Some great info on working out with fibromyalgia

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Exercising with Fibromyalgia

If you are one of the five million Americans living with

fibromyalgia, you may be thinking that exercise is out of the

question. After all, your muscles are aching and sore even without

working out. In reality, exercise may help relieve some of your

symptoms and will provide other benefits as well.

STRETCHING

Stretching daily can be very relaxing and may help reduce muscular

pain or soreness. If you've had an active day, end it with a 30-

minute stretching routine that may help you relax and even fall

asleep. Be sure to stretch all major muscle groups and stretch very

gently, to the point of tension but not pain. Hold each stretch for

15 to 30 seconds and repeat each stretch two or three times. Another

option may be to participate in a beginning yoga class, which will

incorporate strengthening moves with the stretching. Be very

cautious and careful not to overdo it.

CARDIOVASCULAR/AEROBIC CONDITION

The key to choosing the " right " aerobic exercise program is choosing

the activity you most enjoy. However, your symptoms may limit you to

certain activities.

Water exercise is very popular, but it may be hard to find a pool

with a comfortable water temperature. If water exercise is chosen,

options include swimming, deep-water exercise and shallow water

exercise.

Walking is another excellent choice because it is low-impact, doesn't

require special equipment and can easily be fit into your schedule.

Many fitness centers offer low-impact aerobic exercise classes and

have a variety of low to no impact exercise equipment such as stair-

machines, ski-machines and cross-trainers.

When feeling up to it, try doing aerobic exercise at least three days

per week (no more than five is necessary) for approximately 30

minutes at a moderate intensity. Exercising at higher intensities

may feel fine during the workout, but may leave you with intense

muscle soreness within a few hours.

MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE

Muscle strength, endurance and toning can be done with a number of

different types of exercises. Push-ups and curl-ups, using rubber

tubing or bands while doing calisthenics, using dumbbells or

barbells, or specialized equipment will all result in improving

muscular strength and/or endurance. Visit SportWell to learn

appropriate technique for any of these methods. Also, no matter

which method you choose, begin with a low-dose such as one set of up

to ten or twelve repetitions using the major muscle groups, and

repeating this two or three non-consecutive days per week. Just as

with the aerobic exercise, it is important to begin with low

intensity and progress very gradually to moderate intensity. High

intensity and high volume (increasing to two or three sets and

increasing the repetitions beyond twelve) is not necessary and will

likely result in more intense muscle soreness.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

You will respond to exercise differently than anyone else, so pay

attention to your symptoms and adjust your exercise routine as

necessary. At least one day per week should be designated as a rest

day. You may always have pain or soreness, but hopefully the

regular, consistent exercise will help you cope with the discomfort

and enjoy other aspects of your life!

Call the SportWell Center at 244-0261 for more information or check

out these web sites:

Fibromyalgia Network at: http://www.fmnetnews.com

and Deborah Barrett's Information on Fibromyalgia at:

http://www.paintracking.com

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