female member trying lose weight**

[gbrice75]

gbrice!! i saw sm' post-- see you have an awesome back!! you go boy! and you also have a nice pump on your bi's-- someone told me he heard the way to get good biceps is to work the tri's ..that doesnt make sense does it? also i thougt deadlifts were mostly for lowerback-- see i got more schoolin to do!!!

Confused as to what post you're referring to... but thanks nonetheless!

Working tri's doesn't build good bi's, but it will build good/big arms in general. Think about it - the tri's make up roughly 2/3rds of the arm, so develop them, and you'll have big arms!

Deads work EVERYTHING - literally. They certainly hit lower back, but so much more. Quads and glutes when you're coming up from the lowest position, lower back, glutes and hams at the top/lockout, and upper back, traps, forearms etc. throughout the entire exercise. They may not directly hit chest and shoulders, but it's such a big exercise, everything will grow with heavy properly executed deads.

[qkcam]

Confused as to what post you're referring to... but thanks nonetheless!

Working tri's doesn't build good bi's, but it will build good/big arms in general. Think about it - the tri's make up roughly 2/3rds of the arm, so develop them, and you'll have big arms!

Deads work EVERYTHING - literally. They certainly hit lower back, but so much more. Quads and glutes when you're coming up from the lowest position, lower back, glutes and hams at the top/lockout, and upper back, traps, forearms etc. throughout the entire exercise. They may not directly hit chest and shoulders, but it's such a big exercise, everything will grow with heavy properly executed deads.

thanks gbrice! i might want to try some deadlifts but very very lightly, as i dont want to do something wrong and mess up the lower back- i need to find a good website that has a good form video- i could get my old trainer to help me but she only does 1 hour sessions and i can't do weights for 1 hour at this point...unless i have a vietnamse coffee and then i will be done in for a month ! let me know if you have any good locations of videos online for proper technique- i need visuals!
thanks

[gbrice75]

thanks gbrice! i might want to try some deadlifts but very very lightly, as i dont want to do something wrong and mess up the lower back- i need to find a good website that has a good form video- i could get my old trainer to help me but she only does 1 hour sessions and i can't do weights for 1 hour at this point...unless i have a vietnamse coffee and then i will be done in for a month ! let me know if you have any good locations of videos online for proper technique- i need visuals!
thanks

I'll find a perfect form dead on youtube and link you to it when I get home from work.

[qkcam]

thanks gb!!! no hurry.. i am taking another day of rest-- got to get back to jucing, i think it helped with energy-- i hope it helps this time.. dont work to hard- and HAPPY FRIDAY!!! if it is your weekend!

[qkcam]

oops fresh veggie juices altought i wouldnt mind a round some others-- just to speed up my process:
today was anoter low body energy day--
food as follows:
1/4 c oatmeal, rasp and berries 3 eggs whites 1 egg
meal 2 pp/ grn pwdr and l-glutemaine and lemon, ginger,garlic, beet, apple juice freshly made.
meal 3 shredded chicken and some rice and i tried a pieace of warm middle eastern flat bread-- not good for my food plan but since i have been cooped up alone for 2 days it was nice to go out and be around people if only for 20 mins waiting for carry out.
meal 4 hummus w/garlic clove
meal 5 cottage cheese 2 fish oils
strange day... no exericse ...excpet i read a book for the first time in years that worked a different muscle.. i hope some energy comes back into the body for tomorrow.. tired of feeling isolated on the couch.

[qkcam]

saturday- stlll low energy- forced myself to get out of the house
meal one: 1 egg, 3 whites, oatmeal about 1/2 c- then a vietnamse coffee and laundry- (does that count as exercise?)
meal two: proteinpowder, pwdr greens
meal three: beef stew with rice noodles
- cheated at.. a cream horn
meal four: cup of bean soup
meal five: lowfat veggie soup 1/2 cup and 2 chicken tenders- it was late in the day so i had also lowfat cottage cheese and 2 fish oils : )

sunday: still exhausted-- : ((
meal one: kashi cereal 1 cup with unsweatened almond milk, 3eggs, 1 white
meal two: fresh juice, lemon, beet, ginger, apple
meal three: chicken breast, 1 piece high fiber grain bread with hummus spread.
more to come .

[gbrice75]

I had a horrific day with regards to foods, so i'm not gonna beat up on anybody this weekend! Let's enjoy the rest of our Sunday, then get our asses back in gear tomorrow!

