subject: Finding Motivation to Exercise with Fibromyalgia [print this page] Finding Motivation to Exercise with Fibromyalgia
By Dr. Greg Bond
Finding and staying in touch with your motivation is the key to any exercise routine. The average American populace struggles with this enough. For people with Fibromyalgia, however, this struggle can take on a significantly greater amount of stress. The average Fibromyalgia sufferer will experience big fluctuations in their energy level and pain tolerance from day to day, making it difficult to gauge how to place a stable exercise routine into their lifestyle. The fact is they have to partake in a lot of trial and error to discover things in their life that worsen their symptoms (and avoid them) and other things that make their symptoms better (pursue them).
Not one thing works the same for two people with Fibromyalgia. I've seen this firsthand with my patients. In my practice some people respond wonderfully to Chiropractic care alone. Others respond better to just Acupuncture. And some don't respond at all until doing both Acupuncture and Chiropractic. The point is each individual needs to find their own personalized "cocktail" that works for them. For most that's going to mean a combination of the following categories: medicine, exercise, alternative health care, supplementation, dietary changes, and general lifestyle changes. Furthermore, each of these categories can be subdivided even more. In regards to exercise, it can be subdivided into stretching, aerobics, and resistance training. People with Fibromyalgia will need to try each of these activities to see which works better for them. In addition, they will need to try performing these activities for different durations, intensities, and frequencies. For example, 15 minutes of walking on a treadmill at 3.5 miles per hour 3 times per week would equate to a duration of 15 minutes, an intensity of 3.5 miles per hour, and a frequency of 3 times per week. Duration, intensity, and frequency are all variables that can be played with and honed in on to find that perfect balance of what works for someone with Fibromyalgia.
Those are the mechanics of figuring out how to fine-tune a regimen to overcome Fibromyalgia. Exploring the mechanics will always go smoother under the guidance of health care professionals and support from people who understand you and your affliction with Fibromyalgia. Most importantly, however, is what fuels the fine-tuning: your motivation. No one else can do this for you.
Finding your motivation consists of identifying something you are absolutely passionate about. Don't let fear or doubt stand in your way of identifying what that passion really is. Some people would do anything to be able to dance again, run again, play ball with their kids, work again, or simply have energy to spend time with their family like they used to. Make sure you allow yourself to feel the joy of whatever it is you want to achieve without rationalizing it away as unattainable. If you allow yourself to rationalize it away, you will be guaranteed of no success before you even start. Whatever your goal is, it must have strong emotion tied with it. We as human beings are not rationally driven. Studies prove this over and over by showing that emotion is 90% of the reason we purchase anything. Your passion is there and has been there for a long time. It is unmistakable. If you're having a hard time finding motivation, it is because fear and doubt are standing in your way. Remove them and you will see a goal and a purpose you are yearning to put into action.
Once you've obtained your goal, form action steps to bring you closer to it. It doesn't matter how small or big the steps are. What matters is the direction these steps are taking you. They are either taking you towards your goal or away from it. The action steps consist of the mechanics mentioned above regarding fine-tuning an exercise regimen to your personal needs and goals.
Someone with Fibromyalgia will have to work smarter with an exercise routine compared to someone without Fibromyalgia. The two are like apples and oranges. So don't compare how you need to exercise with someone else that does not have Fibromyalgia. Even within the spectrum of people that have Fibromyalgia, remember not one thing works the same for two people. So the most dependable measure of your success is whether your individualized action steps are taking you closer to your specific goal. It's important to know also that action steps sometimes mean strategically taking a break. Knowing whether taking a break or not is the best thing to do will become easier to determine when you understand whether taking a break will get you closer to your goal or not. If you know you are probably going to pay for gardening a little longer than normal on a Saturday morning with extra pain the next day, ask yourself if that action is going to take you closer to your goal in the long run. If the answer is no, clearly understanding what your motivation is will make it easy for you to give yourself permission to take the break. Conversely, this works the same if you are taking too many breaks when you know you are capable of more.
When you find a goal that ties into your passion and remove fear or doubt from obtaining your vision of that goal, maintaining motivation becomes second nature and unavoidable. Your personal action steps, no matter how complicated or significant, will be taken with a definite purpose. Your purpose will give you more energy, more determination, more freedom than you can imagine if you allow yourself to feel it. Now make a choice to follow it!
