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A New Free Report - What Is Fibromyalgia?
This fascinating new report from UK-based publishing house Health Research Today answers some of the most-asked questions about this baffling disease :
- What's the medical definition of Fibromyalgia?
- What are the symptoms of Fibromyalgia?
- What are tender points and what are trigger points? What's the difference?
- What are the known causes of Fibromyalgia?
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Natural Treatments for Fibromyalgia
This article is an extract from the ebook Freedom From Fibromyalgia!
Exercising Daily to Beat Fibromyalgia
Sometimes the last thing you want to do, especially when your body hurts and your muscles are in spasms, is exercise. When you feel bad, it’s natural to want to remain in bed, hoping the sleep will somehow alleviate the pain. However, exercise, with fibromyalgia, is essential to lessening your fibromyalgia symptoms.
However, you are certainly not the only one who dreads the thought of exercising. Think of all the people who make New Year’s resolutions each year to workout and get in shape. How many of those people, within a few weeks, have already ditched that resolution? Don’t be one of those people! With exercise, fibromyalgia patients have shown vast improvement in their overall quality of life.
Benefits of exercise. Getting motivated to exercise is hard for most people, so you’re certainly not alone. And, you’ll eventually realize that, even if your muscles are hurting, the exercise to combat fibromyalgia is going to make you feel better – both physically and mentally.
Exercise with fibromyalgia will not only help you feel better, it will help build your stamina. Sure, you’ll be more tired after exercising in the beginning, but with time, you’ll be able to do more with less soreness after your workout.
How to start. Exercising with fibromyalgia requires you to limit yourself. You’re going to introduce exercise into your daily routine slowly. Don’t expect yourself to be able to exercise for a half an hour your first time out. Rather, you may only be able to exercise for five or ten minutes before you have to stop. That’s okay.
Do not push yourself to do more than you can physically handle. Sure, pre-fibromyalgia, you may have been able to workout for an hour, really push yourself to the limit, and still get out of bed and feel fine the next morning. With exercise, fibromyalgia symptoms can be alleviated but pushing yourself too far can cause a flare-up.
Exercising daily with fibromyalgia means you’re going to slowly build up your stamina. So, if you’re only able to exercise five minutes the first day, then workout for six minutes the next day. Each day add another minute to your routine until you’re able to handle a half an hour of exercise.
Before you start any exercise regiment, consult your doctor. You may also consider going to physical therapy. Since most insurance plans only allow for a set number of physical therapy sessions, you can use those sessions to build your stamina and learn the best ways to exercise to combat your fibromyalgia once you’re on your own.
Best exercises for those with fibromyalgia
Stretch. Before you begin exercising, you want to first stretch. Athletes stretch prior to games to loosen their muscles and to help prevent against injury. You want to do the same. Stretching will prepare you for exercise, loosening your tight muscles.
Walking. Walking is an excellent means of exercise for fibromyalgia patients. Go for a walk around the block, or as far as you can to start. You’ll quickly notice that being out in the fresh air also makes you feel better mentally and emotionally. Make it your end goal to walk for at least a half an hour.
In the winter when it’s too cold to go outside, you might want to consider purchasing a treadmill. One of the best features of a treadmill is you can make it go as slow or as fast as you want. Start slow, and work your way up to a faster walk. Increase your difficulty only after you’ve built your stamina. You can also exercise, to beat your fibromyalgia pain, on a treadmill at your local gym.
Bicycling. Stationary exercise bikes provide effective exercise for fibromyalgia patients as well. Remember to start slow. Most exercise bikes allow you to adjust the difficulty of your ride. Start at the easiest level. With time, you’ll be able to increase your time and level of difficulty.
Water exercise. Whether it’s water aerobics or swimming a lap or two, water exercise is an excellent type of exercise for fibromyalgia patients. Because the water supports your body and your muscles, you’ll find that just getting into the pool makes you feel a little better. Talk with your doctor or physical therapist about adding the pool into your exercise agenda.
If you want to beat your fibromyalgia pain, you want to exercise daily. With exercise, fibromyalgia’s symptoms can be considerably lessened. Of course, remember to start slow and not push yourself too hard. Pushing the limits could result in a flare-up, and you’re exercising to avoid flare-ups and pain.
© Health Research Today
Read the rest of this article in Freedom From Fibromyalgia!
