Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic means any form of exercise that increases the heart rate for a prolonged period of time.  Examples of aerobic exercise include walking, biking, swimming, etc. There is no one form that is better than another, although there are some conditions other than fibromyalgia that we consider when recommending aerobic exercise.  For example, if you have worn-out knees from wear and tear over the years, then you should avoid an exercise that is hard on the knee joints, such as jogging.  You should try something with less weight-bearing through the knees, like swimming. 

 Experts recommend 20 to 30 minutes of non-stop aerobic exercise as a LONG-TERM goal.  To safely work up to 20 or 30 minutes, start out with 2 to 5 minutes at your own brisk pace.  This is fast enough to get the heart rate up a small amount to challenge your cardiovascular and respiratory system (Consult your physician or physical therapist about target heart rate information).  Experts also encourage a 1 to 2 minute "warm-up" and "cool-down" on both ends of the aerobic exercise.  This simply means to start out at a slow pace to warm-up your body before speeding up to your brisk pace and then slow down at the end to cool your body down.  Increase the aerobic portion (the 2 to 5 minutes) by 1 minute every week.  It will take you a long time to reach the 20 to 30 minute goal, but this is a very safe progression.  This aerobic exercise should be done 4 to 5 times per week.  Aerobic exercise performed 3 days a week, on the other hand, is a maintenance routine, and your progress will be minimal.

 Flexibility is the other form of exercise that is necessary to reduce the symptoms of pain for people with fibromyalgia.  There are a variety of stretches of the upper and lower body, but it is important that a low number of repetitions are performed (5 to 10).   Holding the stretch for 30 to 60 seconds is good for the larger muscle groups (hamstrings, quadriceps, Achilles tendon, etc.), but only 1 to 2 repetitions are needed when holding a stretch this long.  The Achilles tendon, quadriceps and hamstrings should be stretched before and after aerobic exercises. This reduces the risk of sore muscles.  The old statement, "if you don't use it, you lose it," is true when it comes to muscles, tendons, and ligaments.  They stiffen up and tight muscles are uncomfortable muscles.  You can actually decrease pain by increasing flexibility.  Stretches should be done daily, but remember to go about all of these exercises slowly, gently, and yet progressively.