When you're in pain, exercise may seem like the last thing you want to do.
But, if you remain sedentary, it could lead to weight gain, which causes even more pain.
Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum has been working with fibromyalgia and chronic pain patients for many years. He joins Naturally Savvy host, Lisa Davis, to share some tips for performing healthy and safe exercise if you're suffering from either of these debilitating conditions.
- Start off with doing water exercises in a warm-water pool. The weightlessness is easy on your joints, and the warm water helps loosen your muscles.
- When you stretch, put heat over the areas that give you the most pain. If you have widespread pain, all throughout your body, soak in a hot bath with Epsom salts before you stretch.
- When you're comfortable to ramp up your exercise, get a pedometer to track your steps. Dr. Teitelbaum suggests increasing your steps by 50 each day. Don't go too hard... "no pain, no gain" is not the mantra you want to live by.
- Take the supplement ribose after exercise. This will help ease any discomfort.
- Being intimate with your partner can seem like a lot of work, especially if you're in constant pain. But, it's one of the best ways to get some exercise and boost your "feel good" hormones.
Listen in as Dr. Teitelbaum shares more about these methods, as well as other simple ways to reduce your pain.
Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, is a board certified internist and Medical Director of the national Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers and Chronicity. He is author of the popular free iPhone application "Cures A-Z," and author of the bestselling book From Fatigued to Fantastic! (Avery/Penguin Group), Pain Free 1-2-3: A Proven Program for Eliminating Chronic Pain Now (McGraw-Hill), Three Steps to Happiness: Healing Through Joy (Deva Press 2003), Beat Sugar Addiction NOW! (Fairwinds Press, 2010), and his newest book Real Cause, Real Cure (Rodale Press, July 15, 2011). Dr. Teitelbaum knows CFS/fibromyalgia as an insider; he contracted CFS when he was in medical school and had to drop out for a year to recover. In the ensuing 25 years, he has dedicated his career to finding effective treatment. Dr. Teitelbaum does frequent media appearances including Good Morning America, CNN, Fox News Channel, the Dr. Oz Show and Oprah & Friends.