I write these diaries with the hope that if only one fellow fibromyalgia sufferer tries the fitness route and feels better, I will have succeeded in my goal to help others who suffer as badly as I once did. To the naysayers, I ask, how is what your doing now working for you? Instead of being insulted or hurt by what I have accomplished, be inspired to take one extra step today and look forward to taking two steps tomorrow.
I profess to being an anal retentive perfectionist nut job and if patience is any measure of virtue I'm a vice ridden crack whore, but I am learning, sometimes with a modicum of success, that the tiniest bit of patience with myself [and others] goes a long way towards reducing stress. That very same stress that will, without fail, trigger lovely things like migraines and other intractable pains.
Since stress is an unavoidable part of the human condition then it should necessarily follow that being patient with oneself can be a viable antidote to a multitude of daily stressors including chronic pain. Unlike the immediacy of popping a pill, or worse pills, to feel better, the fitness route to wellness is a long and arduous one. There are no quick fixes and noticeable results, if there are any, will be way, way down the road. For me it took a good three months before I really began to see and feel results.
Prior to becoming wonder woman I was overweight and out of shape. I was frail from a car crash and years of chronic pain. Needless to say, my workouts progressed at what I thought was a glacial pace, but I progressed. My goal, which has been met by the way, was to exercise the crap out of my pain. I was going to feel better if it killed me, but first I had to be patient with myself and the process.
I am not a personal trainer and aside from a few pre-nursing classes, I am an ignorant slut when it comes to exercise physiology. My point being that I am ill equipped to give advice about how or when or even if YOU should start an exercise program. Seek out the best exercise professional you can afford and get going. Better yet, find a physical therapist who is also a personal trainer. This is what worked best for me.
And please don't tell anyone where you read this but, I think that, in some instances, insurance might actually pay for this type of exercise physical therapy. I think it really depends where you are on the conditioning continuum. Obviously, if your doing 200 pound bench presses at Gym Jones as part of your daily cross-training routine the insurance companies may look askance. Otherwise it's worth a try. Outsmarting an insurance company. How dreadful.