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Exercises for Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia, a condition affecting the joints and muscles, causes pain and muscle stiffness, and often disrupts sleep, resulting in a worsening of its symptoms. Though medications are frequently used to ease the pain, regular exercise is an effective means of not only relieving the pain, but can also improve sleeping patterns. The type of exercise is up to you; the important part is implementing it into your life and sticking with it.

  1. Begin Slowly

    • When you first begin, you should expect your muscles will be sore; in fact the exercise may even make the pain from the fibromyalgia worse. The more you exercise, though, the more comfortable you will feel. To achieve pain-relief benefits and improve your sleep, you need to stick with your exercise plan. Sharp pain in your muscles, however, may be a sign of injury. In this case, rest until the muscle is better and then begin slowly again.

    Start Walking

    • Start by walking five minutes a day, adding one minute each day. Your goal is to eventually be walking 60 minutes a day. Once you have reached this goal, walk for this length of time three to four days a week. If you find this amount is too much for you, return to a time that is comfortable for you and then begin working back up to your 60-minute goal, slowly increasing your time.

    Add Jogging

    • Once you have become comfortable with walking for 60 minutes three times a week, you may want to begin alternating jogging with walking. You can walk for two blocks and then slowly jog for one block. Continue alternating this routine for your 60 minutes, or until it is no longer comfortable for you. The purpose is to improve your condition, not make you uncomfortable to the point of being unable to move.

    Take a Swim

    • Swimming is a terrific, low-impact aerobic exercise that is easy on your muscles and joints. When you get into the pool, you can tread water for one or two minutes, then swim a few laps. The goal with swimming is to swim laps for 30 minutes. If you find this too difficult, alternate laps with treading water.

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