Although fibromyalgia isn’t life-threatening and it doesn’t cause permanent damage, these facts are of little comfort to the 5% of the population who suffer from this disorder. If you are one of these 5% and with no cure for fibromyalgia, you may be wondering what you can do to ease the symptoms of pain in your muscles and joints.

One of the best ways to control the symptoms is through exercise. The natural reaction to the aches and pains of fibromyalgia is to sit down and let your body rest. This actually is not good for you. By keeping your body in good shape, you will cope with the pain of fibromyalgia much better.

Exercises for Fibromyalgia: Begin With Gentle, Low-Impact Activities

One of the best activities for you is walking. Everyone can walk and other than a good pair of walking shoes, it doesn’t require any fancy equipment or an expensive gym membership.

Start your walking program with just 5 minutes per day. Each day add one minute until you can walk comfortably for 60 minutes. Once you can walk for 60 minutes, walk 3 to 4 times per week. If you find that 60 minutes is just too much for you, go back to an amount of walking that is comfortable and doesn’t cause a great deal of discomfort. Walk this amount for a while and then gradually try again to work your way back up to 60 minutes.

Another good low-impact activity is riding a bike. You can either ride your bike on scenic bike trails or around your neighborhood. If this doesn’t appeal to you, try a stationary bike and see how you like it. You can ride your stationary bike in the comfort of your home while watching your favorite TV shows. The best choice would be to alternate between riding outdoors and indoors. This will add variation to your routine and give you the best of both worlds.

As with walking, start out gradually adding time each day until you have reached a total time of 60 minutes each day.

For the best low-impact exercise of all time, try swimming. You can’t find an exercise that is easier on your joints. If you aren’t a strong swimmer, start out with treading water for one to two minutes. Once you can do this, try swimming a lap or two and adding to your laps or treading time until you can swim nonstop for up to 30 minutes.

Choose one of these exercises and get started today. Remember that exercise will help control your fibromyalgia symptoms only if you exercise consistently and regularly always being sure to not overdo it.

Jason Ladock

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