[qkcam]

yes...lets enjoy the rest of the day-- although curious minds want to know-- what is a horrific day for you in regards to food?? and i want to say-- i am glad it was only horrific in regards to food-- hope most all else is good and well or at least managable! I have had a rocky emotional weekend around having this cfids crash-- (not sure if it is/was related to gamma injection or not) and hoping the b12 shot tomorrow if i make it can give me some stamina to get back on track-- just tired of being a cfids guiena pig-- and was lookign forward to having some social time this weekend, but didnt make it. did do some good meditation though! hang in there gbrice-- i heard once that when we have a "binge day" it reaves up our metabolism"--

[gbrice75]

^^ have a look in my thread for a (probably incomplete) list of the horror, lol! Yes, I had a nice weekend - it was only horrific w/ regards to food.

Sorry to hear about your weekend however. How about next weekend for social weekend - any plans?

re: metabolism being revved up - true to an extent, but ideally you'd overfeed w/ clean foods, moderate protein, high carb, low fat. Note this is because i'm on a strict cut. On a maintenance or gaining type diet, i'd be much more relaxed with what I eat on a 'cheat day'. Also note I don't really believe in full on cheat days, although I allowed today to derail and turn into one.

Ok, sorry for hijacking your thread - we can talk about my issues in my own thread, lol!

[qkcam]

gbrice --- thanks for reminding me i might be able to have another weekend--but no plans yet-- how bout i will plan to feel better! ! ...it is too easy to get stuck in the "i am sick of feeling sick" !!! I can't find our food thread, can you pop on the link? trying to figure out dinner-- cambells chicken noodle soup sounds good- as i dont have much of an appetite--- i know i need to eat something ... thanks for your comment about clean foods-- i agree clean is better-- darn it, if i could just figure it out when i am not feeling well.. -- for now i am being easy ...but making sure i eat.. I didnt think you hijacked my thread.. I saw your workout thread but couldn't find the food.. Hope you have a good rest of your evening- tomorrow is a brand new day!

[gbrice75]

gbrice --- thanks for reminding me i might be able to have another weekend--but no plans yet-- how bout i will plan to feel better! ! ...it is too easy to get stuck in the "i am sick of feeling sick" !!! I can't find our food thread, can you pop on the link? trying to figure out dinner-- cambells chicken noodle soup sounds good- as i dont have much of an appetite--- i know i need to eat something ... thanks for your comment about clean foods-- i agree clean is better-- darn it, if i could just figure it out when i am not feeling well.. -- for now i am being easy ...but making sure i eat.. I didnt think you hijacked my thread.. I saw your workout thread but couldn't find the food.. Hope you have a good rest of your evening- tomorrow is a brand new day!

Sorry Q, which food thread are you referring to?

[qkcam]

[QUOTE=gbrice75;5726504]^^ have a look in my thread for a (probably incomplete) list of the horror, lol!

Sorry Q, which food thread are you referring to?

gb-- the above mentioned list.. but no worries --

[qkcam]

meal one: kashi cereal 1 cup with unsweatened almond milk, 3eggs, 1 white
meal two: fresh juice, lemon, beet, ginger, apple
meal three: chicken breast, 1 piece high fiber grain bread with hummus spread.
meal four: 1 cup veggie soup, with 1/8cup brown rice, grilled chicken breast
meal five: cottage cheese and 2 fish oils.. you all help...it is good to be accountable! thank you

[RaginCajun]

sorry i haven't chimed in. looks like you are on the right track. what are you taking gamma injections for? b-12 will help out with the energy level, are anemic or anything to that nature?

[qkcam]

thanks ragin cajun!.. i am going to try the b12 today- not anemic that i know of.. but possilbe "chronic lyme disease" and taking gamma injections becasue my IGG subclasses are low.. they have been using it for cfids- for a while, sometimes it helps sometimes not-- it is all a dice game-- i hope the b12 special helps..i am tired of feeling like a slug- this is worse than usual, havn't been to the gym in a week-- and that is not typical for me, even when energy is low i try to go for 20 mins ... i am wondering if last weeks gamma shot boosted my immune system, in turn kickiing out some of the "chronic llyme" bacteria- or "chronic reactived, epestin barr virius" i reallly get into dispair sometimes that the medical system hasnt' or can't seem to figure this out-- none the less.
i really appreciate the chime in!! thanks

[RaginCajun]

hum.....i sure hope that the b-12 inj help out some, they might! my friend's mom was feeling like you are describing and took the B-12 shots and it made her a new person, so i hope it works out for you! the human body is a tricky and awesome thing. i was in cancer research for a while and our big thing was 'host' immunity. we try tricking/altering the immune system by giving vaccines of the persons own cells in which we damaged and put a bunch of antibodies in with it to mimic/trick the immune system to attack the cancer. i will have to do some research on this and see if i can maybe come up with some questions to ask your doc. in the meantime, hope the energy level perks up!

