How Do You Manage Fibromyalgia?

1. Exercise Delivers


The hardest part of it is feeling like you can actually exercise. I trained for a year to walk a half-marathon. I never [did] make it the 13.1 miles, but I did walk 9.2 miles before finally having to stop. Luckily I was in front of a fire station. It was a monumental task. Here's how I approached it:

First, I started small—10 to 15 minutes a day, three times a week. That was enough, because at that point, I was in so much pain, so fatigued and just not fit in any way, shape or form. Then I slowly added more time after a couple weeks. Gradually I was able to walk two miles, four times a week.

My energy level was up even though I was still fatigued. I was able to do so much more with more ease. The most important thing is to listen to your body. Don't push too hard because it can make it that much harder.