Exercise is one of the most crucial treatments for fibromyalgia. Regular exercise is responsible for strengthening your muscles, increasing blood flow to the muscles and increasing your endurance. In addition, it may lower the risk of tiny injuries to the muscles which may cause more pain. Exercise may also assist you with sleeping better and improving your overall sense of well-being.
Mild to moderate exercise is applicable for most people with this condition. A balanced exercise programme should include:
- Low-impact aerobic exercise, for example walking, swimming, biking, or water aerobics. This is the most useful type of exercise for people who have fibromyalgia as it builds general strength as well as endurance.
- Stretching exercises, which can assist with relaxing tight muscles and easing spasms.
- Strengthening exercises to build stronger muscles.
Moderate activity is safe for most people. However it’s always good to talk to your doctor before you begin an exercise programme.
Exercise Should Lower Pain
Will exercise make you hurt more? Some muscle soreness is quite common after exercising in the beginning. However ultimately exercise should relieve fibromyalgia pain, not exacerbate it. Try these tips:
- Start off small and build slowly.
- Massage or apply heat to sore muscles prior to exercise and then apply cold after.
Take It Slowly
When you are ready to start an exercise programme, start slowly. Adopting a small-steps approach to beginning an exercise plan can assist. Add activity in small doses, daily if you can. Then build up your activity gradually over time.
For instance, if you walked for 10 minutes today, try out 11 minutes — a 10% increase — a week later. This approach is particularly important for avoiding a phenomenon called post-exertional malaise (PEM). Many individuals with fibromyalgia have this problem.
When they feel a lot less pain or more energy, they may attempt to get things done that they have not been able to do owing to symptoms. Frequently, they don’t realise when they are doing too much at once. They may wind up feeling so tired that it takes days or longer to recover. This is PEM, which is better known to people with fibromyalgia as a “crash.” A gradual approach to exercise can help.
How Are You Able Manage Post-Workout Flare-Ups?
When it comes down to exercise and fibromyalgia, the goal is to begin gradually and move towards moderate intensity.
Exercise which is too intense for the person, or (done) for too long, exacerbates pain. That’s why you need to start slow and low which is the best approach to take for success. As little as five minutes every day can impact pain in a very positive way:
- Perform water exercises,
- Walk on an elliptical machine, or
- Go to a gentle yoga class.
For the best results, exercise daily for short periods (15 minutes at a time).
If you’re too sick to walk, start with conditioning (and even walking) in a warm-water pool. This can assist you with getting to the point where you are able to walk outside.
Individuals with fibromyalgia suffer from orthostatic intolerance. This means that when they stand up, the blood rushes to their legs and then stays there. This can be assisted dramatically by increasing water and salt intake as well as by utilising medium pressure (20 – 30 mmHg) compression stockings when they’re up and about. In these situations, utilising a recumbent bicycle can also be very useful for exercising.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
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