[qkcam]

thanks cajun!! it seems the money keeps getting cut for cfids research- funny thing there are so many people i know it and they cant work and are on ssi or ssdi- you would think the government would want to invest money to find a "cure " or "treatment" to get people more mobile and tax paying again!! questions are good- i had the b12 shot not feeling it yet- do you know how often your friends mother got her injections? what is strange is i just got my labs -- my igg subclasses were even lower after the gamma injection-- i wonder if the "shot" told my body not to produce as much- kinda like with our hormones? who knows.. the doctors can't even decide on how often i am to get these injections-- we'll see how i feel tomorrow-- hard to be patient~ !

[GirlyGymRat]

gk...i want you to know that many people wouldn't get out of bed, let alone try to make a different in their own health and life, but you are doing it...one day at a time!

[qkcam]

aawwweee thanks ggr! today wasnt' the best with food..but i ate 3x at least... and got the b12 shot and went to a group.. energy seems to be picking up glad yet it is after 9 ...aren't i supposed to be tired now!!! thanks for the support- i look forward to getting back to the gym soon..maybe tomorow..

[SlimmerMe]

3x's is better than 2x's.....

[qkcam]

i finally made it back to the gym after a wheatgerm pancake, (no syrup) 4 strips of bacon and a cup of coffee. i had energy to do light weights for an hour!! i have been eating 3x a day with a protein drink (p.pwdr,& grn pwdr) 1 x a day. not the best but just trying to get some energy back. I have started on some isocort to help the adrenals.. maybe it will help me feel better-- and still no answer as to why i crashed after that last gamma shot-- but i hope i am back ... at least with some movement!!! i was so grateful to be at the gym and rather than compare mysel fto all the muscles- i reminded myself, i need to go slow and pace and light ... i can't change it all over nite! -- breakfasts have been oatmeal with protein pwdr.. ran out of eggs... will get some soon.. today i guess i had 2 breakfasts.. !!! hope i can get going!

[SlimmerMe]

Gratitude is the name of the game and you've got that~
.....Easy does it and you will WIN this challenge since I know you have it in YOU!

Eating 3x's a day with a protein drink is great to hear. I use the protein shakes to keep my energy up and keep my macros up too to make sure I get in enough protein in me when sometimes I feel I have not eaten enough.

[qkcam]

thanks! nice colors on the new pic... what I have been eating isn't the best..but at least i am eating!!! easy does is my fellow sister!
macros-- i need to look at that again, lets see thats how much carbs, fat, protein huh...

[SlimmerMe]

^^ glad you like the colors!
as far as macros? what I really meant to say was calories as I am simply trying to make sure i eat enough when I am being so strict hence why I drink my shakes along with my food too and feel no remorse as I feel the shakes for me are helping A LOT to keep the calorie count up along with the protein not to mention the energy they help to provide plus helps to squelch cravings....

[qkcam]

i have no idea how many calories i am eating.. i have just been eating.. food"to go" tryn to watch portions.. untill i get back onto my on "better " food plan ... lets hope our buddies on the east coast have battened down the hatches and are safe.... gbrice? i cant believe the cithy that never sleeps is powering down!!

[GirlyGymRat]

qkcam. I use livestrong.com to track my calories and macros. Otherwise, I have no idea what I am putting in and it is amazing how quickly you can go over without tracking and watching portion sizes. Now, I do not track every bite on everyday online, but I do basically eat the same thing every day with few variations, so I do know what I am eating. If you want to lose, it is wretchless to not be informed and the split between proteins, carbs, fats IMHO!

My health became a priority when I got to a point that I was losing it!

