise – vigorous, daily exertion.
Believe me though, I didn’t start out biking 8 miles, lifting weights, participating
in Body Pump, or even walking.
My daily routine, regardless of what day it is, is stretching.
The majority of a Fibro survivor’s pain is because their muscles are tight and
knotted and stretching helps to ease this significantly. Stretching also warms
up the muscles which will help blood flow subsequently reducing swelling. Now I
am not talking about doing full on yoga right after you jump out of bed – no no
no. My morning stretches are simply gently flexing my joints and rotating them
slowly. This promotes the bursae of the joints to start releasing synovial
fluids which are the body’s natural lubricant and the more we move them, the
more of this lubricant is released. I do this before I even attempt to get up
because I know that after being mostly immobile during sleep, I will be very
stiff.
Now before I started focusing on living and eating healthy
and exercising every day, I did struggle on a daily basis to put one foot in front
of the other. I did wear a rather large and unforgiving knee brace because the
muscles were so weak it would hyperextend (and I would fall over) and use a
cane for extra support because my right leg didn’t like to cooperate most of
the time. Of course both of these crutches only served to create other
problems. I wasn’t walking upright because of the cane and I would favor my
right side which only added to the stress on my left side and therefore my back
and shoulders would hurt all the time and my feet would swell uncontrollably.
When I first started working out with my trainer, I struggled
daily. I chose to work with a personal trainer because these individuals are
trained to help target muscle groups and make sure that you use proper form
when lifting and working out so that you do not injure yourself. Dustin is my
trainer and constant encouragement. I started out exercising only three days a
week and using the other days to recover. We would do exercises that used my own
body weight against itself and focus on slow, steady repetition. This allowed
me to stretch and strengthen the muscle groups just a little at a time so that
the muscle didn’t tear as with normal athletes because my unique body would not
heal overnight as most bodies do. He helped me to build core stability because
this is what I needed to fix my posture. We would do simple balancing exercises
to help strengthen the right side of my body which I had been favoring for
years and had begun to deteriorate. I am not saying that my muscles didn’t hurt,
they did, they do, but the difference is that I could tell that they were
stronger and it took a lot more for that exhausting, debilitating pain to set
in. Dustin would help me every time we worked out with special stretches that
would extend the ligaments in my hips and back so that I could regain my range
of motion. He even made me foam-roll my inner and outer thighs which worked
similar to a daily massage allowing the muscles to release tension and ultimately
reducing pain. I really would get so mad at him when he would push me to do
something that I was truly afraid of doing because “it might hurt”.
Now, 5 months later, after working through the pain and the “I
can’t” mentality I am in sooooo much less pain,
still ache but I get around freely, and I workout every single day for
at least an hour. I love the way my workouts make me feel. Sure I may get a
little tired, but the endorphins that are released and the confidence I have
built over the months, make it energizing and gratifying. I feel so good that I
do 5Ks with my daughter, I lift and have begun training to be a Fitness Model,
and the best part is that I can be an active part of my daughter’s life – I no
longer have to site on the sidelines and watch her.
Now I will not sit here and tell anyone, a Fibromite or otherwise,
to jump into lifting weights, advanced yoga, going to Body Pump classes, or
even working out for an hour every day. You have to build up to it. Start small,
start slow, and gradually add to your routine. I work with a personal trainer
because I needed the knowledge and accountability but now I work with Dustin
because I love the way I feel and the way I look. Find a workout that will push
you just past your comfort zone and set goals for yourself. Remember to be
smart about them though. With dedication and consistency, combined with a
healthy diet and refreshing sleep, you may very soon find yourself
participating in the lives of those you love rather than cheering from the
outside. Sometimes it is necessary to take a break especially with advanced
Fibromyalgia but remembering to stretch, whether you work out that day or not,
so that your muscles are not allowed to tense up too much which will only make
going back to your workout that much harder.
Exercise has made a huge difference in my life as a
Fibromyalgia survivor and I am confident that it could do the same for you!
A Happy Home is a Healthy Home!
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