Best exercise routine?

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Celia

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Joined
Jun 17, 2020
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4
Reason
DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
01/2016
Country
DE
Is there a special exercise routine or sport that helped you most? I try to do yoga every day and read that studies found yoga to be most effective. There is supposed to be a special fibromyalgia program but I haven't tried it.
I really like cycling but sometimes I am exhausted for days afterwards.
 
Cycling for me is very helpful. I also do a lot of meditation which, while I don't find it helps with pain, I do find it helps with my mental well being and mindfulness.

I haven't tried yoga but I will one day. Thanks for the recommendation.
 
To my knowledge there is no one specific exercise that is a "special fibromyalgia program", and if you find something that says it is, it is probably a scam or just someone's opinion.

The best exercise for Fibromyalgia is:
  1. something you enjoy doing, so it gives you pleasure and you don't dread doing it
  2. something you can do every day or at least 5 days a week
  3. something that you can do lightly or more fully, depending on how you feel that day
  4. something you know how to do properly, so you don't run the risk of injury from the exercise itself. (For example, doing Yoga poses the wrong way can strain your back or cause other forms of harm to your body).
We all have to experiment and find out what works for each of us. For me it is hiking and dancing, both of which are quite vigorous activities for me the majority of the time, but I can just take a flat walk instead of going up a mountain, or dance slowly instead of fast and fully, if my body is not doing well that day.
 
As someone who recently made an effort, both mentally and physically, to take better care of my body, I completely agree with "something you enjoy".

I used to try to run, but I've never enjoyed running. As you might assume, it was easy not to do it often, if ever, and when I did do it, it was a struggle to find the motivation.

I do however enjoy cycling, so I have an $80 used mountain bike and it's a lot easier to take a daily cycle because it's something I enjoy.

Other simple suggestions could be gardening (it's actually a fair bit of exercise usually), or a brisk walk, or a slow walk, a hike or even a light swim. Anything to get your muscles moving and of course the other benefits, stimulating your mind.

Like @sunkacola said, it's something I can do lightly on days I'm "not feeling it", and it's easy to do a few times a week when the weather is nice.
 
I've found that yoga helps a lot. I've found programs on Amazon Prime that are stretching routines that help loosen my back, neck and shoulders. It's a 15 minute program and I feel good afterwards. Sometimes I follow that with a nice meditation video. I hope you find what works for you.
 
I've found that yoga helps a lot. I've found programs on Amazon Prime that are stretching routines that help loosen my back, neck and shoulders. It's a 15 minute program and I feel good afterwards. Sometimes I follow that with a nice meditation video. I hope you find what works for you.
Stretching is great. I also stretch regularly and highly recommend it. The better stretched your muscles are the more limber you are and that helps protect your body from injury and pain. So, good for you, Rmstamper! :)
 
I'm just about to start a tai chi class having been told this is good for fibro,
 
I recently started doing a gentle and easy yoga program recommended by my daughter. It is challenging in a good way and after 3 weeks of it I can say that my tight muscles and the level of pain is improving. I've had a lot of pain on my left side all up and down, and the yoga is helping slowly release my shoulder and neck and ribs. I am on the easiest level and it is a slow process - and sometimes I can't do the pose, but I try and just getting your body moving and your blood flowing is good for you - plus it is a peaceful routine that relaxes you while you work out.
 
I'm new to this forum so i hope i do this right. Does anyone find that after physical labor that you're in extreme pain? I helped move a friend and the next morning I ached like i have the flu.
 
I'm new to this forum so i hope i do this right. Does anyone find that after physical labor that you're in extreme pain? I helped move a friend and the next morning I ached like i have the flu.
I think the main thing here is that you have to learn what you can and cannot do, which fluctuates so you have to learn to listen closely to what your body is telling you.

In other words, it's not that you helped a friend move, but that you either did too much, lifted things too heavy, did it for too long, moved the wrong way, or whatever.

For me, it's important if I need to do something like that that I am VERY careful about how I lift things, never arching my back forward and always lifting with my legs, for instance. And, that I take breaks. And, that I pay attention to my body every minute and as soon as it says it's enough or I get a back twinge or whatever I quit whether the job is done or not. This is hard, because we all want to finish the job. But what I do is tell the person I will be working with that I may not be able to finish the job and can only do so much, and that if I say I need to rest or quit it's not out of laziness but because I have to in order to take care of my body. My guess is your body might have sent you signals that it had had enough but you were more focused on the job at hand. Really paying attention to our bodies is not something we are taught to do, so you have to learn it on your own.

And sometimes I do everything "right" and still feel awful the next day. And when that happens, I just accept it and take that day or two to rest and heal. It happens less often now that I have learned to listen to my body.
 
Recently just sweeping throws me a curve. Thanks for the advice and I will make a point to pay closer attention to my body.
 
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