[qkcam]

ggr what was going on with your health? i know if i eat the same thing everyday too where my numbers are.. but i am am realy in a "flare" it gets hard to eat the same thing and i get alot of soup from restaurants and other things-- just to keep myself eating- it's a tricky balance for me and sometimes i just get tired of eating the same thing everyday--so i am hoping if i go with portions...that might help.. and i am not talknig about portions of pasteries!! ha

[SexySweetheart]

GK...I had no clue you were dealing with actual health challages while making great life style/diet changess. IMPRESSIVE!
so I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your struggles.
It helped to put my stupid little issues with dieting ...in perspective.
Hope the B12 shots help and I utterly agree with you about the duffey way the goverment spends its money when it comes to our health.

[qkcam]

thanks sexy4.. i hope the b12's help too.. am planning on going again tomorrow.. i have no idea how often to get em.. and they add other stuff to it.. glutathione, amd, nadh, and thymus- so it isnt just a b12.. they dont really give me clear answers on frequency, i get the feeling it could be as often as i can afford- but that isn't much science there- the hardest part about having cfids or chronic lyme is the isolation-- not fun and not always alot of energy to socialize... it is a good day when i can get to exericse and cook meal for myself.. everythign else, if there is any- is icing on the cake..so to speak ..
hopefully this week will be a better energy week ...i started taking eleuthero in liquid mabye it will help maybe it is a waste of money- who knows!!! hope all had a good safe weekend!

[qkcam]

Hey all it has been a while since i posted. low energy but slowly started getting back to the gym Yay! i did an hour today.. chest, abs and 20mins walking, sat i did an hour with shoulders, arms and few light leg presses to see how my body would hold up. Tues i did back for about 25mins.. my food has been pretty good ...very small meals every 2 to 3 hrs.. for breakfast i have only been having oatmeal with handful blueberries handful walnuts protein pwdr.. then a few hours later i have 1 egg, and 3 whites. been trying to have light lunches and dinners- with cottage cheese and 2 fishoils.. not eating enough veggies but 1x a day have 1 scp protein powder with grn pwdr, glutamine, d-ribose (i think the ribose has been helping). time for a nap- and i have been craving chicken soup- so letting myself have it from the healthy places i can find that dont use the skin- and use primarly white meat. still down about 2 lbs but seem to be holding there-- of course i havn't been able to do much "cardio" or walking cause latly..but did today-slowly getting back at it.

[GirlyGymRat]

Hey all it has been a while since i posted. low energy but slowly started getting back to the gym Yay! i did an hour today.. chest, abs and 20mins walking, sat i did an hour with shoulders, arms and few light leg presses to see how my body would hold up. Tues i did back for about 25mins.. my food has been pretty good ...very small meals every 2 to 3 hrs.. for breakfast i have only been having oatmeal with handful blueberries handful walnuts protein pwdr.. then a few hours later i have 1 egg, and 3 whites. been trying to have light lunches and dinners- with cottage cheese and 2 fishoils.. not eating enough veggies but 1x a day have 1 scp protein powder with grn pwdr, glutamine, d-ribose (i think the ribose has been helping). time for a nap- and i have been craving chicken soup- so letting myself have it from the healthy places i can find that dont use the skin- and use primarly white meat. still down about 2 lbs but seem to be holding there-- of course i havn't been able to do much "cardio" or walking cause latly..but did today-slowly getting back at it.

That is awesome!!!!!! 2 pounds is 2 pounds baby!! Plus you are still posting on the boards so you are doing great...keep up with it and you will make more progress!! Congrats!!!!!

[gbrice75]

Glad to see you back!

[SlimmerMe]

2 pounds is 2 pounds.....GLad you making progress. Slow wins the race here. The other plans are temporary and can backtrack. So you are just fine.....

[qkcam]

thanks peeps! do you all think i am "over training" i know it sounds strange .. but for a person with cfids- ( if that is what i have, or anyone) doing back then a day off then chest then a day off then shoulders and arms..is that over training the arms? had the 3rd gamma shot yesterday - docs couldnt give me an answer why it knocked me back so hard after the 2nd time.. the 1st time i felt great. .. today was productive--- but a low fever sit in .maybe the body doesnt like it.. but i must keep going!! I must find a way to get better-- i want to be able to move my body for at least an hour a day without getting sick and everyday woudl be nice= I am too stuborn to just give up. at least today! .. i am grateful for all the tips you all have been sharing, and i would like to spend more time reading others posts-- i am trying to work towards that to keep learning.. got to see the pacific yesterday -- it was nice to get out and smell the fresh ocean air. hope to get some lively energy for the weekend-- everyone have fun enjoy the moment .

