Sensible Exercise for Fibromyalgia

Some side effects of fibromyalgia that aren't mentioned very often are the loss of flexibility and muscle strength. It's natural to lose muscle strength as we grow older, but it happens much faster when pain and fatigue prevent you from exercising. The result is that young people with fibromyalgia can become as physically disabled as someone much older. Weak muscles limit your ability to lift and carry many everyday objects and affect your overall health, and stiffness makes you more susceptible to injuries when fast physical movement is necessary.

The key to maintaining flexibility and muscle strength is simple exercises that you can do almost anywhere, and that require little or no equipment. If you respect your physical limitations, doing only as much as you're capable of without creating more pain and fatigue, and as often as possible, you can avoid losing your mobility and your independence.

Equipment

What equipment do you need? Nothing more than one or two tennis balls or a soft squeeze toy, very light free weights, a wall, and some floor space where you can put down a folded blanket or an exercise mat. If your bed has a firm mattress, you can do some of your exercising in bed.

Take it Easy

The key to success is moderation and patience. Because you will be doing very short low-intensity workouts, progress will be slow. Luckily, exercise stimulates endorphins, which have a positive effect on mood, so just getting yourself moving should make you feel better. And the knowledge that you're doing something positive for yourself is another mood booster.

Fibromyalgia fatigue and pain are always there, varying in their intensity, and waiting to overwhelm you, so pay close attention to what your body is telling you. There are days when it's best to choose exercises that you can do sitting or lying down. And days when you just need to rest and not exert yourself any more than necessary.

Stretching and Yoga

Stretching for flexibility doesn't require any equipment, and it's something you can do any time of the day. The pain that builds up day after day is partly because unused muscles contract and become stiff. Stretching gets the blood flowing and can relieve much of that pain. Yoga exercises can be adapted to all levels of fitness, and for guidance, two excellent books are: Gentle Yoga, by Eudora Seyfer, and Yoga Journal's Yoga Basics. Daily yoga practice not only increases flexibility, it develops muscle strength. You can also do some stretching throughout the day when you feel stiffness and pain building up. Make simple stretches a regular part of your life, whether you're sitting at the computer, washing dishes, or doing almost any of your daily activities.

Building Muscle Strength

Using free weights is an excellent way to build muscle strength, but they also require caution. If you've never worked with weights, read this about.com article: "How to Safely Use Free Weights," before you start. Two pound weights are probably a good starting choice since they're not so light that you'll outgrow them quickly, or so heavy that you will stress your muscles. There are many articles on the internet which will help you learn the basic sets of exercises, or you can work from a book. The important thing is to start with a low number of repetitions and sets, and add one or two more every day or so as your strength increases.

Wall pushups involve no equipment at all and build strong arm and chest muscles. Stand a foot or less away from a wall, with your palms flat on the wall at shoulder height. Lean forward and come back, slowly, doing only as many as you can without excess effort. As you build strength, you can move further away from the wall. An easy desk or TV-watching exercise is squeezing a tennis ball or squeeze toy, alternating hands, and also squeezing it between both hands, in front of your chest.

As you become familiar with your body's strong and weak areas, you can invent additional exercises tailored to your needs and abilities. Don't be discouraged by slow progress; the improvement in your health, your pain levels, and your daily functioning is a reward worth working for. Fibromyalgia doesn't have to control your life.