I have and I really enjoy them. Sadly, my roommate has the bathtub and it is not very clean, as in, never ever will I use it again. So pool it is. I just have to consider saving up to get it heated.
The main thing with exercise is know your limitations. Yoga is better for me.My main thing is to avoid a wheel chair or electric scooter.Observing some people once they get into a chair they never go walking again.
My prayer is not to rely on a chair to get around.
I believe it has to be a little of both, though I hurt, I will stretch, I have a pilate ball that I use to stretch my back, often it hurts but sometimes when I am done there is that bit of relief for a moment. Yoga (basic) has been the most rewarding for me. Flexibility yoga for beginners, I cannot say how good it has been for me, I choose to not go further into the major poses, just the basic poses like cat/cow, downward dog, and so on, and I only do for however long I can whether I get 5 minutes or 1 hour, it does help with the fibro and to feel accomplished of doing something that makes both fibro feel better and better to do more myself. I hope this helped.
sym
Exercise helps! But depending on what you do you may suffer from over using muscles quite quickly.
Yoga is my go to, but start with a yin or restorative class. Even chair or senior yoga. Be upfront with the instructor/studio about your definition of gentle and let them guide you to the correct class,
Exercise or movement is so important when you hav fibro. No matter how much it hurts try to move in some capacity every day. Even if it’s just walking to the end of the driveway and back. Never moving actually makes fibro pain worse. The trick is finding the right thing for you. There is a very thin line between what is acceptable to your body and what’s too much. I do yoga and love it. I’m able to use meditation and mindfulness while doing yoga that also helps with anxiety and pain. My new favorite class is yin yoga. The woman who teaches my class also has fibro. But sometimes I’m not able to make it and that’s ok. I’m a firm believer in listening to your body but sometimes I find I just have to do things for the sake of doing them whether it hurts or not. The great thing about yin yoga is it activates the paralymphatic system and helps the body rid itself of toxins ( you’re suppose to drink lots of water after it just like after a massage.)
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I have found that moderate exercise is necessary. Yoga and interval training make the muscle pain worse along with sitting or standing still too long. Walking, free weights (10 lb each) stretching and swimming and walking in a heated pool help. My local senior center keeps their pool at 91 degrees F, so I joined an try to go about 3X per weeks. The pool also helps with my sciatica, but it takes several months to see results. Taichi and using weight machines also appear to help, but I have not done them long enough to be sure.
I agree… Free weights are necessary! I do yoga and weights. I have several sizes of weight…1 lb, 3, 5, 8 and 10… So I can do what my body is allowing me to do any given day. I also have resistance bands. I do regular yoga, yin, and restorative.
I did yoga prior to having fibro and it was so beneficial. After fibro I really haven’t been able to solidify I schedule to keep going. You really have to have the right instructor who teaches at a beginners pace. Sometimes you get a really gunho teacher who does yoga 57 hours a day at the faster than a plane taking off a runway and they forget they are teaching a beginners class. Swimming is highly beneficial and easy to do vs. getting on a treadmill and sweating.
David
Very well said. It’s true we don’t want to move but you literally have to force yourself just to do a small walk. I will fight with myself all day long to walk and everytime I force myself to walk to the end of my street and back I always feel better. It moves the blood and stretches things out. I say this but I haven’t gone for any walks lately!
David
Light exercise in a heated therapy pool does wonders. That, and walking are about all I can manage.
Low impact only, anything else seems to take a couple of days of rest to recuperate. Stretching exercise seems to do the best, but again, don’t over do it. Walking, always remember to go for a walk everyday, even if its a mile at a time, several times a day. The best thing to know is low impact.
Doing a mile walk several times a day is a bit much. Even just a small walk to get the blood pumping is enough to help me. Everyone is different. Ideally cardiologists would like you to walk 10,000 steps in a day but that’s not feasible for me on most days. Low impact is the key like you said @Aphrodites. You don’t want to overdo it so remember to start small!
David
BF Moderator
Look for a restorative yoga class.
I often wonder about this too. When I was first diagnosed (1998) the idiot said FMS is not progressive. I bought it at the time but I’ve gotten worse over the years so ? I try to keep up with my bike riding- I ride 7 miles every other day- but some days it’s tough. I’m afraid to stop though because what happens when I stop? It’s frightening to think.
I have gotten worse since I was diagnosed almost 10 years ago. Wow 10 years. I’ve also done less each year. For me I have stopped working and over time instead of helping myself by exercising I’ve gotten lazy. Granted I know it’s not all laziness but I think when you have days you don’t feel good it’s also easier to give in to just being on the couch watching tv and it’s the worse thing you can do by being active. It’s a fight that I have with myself daily.
David
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