[SexySweetheart]

im not going to try to pretend I undersatnd what cfids truely is or how it effects people, so I have zero imput on your training hun, sorry BUT i did look it up and from what I saw there are ladys that train for marthons ect. Im sure its diff for every one. The only advice I would give is that if 1 day of over the top training is so much that it stops you from training the following day~ prob not as good/healthy as consistant moderate training IMO regardless, your attitude is a winner so soon your body will follow suite

[SlimmerMe]

^^^ could not have said it better Sexy....especially if over training prevents the next day workout plus qk's WINNING attitude!

[qkcam]

hey sexy that was nice of you to look it up.. did you actually find a person with cfids that trains for marathon? on my email group they are always telling me to stay away from the gym and not work out... but in looking up adrenal fatigue (which really seems to be alot of my symptoms), but "western" med doesnt really address-- in the 21'st century adrenal fatigue book, he does say moderate weight training and other exericse is good.. in a discussion with my doc this we we came to the conclusion that western med is primarly for "end stage" disease..rather than preventative or maintence.. so you all take good "maintence" of those bods-- aside from working out.. dont want to burn out your systems like i did! of course i have had some wonderful adventures in my 44 years on the planet and some really good times-- overdoing!! so i think i want to come up with a different "training routine" so i am not "busting out" too much on days i have good energy- ... any ideas? maybe i need to just do 30mins a day at the gym doing something...?? even if i have energy to go for an hour? also if i did weights for 30mins a day how would that break down with the body parts? does that make sense?
i read this really strange book while i was "on the couch" exhausted ... called Chemical Pink.. it is about a female body builder and this crazy guy ( he really had some issues) that is fixated on getting a female body building champ-- it is strange and intense.. and kinda twisted but thought i would share since it is about "body building" and alot of other things-- entertaining one doenst mind strange.

it would great to get some feedback about a different training routine with the weights that might be more like leaning than bulking-- thanks
q

[SexySweetheart]

^ lol, well Im pretty clueless about MOST things so I dont like to voice an opinion unless I do a lill research
I will see if I can re-find the link about the lady marithin runner ect.. maybe helpfull for you.
TOTALY AGREE with you about US fixating on dealing with health issues rather than PREVENTING them
Im my experiance, when I didnt feel up to working out, I made myself go to the gym, even if it was just to tan...I made the gym become part of my biological routine, so 5/10/30min is better than 0min give your self credit for every lillte bit you AND kick your self in the butt to give it your all agin the next day

...this is some I found, a little lite reading lol
Managing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia

16. Exercise
PrintEmail a Friend
Being ill reduces activity level and produces deconditioning, fatigue, pain, stiffness, anxiety and depression. One way to start a spiral in the other direction is with exercise. Exercise counteracts all these factors. It produces a higher level of fitness; it reduces fatigue, pain and stiffness; and it improves mood.

Exercise is usually an important part of a treatment plan for fibromyalgia and may be helpful for CFS patients as well. Before starting an exercise program, check with your doctor. He or she may refer you to other professionals who specialize in exercise, such as physical or occupational therapists.

A comprehensive fitness program includes three types of exercise:

■Flexibility: Stretching reduces pain and stiffness, and keeps joints and muscles flexible. Stretching is often a good starting place for an exercise routine and also can be used as a warm-up for other forms of exercise. Other types of flexibility exercises include yoga and Tai Chi.
■Strength: These exercises increase muscle strength, making it easier for you to do your daily activities. Strength exercises are often done using weights, but you can begin with simple movements like standing up from a chair or moving your arms.
■Endurance: Often called "aerobic exercise," endurance work strengthens your heart and lungs. This form of exercise helps lessen fatigue and pain by giving you more stamina; it also improves sleep and mood. Examples include walking, biking and water exercise.
Exercise: CFS vs. Fibromyalgia
The type and amount of exercise you do will differ depending on the severity of your illness and on whether you have CFS or fibromyalgia.

For most CFS patients, exercise can easily trigger an intensification of symptoms, so patients should focus on avoiding post-exertional fatigue (excessive tiredness after activity). All physical activity should be considered exercise. Even if you don't have a formal exercise program, you are exercising already (and may be overdoing it!) if you do things like clean house, wash laundry, cook, shop or garden. For more on how to identify what is too much activity, see box. Because many CFS patients have a tight limit on how much activity they can do without increasing symptoms, doing exercise might require that some other activities be dropped or rescheduled.

