Gentle exercise

The medical profession suggest some form of gentle exercise, is beneficial those managing FM/ME/CFS, what kind of gentle exercise how you found beneficial?

*walking to the fridge and back,
but seriously, if I can manage it, a gentle walk is about it.

*I can't do any, it exhausts me then I have to sleep for hours

*Palates helps a lot.

*You know what? I'm constantly doing gentle exercise and I haven't found any beneficial!

*Aquatic therapy is very helpful and relaxing!

*I'm with Above - walk to the fridge! Sometimes I sit on my yoga ball- gentle stretching seems to work out well.

*Walking and a light gym regime given by the physio

*None, well I'm feeling better I can do a little bit of walking which brightens my day but that's all it does. It does nothing to help with the illness itself.

*I have several outdoor only dogs (Siberian Huskies) watering and feeding them is my exercise. I rest all morning then take care of them followed by rest the rest of the day and night. I can no longer brush them or play with them but I'm still able to show them love by sitting down at eat dog and petting and hugging them.

*I used to play rugby & football years ago, now I'm exhausted just living day to day! Clearing up after kids and a husband is enough. Yoga& aqua aerobics is good, but haven't done it in ages! Motivation is nil with FM.

*I swim but its not help with the pain or fatigue. I do it just to try and help but my body defiantly doesn't think its helping was going to try tai chi anyone tried it? but not sure if I cant handle swimming

*Still working! Plus housework when I can. More than enough exercise for me.

*Only thing I've every found that works is hydrotherapy. As every other thing else just wears me out, so making me worse.

*Most days, like TODAY, I can barely walk never mind even think of exercise!

*I try light walking, but after 10 minutes, I am in horrific pain. I'm sure exercise would be beneficial if we could just manage to do it!

Hydrotherapy is great, nly wish I could use it. I wind up getting Charlie horses in both the upper and lower legs.
Any other suggestions other than hydrotherapy?

*Do the people who suggest the "gentle" exercise have FM ? If they did they would understand that there is NO such thing as gentle exercise in our world!

*I used to go to the gym about 4 times a week at least before the Fibro and ME hit and now I can barely move most days, if I do any repetitive movements no matter how small they make me ache more and wear me out and if I can do them today I will suffer for the next few days.

*I always hated it when another doctor would suggest exercise to me. I can't do it, what do you not understand about that?
I would spend one hour exercising and not be able to get out of bed for a week. But that was then, this is now.
I love doing yoga when I feel up to it, mainly for the stretching which feels so good! I have two young children also, and keeping up with them is more than enough exercise for me.

*No Pain no Gain. I have a friend 16 years ahead of me with FM, back then It was not found out that you HAVE to work the body. She cant walk and hold her arms up, her limbs are done because she sat still as back then the doctors told her to.

*I definitely feel better overall for regular moderate exercise. My overall pain levels are far worse if I'm consistently inactive. I don't always feel good immediately after exercising, in fact it can leave me floored and feeling utterly dreadful.
BUT I have experimented and I am definitely worse overall without exercise. I do a careful mix of yoga, Wii Fit, walking and badminton.

*Yes hydrotherapy is Great ! even better if you can work out in it! I sleep in a warm water bed, and live hard till I climb (on my hand & knees almost) Into a hot shower or the hot tub.
We control are body's are body don't(or should not) control us!

*Yoga helps. I have a wonderful teacher who understands Fibro, peace and love.

*I have never felt better as when I was doing light Yogo and aqua therapy.
I was happy all the time I got serious sleep I was so relaxed, and aqua therapy is amazing!
I never felt "worked over." And I wasn't stiff in the water so I could move! But then Degenerative joint disorder set in, that was slowly the end of exercise, and walking and sitting up straight and well, living.

*I started at a gym this week, just did 20 mins moderately fast pace on treadmill then 4 mins on cross trainer then went onto the toning tables I think they are the best for us with fm/me/cfs as its very gentle but you can speed it up if you feel up to it.

*We have a house so up and down stairs during a good day is exhausting enough.

