Fibromyalgia and Exercise
Fibromyalgia and exercise are perhaps 2 words that you word not automatically put together.
It may seem counter intuitive to even think about exercise when you are wracked with pain, exhausted by chronic fatigue and unmotivated because of low mood. But I have to say commencing some form of gentle exercise can really make a difference to all Fibromyalgia symptoms.
The actual word “exercise” can be off putting for many people who have Fibromyalgia. It has connotations of marathon running, energetic aerobic classes or jogging on a treadmill. So rather than use the phrase “Fibromyalgia and exercise”, it may be more useful to term it as “Fibromyalgia and movement”. We all need to move our bodies each day for a variety of reasons so incorporating a little more movement should be easy.
Lack of exercise will reduce serotonin
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which carries signals between nerve cells in the brain. It is also a hormone and is found all over the body and is produced in the digestive system.
It is often referred to as the happy hormone because of its influence on mood. But it also has effect on our emotions, memory, sleep, appetite, digestion, pain perception, body temperature regulation and libido.
According to the NHS research has found people with Fibromyalgia have abnormally low levels of serotonin in their brains. A lack of exercise will reduce serotonin.
My experience of Fibromyalgia and exercise
I started very gently with some Qigong movements. Qigong is similar to Tai Chi. I watched some YouTube videos and picked the simplest of movements to begin with, basically shaking out the body. I started with just 5 minutes movement each morning and very slowly and gradually built this up to around 15 minutes.
I would recommend Qigong or Tai Chi movements because they can be done while standing or even sitting, rather than having to lie down and get into complicated positions as with Yoga.
The following video is one of the videos I started with.
Long Stretches
Because I had a build up of very painful fascia, as people with Fibromyalgia have, I looked at various methods of myofascial release. And one of the ways you can smooth out the fascia is by doing Qigong long stretches. Yin yoga is another type of stretching that will help smooth out fascia.
I was amazed and delighted that after just a week or so of doing the long stretches, my pains in my legs and arms began to disappear. It seemed miraculous. The added bonus was losing weight, puffiness and blobbiness from my arms and legs. I had not had slender, toned and slim legs for years but now I have.
I started slowly with the stretches and bought the Yoga strap from Amazon. At first I could only manage to hold the stretches for seconds but gradually I built it up to 3 minutes. Doing the stretches for 3 minutes will give amazing results.
This video shows exactly how to do the long stretches.
Self Myofascial Release for Fibromyalgia pain using Qigong stretching techniques
Walking
I had always liked to take a walk with my husband each morning before I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I continued to walk each day but the effort would exhaust me. I could only walk very slowly and it would often exacerbate my aches and pains.
But as my health improved after I followed the advice given in my Cure for Fibromyalgia I could walk briskly without pain or fatigue for up to 45 minutes each day.