Exercise programs for CFS often focus on flexibility and strength; endurance exercise may be helpful, but only for higher-functioning patients. Pacing should be applied in exercise, so that a period of activity is alternated with rest. For some people, the time of exertion might be only a minute, followed by up to several minutes of rest.

Heart Rate & Post-Exertional Malaise

If you have CFS, you are probably familiar with post-exertional malaise, the severe fatigue that results from doing too much. One trigger for malaise can be your heart rate. If it goes over a threshold, malaise will result. The threshold is often around 60% of maximum heart rate. (Maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. For a person who is 50 years old, 60% of maximum heart rate is 102 beats per minute, calculated as: [220 - 50] x .60.)

Some people can exceed their threshold easily with everyday activity. For example, one person in our program found that just going up a flight of stairs pushed her heart rate beyond her threshold. Another person says that lifting her daughter used to push her over the edge. The solution for the first person was to stop halfway up the stairs for a brief rest. The solution for the second was to sit down and have the child climb into her lap. A third person, who found that many activities put her over her limit, learned to be active with less exertion. She sits down for many activities in the kitchen, empties the dishwasher in stages, and uses a grabber to pick up things without having to bend over.

Staying within your heart rate threshold can lead to an expansion of the energy envelope. One person in our program reported, "I've made a lot of progress in the past year, mostly thanks to heart rate monitoring, which trained me to reduce my activity to a level my body can handle. By forcing myself to stay within my limits, I have slowly achieved an increase in what I am able to do."

If you think you might benefit from monitoring your heart rate, check with your doctor. For more on this subject, see the article "Pacing by Numbers: Using Your Heart Rate To Stay Inside the Energy Envelope."


If the biggest danger for CFS patients is post-exertional malaise, the danger for fibromyalgia patients is immobility. If you have fibromyalgia, fellow FM patient and author Stacie Bigelow suggests you think about a cement truck. The contents of the truck remain soft as long as they are continually moving. If the drum stops rotating, however, the cement hardens into concrete. She and other authorities on exercise for FM patients recommend two to five minutes of movement after 20 to 30 minutes of being sedentary. You can experiment to find what combination works for you.

Ms. Bigelow suggests that an exercise program for fibromyalgia begin with increasing daily activity, things like showering, making the bed, preparing meals, shopping, and taking care of children. Attention to daily activity should also include sensitivity to posture and movement, and to the pacing of activity. As noted in the chapter on treating pain, one way to control pain is through proper posture and body mechanics. Also, alternating periods of activity with rest breaks reduces the likelihood of exacerbating pain.

A formal exercise program for fibromyalgia can begin with stretching. Like being active, stretching increases flexibility, thereby reducing pain and stiffness. A stretching routine can be done most days of the week. (For sample flexibility exercises, see Chapter 4 in Bigelow's book Fibromyalgia: Simple Relief through Movement and Chapter 6 in The Arthritis Foundation's Guide to Good Living with Fibromyalgia.) A fibromyalgia exercise program normally also includes an endurance component, such as walking or pool exercise. You may use one or several types of exercise. Often, people with fibromyalgia can do endurance work most days of the week. Lastly, an exercise routine for FM should include strength training two or three times a week. (For sample strengthening exercises, see The Arthritis Foundation's Guide to Good Living with Fibromyalgia and Chapter 12 in The Arthritis Helpbook.)

Many fibromyalgia patients participate in water exercise classes. One example is the Arthritis Foundation's Aquatics Program, offered in many locations in the United States. For information, see the Foundation's website: http://www.arthritis.org/.

Exercise Guidelines
In creating your exercise program, consider the following general guidelines.

1. Individualize Your Program. Exercise programs for CFS and fibromyalgia should be tailored to the unique situation of each person. The type, duration and intensity of exercise will depend on the severity of your illness and also will differ depending on whether you have CFS or FM. Your tolerance for exercise may vary depending on time of day, so it's important to understand how your limits are affected by when you work out.

2. Set Realistic Goals. Exercise has a different purpose for CFS and FM patients than for healthy people. Healthy people may train for an event like a marathon or work on sculpting their bodies. They can set goals and push themselves. That approach is likely to make symptoms worse for people with CFS and fibromyalgia. An appropriate exercise goal for CFS would be to improve fitness enough to make daily activities easier. For fibromyalgia, it is realistic to use exercise to reduce stiffness and pain.