*Walking is ok for me on good days, don't try to carry anything though (ie. groceries). Anything that is non repetitive is fine. But only on good days. Don't go by what others can do, even others with FM. Clearly some are more able than others. Never let anyone make you feel guilty for what you are unable to do. We are all different.

*A hobble round the field with the dog n my girlie. Don't need any more as she has autism and runs rings around me!

*I've found my Wii Fit is great, I do the gentle step exercises, hula hoop & yoga when I feel well enough.

*Agreed!

*I have to use a cane to walk now and that is even wearing on my arms and shoulders. I have had to move my bedroom to the first floor, couldn't handle the steps any more and have fallen down them a time or 2.
Suggestion: pick up a small tool apron too wear, it helps with carrying items from one place to another.

*I just finished a research proposal for school and actual studies have found that aerobic exercise in warm water is beneficial to painful joints and muscles. It also helps improve mental cognition.
My problem with it is time and expense but I have found a class where the water is always warm and I do only what I feel like I can do. It is wonderful.

*I'm part of a hospital fitness programe (stretching and using exercise equipment) and find that it defiantly helps with fibro - if I get a flare up it doesn't seem to last as long. also just bought the new easytone trainers and they gently help muscles in legs without me really noticing it.
I agree that sometimes it's painful to exercise but I just try to do a little bit less than I normally would.
Running around after my daughter also keeps me active. exercise also helps me feel more positive that I'm not going to let Fibro stop me living my life, just have to go about things in a different way to people without it.

*I try to do palates or yoga twice a week- my instructor "gets" Fibro so she's quite careful making sure I don't overdo. the other days I try to walk for about 20 minutes. I also walk around a lot at work but that's it.
Any repetitive exercises kill me after a couple of days. Once I retire I hope to find an inexpensive place for warm water exercise.

*I have 3 dogs which I have to force myself to walk each day. Every walk I do with them is very painful, but I make myself keep going as I had to give up my running 3 years ago cause of Fibro, and I am determined it wont make me give up my walking!
It is agonising when I get back, I have to lie down.

*The ones suggesting this do they have fibro!

*I just don't have the energy for exercise, just going up and down the stairs is enough! Thank God I now have a downstairs loo. I long to live in a flat!

*There's nothing gentle about exercise!

*Tai Chi

*Palates

*My rheumatology department do a specific hydrotherapy group for relaxation in the water which keeps joints moving etc in 26 degree water *bliss*
I am still in the arthritis programme at the minute but will be put into the Fibro group after so will let you know how it goes.
The hydrotherapy pool at the hospital here can be used on some evenings for people to continue their "exercises" (mine are ankle circling, side steps across the pool, bending knees then walking back across the pool)independently.
Might be worth an ask at your hospital.

*Heated pool usually considered too hot to swim in.

*Tai Chi! After an MRI, Dr wanted to do surgery on my left shoulder, said I had torn rotator cuff. I had way too much anxiety for that, so began Tai Chi.
No surgery, shoulder worked fine, that was about 4 years ago.
Gives my back and muscles a great stretch, deep breathing and centres me so less stress. B/P came down also.

*On better days I make myself take a short, slow walk on the beach with the dog, it keeps me moving, can't do it often but always feel better mentally if nothing else.
Stretching helps too, it's important to move what you can when you can, to try and slow the deterioration.

*Yoga, specifically Rodney Yee's dvds. Yoga for beginners is great - even on really bad days it's easy enough to do.

*Hydrotherapy is the only exercise that's helped me. Walking causes muscles in my legs to spasm and stop working properly but gentle stretching also seems to help.
However, hydro has to be done in a warm pool for me or I get the cramping problems. They've just closed the only hydro pool within miles so that exercise isn't happening either right now.
However, I'm still working and busy in my day so I'm hoping that helps (if only a fraction of formal exercise).

*I am lucky enough to be able to go to a hydrotherapy pool once a week, (although getting there is a bit of an issue as it's in the next town and I don't drive), and gentle stretches in the warm water really do seem to help, especially as I can do as much or as little as I feel up to doing.
I'm looking into other physio though as I need to lose weight.

*Have done Palates class for a number of years. Great for strengthening muscles and straightening the body out. Also have a jacuzzi and swim weekly.

