Take the Fitness Route to Defeat Fibromyalgia

Even after taking prescribed drugs from your doctor, if you feel exhausted and hurt all over the body, its time you get more active and take regular exercise. Exercise, especially aerobics, improves flexibility, stamina, strength, and your sleeping pattern.

Though not life-threatening, fibromyalgia is a disorder that causes intense pain in your muscles, connective tissues and joints, and interferes with a wide range of everyday activities. It may trigger headaches, muscle stiffness, body aches and can even disrupt your beauty sleep. Stress, anxiety or lack of sleep can make the symptoms of fibromyalgia worse. Pretty common, this condition affects women more than men and might have serious effects on their health.

Set small goals. Take up something which is easy and which you enjoy doing, in order to be persistent.
Walk, jog or swim…… Incorporate aerobics and get your heart rate going………Researches have revealed that regular aerobic exercise improves fitness, strengthens muscles and reduces body pain and fatigue in people with fibromyalgia. This doesn’t mean joining an ‘aerobics’ class. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) defines aerobic exercise as “any activity that uses large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmic in nature.” After an aerobic session your muscles feel less stiff and you are able to sleep better. Aerobic exercise enhances oxygen circulation through the blood and improves mental health.
Walk the pain off

Start off with a 10 minutes walk, thrice a week and gradually increase the speed and time. Remember that the speed should be comfortable, enough to get your heart pumping but not enough to lead to shortness of breath. Walking not only conditions our muscles but benefits our stress and energy levels, and improves our sleep as well. Fibromyalgia is a condition that involves both the mind and the body. The pain felt by a person with fibromyalgia is often affected by the way he or she feels. Feeling low, stressed or anxious may make the muscular pain feel even worse, which may in turn add to the stress and anxiety. Stepping outdoor, gives us a chance to enjoy nature and feel better about ourselves and life in general.
Ease out with swimming
Recruiting nearly all the major muscles of your body, this low impact exercise is extremely relaxing when suffering from body ache. All the more better if the pool is heated. So, put on your floats and move around the pool. Don’t take it as an exercise rather just enjoy yourself.
Get strength training
The exercise makes your muscles active again and helps build up their tolerance to pain. It will also help you get back that range of motion which fibromyalgia may have taken away from you.
To start with, use the lightest weights possible, even if it’s just a two pound weight. Begin with a few exercises and gradually work you way up to 3 sets of 10 repetitions. If you are not comfortable with lifting weights, try exercise bands. These elastic, stretchy bands have the same effect on your muscles, but won’t cause so much strain to lift.
Make exercise a routine and be consistent. But if you experience flare-ups, take a day off. Resume your exercise program as soon as you feel better.

Exercise everyday for 20-30 minutes. Regular exercise boosts serotonin levels in the brain (Serotonin is a chemical that plays a vital role in maintaining mood)

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