3. Start Low & Go Slow. Begin by finding a safe level of exercise, one that does not intensify your symptoms. The goal is to have a sustainable level of effort that you can do several times a week. To improve your flexibility, you might try stretching, yoga or Tai Chi. For strength training, use light weights or isometric and isotonic exercises. (Isometric exercise involves tightening muscles without moving your joints. Isotonic exercise involves joint movement.) In the endurance category, many people with CFS and FM use walking and water exercise programs. For some people, starting low may mean as little as one or two minutes of exercise per session.

It is usually advisable to keep the same duration goal for a considerable period of time and to increase the duration very gradually, as tolerated by the body. You may break down your total exercise times into a number of shorter sessions, aiming eventually for a total of something like a half an hour a day. It may take six months to a year to build up to a 30-minute routine; for some patients, 30 minutes is an unrealistic goal.

4. Monitor Yourself. The intensity of exercise for most patients should be in the 4 to 5 range, where 1 is resting and 10 is the most effort you can imagine. A standard often used to determine whether you have an appropriate level of aerobic exercise is the talk test: you should be able to carry on a conversation while exercising. If you have pain that lasts several hours after you finish, experiment with the intensity and length of your program. You may be able to reduce pain by experimenting with heat or massage before exercise and cold after. Heat in the form of heat pads or warm water (a shower or bath) increases blood flow; cold in the form of ice packs or bags of frozen vegetables reduces inflammation.

To evaluate your program and troubleshoot problems, consider keeping a record of your exercise and the consequences. You might record the time and duration of exercise, its intensity and your symptom level before, during, after and the next day. You can note symptoms using a ten point scale or letters like L, M and H to note low, medium and high. A diary can help you see the effects of exercise, some of which may be delayed for hours or even a day.

Sticking with It: Exercise for the Long Haul
The benefits of exercise are greatest for those who exercise regularly. Here are some ideas for how to persevere with an exercise program.

I cant fid the site I did yesterday about the runner, but you may be able to if you do some searching

[qkcam]

i have seen the tanning booths there.. !! I like the gym because it is a bit social for me too.. there is a great golds in SF i really like-- they have a fireplace and a smoothy bar- although i work really hard at staying away from the smoothy bar-- lots of very friendly older gay men.. and they can run circles around me- like even in their 60's! but they usually play really upbeat music and have very high industrial ceilings very spacious and lots and lots of equipment-- and it doenst smell like the golds gym in oakland! -- very clean- but oakland is closer .. - i even tried to jump start my gym experience by checking out the golds gyms in the south bay-- just for a change of pace-- it has been pretty cool to see how each gym is so different and some of them have the old style very heavy metal equipment- it has been fun exploring- when i go down for acupunture-i seem to have found a decent combo of stuff that is working with a better consistant energy level.. d-ribose, isocort (for adrenals) the b12s - a new multiy powder vitamin by a doc that had cfids and now works towards treating those with it-- called "from fatigued to fantastic" it is a powder vit with lots of b's and not too expensive.. It seems to help. -- and starting drinking eleuthero (although expensive-- too much for my blood) .. i seem to notice more consistant energy-- so now i just need to NOT OVERDO..

you are right.. even if i dont go to the gym.. i can make myself go for a walk around the trees-and get fresh air--- i like to do weights at the gym but not sure how to break them down to everyday? also i figure the most important thing i can do is let the adnreals try to "repair and heal" and work towards building back up my reserves -- and keeping a consistant level of energy so i get get more of a social life!!! slow is real.. and i need to stop the vietnamse coffees'!! they dont help the adrenals and arent working like they did a few weeks ago-- okay-- i am blappering.. i know i have to work really hard now to get myself healthy as i can- as the docs aren't really helping much- and i have been on medical leave for over a year-- and not better than i was when i started-.. time for rebuilding the reserves- !

[RaginCajun]

maybe you could try doing a workout in which you hit all body parts. maybe do some dumbbell squats into a thrust? or, maybe do some kettlebell swings? you can do light weight, lots of reps with little to no rest, and keep the workout under 30 mins. if you feel that your energy level is higher, maybe look into crossfit routines. some involve heavy weights, but others are just bodyweight and light weight/lots of reps. look up the spartacus workout, it is like 10 exercises (so i think) and you can modify off of that.