Exercise

[Nanna B]

Hi,

I was wondering, if any of you here, do any kind of exercising? My husband is under the belief that if I exercise I would feel better. My problem is when I do exercise on the tread mill, I have leg cramps and then my kidney hurts. So I shy away from exercising.

If you do exercise, what do you do? How much? How often? Do you feel any better?

Thanks,
nan

[linniec]

Try some of the exercises from Public Broadcasting's Sit and Be Fit. The exercises are headed by a nurse, and backed by Physical Therapists. Most, if not all, can be done while seated and some while lying down. They are less than 30 minutes long, though she does say that some are more vigorous than others. I have not done these particular exercises that are recommended for Fibromyalgia but have done her for Osteoporosis (brought on by taking my Epilepsy medications.) Here are some of the VHS or DVD's she recommends for Fibromyagia (Some are available as Tapes, some as DVD's, and some as both.) You can pick and choose.

Fibromyalgia Recommendations:
30 Minute Workout
Tone & Stretch I
Tone & Stretch II
Tone & Stretch III
Tone & Stretch IV
Caregiver's Guide to Exercise Video (has great bed exercises to start the day)
Multiple Sclerosis Specialty Video
Fibromyalgia
All American Workout
Balance and Fall Prevention Workout
Arthritis Specialty
Fibromyalgia

The address is : http://www.sitandbefit.org

Linnie
"beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself."-Desiderata

[Tootsie]

Hi Nan,
I agree with your husband. However, it sounds to me as if you are starting with too much, if you are having leg cramps. If you have been primarily sedentary, it is best to start with too little, rather than too much. I also wonder about your diet, and if it contributes to the tendency to cramp. You might try a daily multi-vitamin to see if that helps at all. Potassium is found in almost all fresh fruits and vegetables and those can sometimes be difficult to buy during the winter months, especially after the recent freezing weather.

I have had fibromyalgia for about 50 years and for the past 25, have been swimming .3 of a mile, 3x a week. My employer offered a discounted membership at a local gym and I have continued to pay the monthly fee. It takes me anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes. I do not stop and rest, just go at my own pace. Fortunately, I float easily, and it is one of the very few advantages I have found for being obese!

Nothing hurts when I get out of the pool. I sleep well, and always better on the days that I have gone swimming. I also do some simple calisthenics on the floor every night before going to bed. Alexander Technique is part of my routine, and I also do some exercises that were recommended in a "Knee Class" that I attended offered by the HMO where I receive medical care. I have arthritis in my knees but no signs of osteoporosis.

All of my routines, keep me comfortable enough so it is easy to keep them up. However, while I was still working, there were many days when I just wanted to go home and sit. I would force myself to go to the gym, and sometimes it took me twenty lengths of the pool, before that feeling of wanting to stop, left me. At that point, I would be glad that I had forced myself to make the effort. Cheerio.

[Nanna B]

Thanks for the info!

Linnie, the videos sound great. I am going to check out our library. They carry alot of the PBS specials. Hopefully, they have something for me to check out. It is worth a try.
Thanks.

Tootsie, you asked about my diet. I confess it is not the best. With my food allergies, I have a hard time finding good foods I can eat. The doc said at this point he doesn't care what I eat, as long as I eat. I can do that, that's easy! However, my doctor has me on all types of nutritional supplements and vitamins and minerals of all sorts. I opted to try this first rather than traditional medicine.

I used to be kinda active. I would take the kids bowling and bowl with them every week. I would take the dogs for a mile long walk. Now, climbing the stairs is a major effort. Really, thinking about exercising wears me out, he he!I am such a baby.

Thanks for the encouragement!
nan

[Tootsie]

Nan,
I think the videos that Linnie suggested is an excellent way to start out with a new movement regime. It would offer you a way to strengthen your muscles before trying anything else.

Do you still have the dogs? Perhaps a shorter but more frequent walk would work better now. There have been many times, on this forum especially, when people have interpreted recommendations to exercise, too literally. They either spend a lot of money buying "equipment," or even a gym membership, and then have to stop, because they have done too much, too soon.

When I say "exercise," I really mean, "move." It may be a walk to the mail box, a walk to say hello to a neighbor, or just a little jog up and down the hall to the bedrooms! Probably the most important thing is to find something that you enjoy. I really love the tactile feel of the water, the ability to move easily in it, the solitude, the quiet, etc.