*Water therapy.

*Great question!
A water aerobics program was suggested, but when I feel so awful, the last thing I want to do is get into a bathing suit in front of a bunch of strangers! Not only that but being alone I had to think about driving some place and getting there on time several times a week - that was out of the question for me.
Still a big challenge.
BUT - I have found that moving around in WARM water is not only very relaxing but soothes the soul as well.
I was fortunate to find a home early last fall with a pool. It's a mixed blessing because it's expensive, but for the few weeks I could use it I found I went from just floating around to actually trying to swim a "lap" or 2.
Hopefully it will offset the *devastating* effects of the summer heat here in Phoenix!
Of course, gentle stretching is also a big help to me!

*Natural Solutions & Supplements to Restore Balance

*I have come to the conclusion that there is no gentle exercise that helps (who are these medics trying to kid!) I would love some of these experts to have fibro for half a day, see how they cope, what they manage to achieve and whether they find excercise beneficial!
Sorry for the rant! anyway I make myself go out for walks. these don't help at all and quite often I hobble back, but I would go crazy if I let this illness get the better of me, rant over!

*Yoga does miracles, walking too!

*Wow. I feel like everyone else here, taking care of pets, housework, water exercise, walking - just getting there is the biggest step.

*Have never tried yoga so after reading this think I'll give it a go, as there is no hydrotherapy pool locally thanks for that everyone

*Walking is not gentle exercise. Its higher impact than doing yoga or water exercises, so of course you're going to be in a lot of pain after.
Doing very gentle exercises and stretches WILL improve your flexibility and make you feel better (maybe not immediately Sedentary is NOT a healthy lifestyle, no matter what health problems you have to move!

*Walking the treadmill while watching TV and/or surfing the internet. My netbook fits just right on the treadmill. I have put in for some occupation therapy to get a little strength training.

*I used to be able to do more exercise when I was pain meds but now I can only do a very small amount. I keep moving and walk most days for with my dog but do become very exhausted by the pain.

*Games on the Wii Fit, stimulate the brain and make you laugh.

*You just have to find a self management plan that works best for you. And if nothing works; don't feel bad about it.
I have found through trial & error that yoga and any light stretching helps to bring the pain down a few notches sometimes.
Stretching bands are good because they're like weights & keep you toned but they don't place strain on the muscles.

*Just seen a physio a couple of days ago, she gave me some exercises for my shoulders and arms. So I'm pending on this question, need to try something, because I'm becoming more stiff each day.
Just contacted a lady who runs a local group for Fibro last night, and their next meeting in two weeks, there is a fibro physio attending, I think it's healthcare professionals like this which we should all be seeing. So far I've had little or no help or understanding from my GP.

*Relaxation.

*If fatigue allows, hanging in the pool on a noodle lets me move all parts of me without much effort. But, I can easily wreck myself due to the ease of buoyancy. Move now, pay later?

*It depends entirely on how bad my "fatigue factor" is. If I'm achy, but able to stay out of bed, I do whatever I feel up to. That might only mean going up and down stairs a few times in a day, or it could mean breaking ground for a new flowerbed, or rearranging the BIG rocks around my fish ponds.
Moving makes me sore initially, but unless overexertion triggers a crash, I end up feeling stronger, ergo, better. During a crash, even lifting myself out of bed becomes too much to endure.
The sheer variability of my FMS/ME/CFS is maddening, and makes it hard to say how much I can, or should, do.

*So far - None.

*Sad to read how everyone of us suffers so doggone bad. We all try our best, knowing we should 'move', hurting or fatigued too badly to do so, sorry if we don't, yet can't.
We all do what we can, when we can, and I think my husband said it best when asked some years ago "if I could still do anything". He replied, 'oh sure, she can still do lots of things, just not for long, or for a long time afterwards'!

*Sorry but I haven't found anything that helps, any attempt I make at being active sets me back even further.
I use crutches to walk any time I leave the house and if I do too much on them then my arms are useless for the next few days.
I am in agony climbing the stairs at home, when I was first diagnosed I swam and walked my dogs, I cant even do that any more. My husband made the same response.