Exercise with mild cfs

Posted , 4 users are following.

I have mild CFS and chronic neck pain and anxiety,. i was doing really well managining my symptoms. I go to bed around 7pm, and enjoy 30-45 mins gentle walks with dogs. I got a bee in my bonnet and decided it would be good to join the gym. The trouble with me is i get a bit obessional and tend to over do things, its part of my personaility.

I just want to do a gentle zumba class (low impact) and a bit of gentle weights on the machines to try and strenghthen my back and neck which cause me a lot of pain. and would like to do this 2 - 3 x week. And also do some gentle pilates stretches on the days i dont go gym.

What happened was i went to zumba, then did a pilates class, then did weights. I also walked the dogs. I did this for 3 days then had the worse flare up in years. yes i over did it

i would like to go back and just do zumba, and bit of light weight 2 x week, no walks afterwards

on other days a bit of stretching and gentle pilates exercises for 5 mins. Nothing too extreme

if this is too much, i will just go and do a pilates class 1 x week or a yoga class 1x week.

I just wanted to see what others do with mild CFS symptoms, and if this sounds too much or doable??

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Nichola,

    You have identified you did too much and paid the price for that. Do you have a cfs/me service you can be referred to? I mention this as they can advise on how much exercise would be doable.

    In the beginning I tried to carry on and went to the gym, swimming, pilates and yoga. I didn't know what I had so wasn't aware that I needed to rest more. I felt awful anyway so thought hang it! Not up to any of that now, the physio said I am doing too much doing nothing as my last swim attempt took 10 days to recover from and I hardly swam. spent time exercising in the water etc.

    I myself would stick with the dogs and build up gradually. It sucks and I found it hard to just do 10 mins in the pool and was trying to build up but then got what may have been sciatica and stopped going. I tried to stick with the yoga and eventually that also slipped by the way side.

    As hard as it is, gentle seems the only way forward with this condition.

    Beverley

  • Posted

    Hi Nichola,

    You have identified you did too much and paid the price for that. Do you have a cfs/me service you can be referred to? I mention this as they can advise on how much exercise would be doable.

    In the beginning I tried to carry on and went to the gym, swimming, pilates and yoga. I didn't know what I had so wasn't aware that I needed to rest more. I felt awful anyway so thought hang it! Not up to any of that now, the physio said I am doing too much doing nothing as my last swim attempt took 10 days to recover from and I hardly swam. spent time exercising in the water etc.

    I myself would stick with the dogs and build up gradually. It sucks and I found it hard to just do 10 mins in the pool and was trying to build up but then got what may have been sciatica and stopped going. I tried to stick with the yoga and eventually that also slipped by the way side.

    As hard as it is, gentle seems the only way forward with this condition.

    Beverley

  • Posted

    no idea why it just posted twice!

    • Posted

      i think you are so right, when i look at it it was the gym thats caused this flare up and it was horrible. and also the planning around it, and my perfectionist behaviour of having to go 3 x week to do it properly, then feeling anxious if i couldnt stick to the plan and now still stressing over it. i think the ideal thing to do is cancel membership and go back to what worked which was walking as and when i felt like it. takes the whole pressure off myself

      thanks so much

  • Posted

    Hi Nichola,

    On Saturday as I was feeling good (good is functioning at 60%) I decided to weed my small front garden. It took me less than an hour..... Saturday afternoon I crashed and remainded that way until last night!!!

    Last week I went on a two mile bike ride and was tired but fine.

    For me at least there doesn't seem to be an okay amount of exercise. What crashes me one week doesn't the next 🤔.

    Sarah

    • Posted

      yeah i can relate to that. i think its the build up over time . And then our batteries flatten all at once . i had done really well and got myself in that false sende of security that i was normal but then boom,

  • Posted

    Why are you going to bed at 7pm? what sort of time do you fall asleep and wake up?

    You clearly pushed too hard even an average person doing this straight away would suffer its about comfortable build up.

    Do some yoga and walking the dog and then up those activities first when they feel like they no longer cause issues increase them and then you could add some calisthenics then so on.

    Might be worth taking a look at diet as well a lot of improvements when people take look at diet and dont follow the nhs balanced diet rubbish.

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