The other big thing is learning to pace yourself. I basically plan my life around the 3 days a week, I go to swim. Those are NOT the days, I try to turn over some earth for a new plant in the garden. Rarely, do I do anything in the yard that takes me an hour. That is too long for me. I need to sit a while, move around a little, sit some more, put a load of laundry in, carry some things from the garage into the house (toilet paper, paper towels, a new bar of soap, etc.), sit again, etc. Cheerio.

[Nanna B]

Hi Tootsie,

I think you are right I do need to pace myself. I get all excited and think I will be able to accomplish alot in one day. wrong.

I so wish I had access to a pool. Our YMCA, is very expensive here, and it is quite old and run down. They are in the process of planning to build a new one, so memberships have sky rocketed.

I also have been longing to take the dogs for a walk. This past October a stray Shih Tsu showed up at our door, so I decided to take him around the neighborhood looking for his owners, well I tripped and fell pretty hard. Ever since then I guess I have been nervous to go out again. Right now the sidewalks, and streets are covered in ice and snow. But, I think it is a matter of just "getting back on the bike or horse" whatever that saying is. What I don't want to do is make excuses for myself. My poor dogs have been house bound, I know they would love a trip just to the corner. I have a 4 yo black lab, Libby and 1.5 yo goldendoodle, Buzz.

I told my husband I wanted to start exercising, so we went to the mall last night and did a little walking around. We took our boys with us they shopped for shoes, then I would sit, then we would get up again. It was good, good pace.

I know it will take some time. I just need to find the right plan, and really just stick with it. Last month my husband took me to the gym to check out memberships, I told him I would NOT feel comfortable in that environment. I know I would not enjoy it and probably not even go. Maybe in the future, but not now.

It helps having people encouraging you and caring.

Thanks,
nan

[Tootsie]

Hi Nan,
I have another idea or two for you. When I first began swimming, I went to a local pool owned by the county. It was originally designed for use with handicapped children. However, when the money ran out for those programs, they opened the pool to anyone who had a note saying, "therapeurtic swimming required," from their doctor. Now, a non-profit administers the pool. It was expensive, $6 or $7 every time you went. However, they also allowed people one half hour of free pool time, for every 3 hours they volunteered. This meant greeting people at a reception desk and answering the phone, all sitting down. The big thing about the pool was that you could simply walk into it, either down a ramp, or down wide, flat steps, with 4 inch risers. Temperature was 92 degrees. Time was limited to 40 minutes as some people would feel so good, they would stay in too long, get overheated and then dizzy when they got out. You might go to the Y, or write them a letter asking if you could have 30 minutes in the pool in exchange for some kind of volunteer work. Be specific about what you can do. Simply walking in the water would be a step forward.

Our weather here is not cold enough for ice, but when it rains, there is a loosely organized group of people, who meet at one of the indoor malls, and walk there before the stores open. They then have coffee at one of the food courts. That might be a doable option for you.

Be careful walking the dogs. My cousin had her dog cross in front of her and trip her with the leash. It took 6 months to recover from the broken hip. I really miss our dog, but neither my husband or I really want another one. When we travel, a kennel is really expensive and adds to the cost of travel.
Cheerio.

[MichelleC]

I swim also, three times a week. I feel more tired on the days that I swim, but my body body feels less stiff. The rheumie said to swim for about 20 minutes, but I swim for about 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how I feel. I am good at swimming, so I usually end up completing about a mile in that time. It makes me feel better to feel like I can still do something tolerably well. The changing & showering process makes it take double the time, which is frustrating sometimes, so I don't want to go through all that for just 20 minutes of swimming! I do have to watch out that I don't overdo it, it's a fine line sometimes.

Exercise involving walking (running is out of the question!) ends up causing me too much grief, as my feet, ankles, knees and hips hurt too much. I mean I do walk places, walk my dogs, etc. But the weather is so cold that I need something regular that I can do indoors. Cold temps make my leg pain much worse. Right now it's 20 degrees and snowing with 50 mph gusts! Lots of pain today.

Our local hospital has a wellness center with a pool, and they keep the water at 84 degrees. We don't have a YMCA. It hurts to pay the membership fees ($201 for 6 months), but I keep telling myself it's for my own health, and if I didn't spend it on the wellness center, I'd end up spending it on more medical bills...........

I hope you've found a way to add in some exercise to your routine.

Michelle

[Tootsie]

Michelle, that Wellness Center sounds like a real bargain to me. As I figure, it is about $33 a month, and if you go regularly, 3 x a week, that's about $3 every time you go. The pool where I started swimming with a temp of 92 degrees charged $6 every time you went and now it is up to $8. Now, I go to a private gym. The pool isn't as warm but it is just $30 a month. Cheerio.