The gym is money well spent!!

I asked everyone about exercise and u all said ur opinions .i took them in and so a specialist at my gym for a free not and I have not looked back.i am finding exercising for as long as u can each day,(going a little out of my comfort zone) takes a lot of edge off the pain!it is the best money spent!i also got a Thai massage which has made me feel amazing (and it was free!)I feel better than I have for yrs and I am hoping it may last!!!hope this inspires previous gym bunnies (prior to fibro)to get back into it!good luck to anyone who does!the first month is hard but u'll get through it.just be determined!big smile to you allx

[Hidden]

Very inspirational! Thank you for posting! I hate feeling so idle, I am desperate to start exercising again. Once we have moved house in a few weeks, I am joining the local gym - I can't wait! I will start really gently and build up, need to lose a bit of weight too, so it will help all round! Thanks again!

(Note - please be careful before you start any exercise plan or you can set yourself back or even into a flare-up. Make sure you don't overdo it, take frequent rest and if in doubt ask your Doctor or Consultant )

[Hidden]

We do alot of walking every day.good for you.xx

[sara80]

I don't know how you can exercise, I find it so painful. id love to be able to do my sports again, what did you do?????

love sara

[Hidden]

Sara if you find everything so painful, have you thought about perhaps starting gently with Yoga or Tai Chi, both are considered to be good for people with Fibro. Pilates too. Gentle stretching and breathing helps the management of pain and the most important thing about it is that it actually helps us to feel better. It's the getting motivated and getting started that's the hardest part.

I did Yoga for many years before being diagnosed with Fibro. I admit I don't do the harder positions but the gentle movements actually help me. I only do this on my better days and I find my mind and body feel better for it.

A good way to start is to buy yourself a relaxation CD, listen to it and breathe in and out gently and slowly imagine you are in the most beautiful place, the place of your dreams. This really works too, it eases the body and the mind. It takes practice, but find somewhere quiet, on your own and try it. Gentle breathing in and out, slow everything down in your mind, push the pain aside . . . . it works, it really does. When you have mastered this, try gentle yoga moves, listen to an instrumental relaxation CD. If you can manage this, slowly work up to walking, power walking. Don't aim too high, start at the very beginning. I am still building myself up. Don't push yourself too hard, slowly does it.

As Sammy says walking is great too. Start with short distances, rest if you need to. Build up to greater distances, Again don't push yourself too hard. Only try to exercise in any capacity on a better day. Good luck.

[sara80 in reply to Hidden]

thanks, I'll try that and goodluck to fibrofightbegins

[FionaP]

Sadly I am with you on this Sara.

I tried Tai Chi for around 6 months as I thought it would be good for my worsening arthritis and could not understand why I was in so much agony. This was a few years before I was diagnosed with Fibro.

The second doctor who diagnosed me (also an acupuncturist)said that acupuncture would not be good for me as I had too many problem areas that treating one would start a flare elsewhere. I took up swimming again after diagnosis. Being in the water was good, the hot tub/steam room too, but draughty changing rooms and many road humps on the journeys left me in a bad way.

Each year after a big flare up I get worse and exercise becomes a painful joke. Now my calf, thigh muscles and stomach all strain too easily.

We are all different. What is good for one is damaging for another.

I have not given up completely. As I have just moved home and will be trying hydrotherapy and gentle exercise. The pool is just a short distance from me now in the hope that it will strengthen my leg muscles which pull too easily since tearing a few years back.

Do check with your doctor before starting any new exercise plan. It is all too easy to think that what is good for one, fits everyone. Especially in the earlier years when we are eager to do anything in the hope of outsmarting this fibro.

[Jeannie]

I have been to the gym most days for past two weeks - loved it - and guess what no pay back!!! However yesterday went on long car journey and today full flare up. Just getting up now at 14.21 pm - that's how long it's taken for pain killers to settle in!!!!!! You wouldn't credit it would you - that sitting for long period more harmful. This is such a cruel fluctuating condition - was hoping to go back to work in August but today reminds me of how easy it is to go from being in the gym to b wing bedridden

But good luck to all gym buds I shan't give up and believe any exercise is good

Gentle hugs

Jeannie xxx