Fibromyalgia For Dummies
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Incorporating regular exercise into your routine may help improve your fibromyalgia symptoms. Gentle, low-impact, paced exercising will loosen muscles and stiff joints and may help to ease pain down the road. Be patient and persistent. Keep these tips in mind when you gear up to exercise:

  • Start off easy. Don’t walk 5 miles or do 50 push-ups on your first day of exercising; if you do, you’ll get so tired you’ll probably give up exercising altogether. Instead, build up slowly. One main goal of aerobic exercise is to raise your heart rate for a short time, which seems to help patients with fibromyalgia.

  • Make exercise fun. Exercise with a friend at about your level of fitness. You may find that time flies when you exercise with a friend, whether it’s a walk around the block or aerobic exercises in your living room.

  • Mix up your exercises. On some days, go for a walk. On other days, consider water walking at a pool. Boredom is what causes most people to give up on exercising, so do whatever you can to keep yourself interested in your exercise routine.

About This Article

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About the book authors:

Roland Staud, MD, an experienced rheumatologist, is a diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Rheumatology. Christine Adamec has been a freelance medical writer for over 20 years.

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