Exercises for Fibromyalgia: The Complete Exercise Guide for Managing and Lessening Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Studies consistently show that exercise helps restore the body’s neurochemical balance, boosts energy, restores sleep, and overall improves the emotional state. 

As medical practitioners, we see both great results with exercise and, at times, aversion to it due to a negative prior experience and exacerbation of symptoms. 

It is this double-edged sword that patients and we as physicians face in using therapeutic exercise in the treatment of fibromyalgia. 

On the one hand, exercise is another form of exertion for someone who already has decreased endurance, fatigue, and disturbed sleep. 

For someone with fibromyalgia, to take on an exercise routine means overcoming the above barriers, only to face the next question: How do I exercise so that I get the benefits without getting the unwanted increase in fatigue and pain? What are the appropriate exercises and where do I start? Zinovy Meyler, D.O., Co-Director, Interventional Spine Program, Princeton Spine and Joint Center 

In Exercise for Fibromyalgia, rehabilitative specialist William Smith has created a book that details the theory of exercise with the clinical experience and empirical evidence, showing the science behind appropriate therapeutic exercise.  This book is a much needed road map in the maze that can be fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is a debilitating condition, yet medical opinions are divided as to its cause and how it should be treated. Is it a neurological or a physical ailment? Should you treat the muscles or the mind? The correct answer is to treat both. Improving overall fitness while reducing anxiety and stress is the key to reducing your fibromyalgia symptoms and improving your daily functioning.

This book Exercises for Fibromyalgia is designed to improve your fitness and energy levels without strain or stiffness. With a focus on exercises designed to relieve pain and improve sleep for fibromyalgia sufferers, you will find yourself feeling better each day, as your strength increases and your soreness decreases.

Combined with effective techniques proven to relieve stress and improve your sleep habits, Exercises for Fibromyalgia makes sure your mind and body both benefit from a healthy lifestyle.

Exercises for Fibromyalgia also includes:

- An overview of living with fibromyalgia and the benefits of exercise
- Clear, informative pictures of safe, effective exercises
- Detailed instructions on how to perform each exercise
- A complete exercise approach to reduce stress and improve fitness
- A training log to track progress

Having fibromyalgia doesn’t mean having to give up exercise as this book can show you how safely.

If you are interested you can get more information here Exercises for Fibromyalgia: The Complete Exercise Guide for Managing and Lessening Fibromyalgia Symptoms

I am an Amazon affiliate which means that I will receive a small payment, at no extra cost to you, for any purchases made through the above link. Thank you.

Fibromyalgia & weight gain resources

While weight gain, or the inability to lose weight, is not painful it is such a frustrating symptom in an already over flowing list of symptoms that make up Fibro. Weight gain is a common problem for those of us with fibromyalgia. It can be frustrating and challenging to manage, but there are steps you can take to address it.

I personally struggle with this and have been searching for helpful information. These are some of the sites (and 1 book) with interesting information about fibromyalgia and weight gain and their solution to this frustrating problem. I hope you find something that helps you.

Fibromyalgia and Weight Gain at Health Central. Lack of Sleep, Neuroendocrine Abnormalities, Decreased Activity, Medication and Weight-loss Strategies. 

Fibromyalgia and Weight Gain at Fibromyalgia Symptoms - fatigue and diet and exercise.

Foods that Fight Fibromyalgia: Nutrient-Packed Meals That Increase Energy, Ease Pain, and Move You Towards Recovery by Deirdre Rawlings. 

In addition to exercise and diet, managing stress levels is crucial for individuals with fibromyalgia. Stress can impact hormone levels and lead to weight gain. Finding effective stress-management techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, or engaging in hobbies can help reduce stress and improve overall well-being.

It's important to remember that weight gain with fibromyalgia is a complex issue that can vary from person to person. I hoe you have a good healthcare provider who will discuss any concerns or questions you may have about fibromyalgia and weight gain. They may be able to provide personalized recommendations and guidance based on your specific needs and medical history or send you to a specialist who can. As an example I have been sent to a dietician who discovered I have food intolerances and an endocrinologist for my thyroid issues which are also connected to weight gain. 

See my more personal story on weight gain with Fibromyalgia and how it makes me feel here. 

Fibro and Weight Gain

I am talking about the difficult topic of fibromyalgia and weight gain and sharing some simple suggestions I have discovered.

Many people with Fibromyalgia are overweight including me. 
For me, it is the most humiliating side of this disease because people in our society judge you for being overweight and think you are lazy. 

Some people, including doctors, even think that Fibro is caused by our weight gain and that if we lost the weight we would no longer have our symptoms! 

When I first got Fibro I gained over 25lbs and have found it very difficult to lose this extra weight. I have tried many weight loss programs including Weight Watchers, Optifast and a hospital dietician program. After putting a lot of effort in and doing these programs for many months I had no lasting success. I feel these programs have caused more health problems than the small amount of weight lost and then regained!

I was very pleased to find a simple, good article about Fibromyalgia and Weight Gain from Health Central. 

It gives 4 reasons for weight gain in fibro:

• Lack of Sleep.


• Neuroendocrine Abnormalities. This is to do with hormone deficiencies.


• Decreased Activity. Because of the level of pain.


• Medication.

It also gives good and different Weight-loss Strategies that I have not tried before :

• Eat a High-protein, Low-carbohydrate Diet.


• Eat proteins first.


• Eat until you’re full.


• Give yourself a Break from a diet on weekends.

 Focus on food having good protein content like lean meats, eggs, dairy products, tofu, soy meat substitutes and legumes.  Only take carbohydrate intake in the form of vegetables and fresh fruits.  Include good fats, such as plant oils, fish oils, almonds and avocados.  Avoid artificial sweetener and use a natural sweetener like Stevia or Xylitol.  Do not take sugar and other sweets, breads and pastas, rice, potatoes, partially hydrogenated oils, carbonated drinks, and alcohol but only when needed in small quantities.

To give an example of how complex an issue weight loss can be for people who have fibromyalgia I will just share one excert from the article:

One of the primary symptoms of FM is the inability to get the deep, stage 4 restorative sleep we need. Recent studies have shown that people who do not get adequate amounts of sleep are more likely to gain weight. Lack of sleep causes a reduction metabolism and an increase in appetite, particularly a craving for high-carb and high-sugar foods.

 

Cycle of sleep and weight problems in Fibromyalgia

So as you can see it is a vicious cycle and everything is interconnected and conspiring against maintaining our weight. And this is just the sleep side of things!

You can read the full article here. This article is written by M.G. Rana M.D. about a doctor who has Fibromyalgia since childhood - Dr Mark Pelligrino - and I am going to follow these suggestions and hopefully lose a little weight. He has written a book about fibromyalgia which has these weight loss tips in it called Inside Fibromyalgia.

Thanks for reading this.

Have you had success with losing weight and have fibromyalgia? I would love to get any of your suggestions to help me here.

Fibromyalgia and Weight Gain and what I am trying to reduce weight.