Getting back into exercise

[CFSGeek]

Hello all

I feel like I'm making good progress with the Gupta programme - I am much more relaxed in general and feel much more able to deal with social situations, a working day etc without getting overly tired.

I would really like to get back into doing some exercise - walking, cycling, weights. I would really like to hear from anybody who has successfully been able to do something like this and how they went about it, as this does not appear to be dealt with specifically in the programme.

Many thanks!

[Kiwi]

I did start on a very low level, but my situation was much worse than yours.

Possibilites to start: -Very low weights in case you want to use fitness machines
-There are lots of possibilites with the weight of your own body
-Try to stick to a level where you don't overdo it, means you should feel better afterwards within a reasonable amount of time

-Nordic Walking is a good option

-Someone who knows to read the signs of your nerves and your body or even knows a bit about ME/CFS may be a good coach.

-Set yourself small goals!

Best wishes

Kiw

[dmbaken]

MA has approached this very slowly.
Before she started the program she used the wheel chair for more than 20m. After 3 hours in town (even in the wheel chair) she would be confined to bed for the next day. Once on the program she started with some gentle yoga and then some very gentle Palates. She has also slowly increased her walking.

Yesterday she was on the go from 6:30am until 8pm. No PEM today. This morning she walked to the shop (500m) and bak via the beach (1km). She then called me to say the sea looked so good she was going back to the beach for a swim (I'm not sure if she planned to walk or drive). She will be going back into town this afternoon for 4-5 hours.

My point? If you go slowly then you will be able to exercise more.

Hope this helps.

Don

[Emergo]

I also started with yoga - just a few stretching exercises. Gradually, I added Pilates exercises. As I did not do any exercise at all for a couple of years, I found this to be very effective because it trained my weakened muscles to get more flexible and stronger without really putting stress on them.

[Maynard]

I'm experimenting with Branch Chain Amino Acids and Glutamine - a bodybuilding/fitness product called BCAA Stack - with regards exercise.

Always notice my muscle recovery is poor, and after a few weeks of gently progressive exercise, I hit a wall, and often come down with a virus - (typical overtraining symptoms).

Interestingly, this is exactly what happens to athletes who overtrain, as their bodies gradually run lower and lower on glutamine... Some evidence BCAA's reduce central fatigue too... Should know if it helps in a few months! From research, got to say it sounds quite promising.

[Recovery Soon]

I wonder if Glutamine is the antidote to Post Exertional Malaise?

When this occurs for me it doesn't feel as though my body is over-tired from the work-out, but that a toxic reaction gets triggered during the recovery stage the following day, which then gets me sick.

Maybe glutamine would help the body handle the stress of the recovery phase, and minimize this reaction?

[Maynard]

Yeah, certainly can be.

It's usually used by athletes shortly after training to reduce training fatigue and speed recovery.

(This might be interesting: glutamine's used up quickly during and after exercise - one of the effects of this is lowered immune function. I've noticed the same thing, re: viral symptoms after exercising for a short while.)


Likewise Branch-Chain Amino acids. (which also, interestingly, have a direct effect on central nervous system fatigue by reducing uptake, I think, of Tryptophan.)

I think BCAA's and glutamine together might have a better shot at improving exercise recovery and general fatigue.


The other things athletes use are acid buffers - to neutralize lactic acid build-up from exercise which can cause: pain, stiffness, fatigue, etc. (Potassium Bicarbonate, Sodium/Potassium Phosphate, etc.)

Good article here about the Krebs cycle linked to training recovery here http://www.nutritionreview.org/library/krebs.html

My big interest at the moment is seeing how much sports nutrition/research can be applied to CFS... So many sports supplements are tailored to do exactly what we use CFS supplements for: increasing ATP production/regeneration, buffering lactic acid, feeding the cells, recovery from muscle fatigue, overtraining, etc...

[i]Could[/i] be enough in itself, in some cases, to lift the body out of an energy crisis and gradually start restoring normal function.


Conflicting results in trials with Glutamine and general CFS - might have to take it in larger doses than standard to see direct results?

[Sylvia]

I've been walking regularly, briskly for 25 minutes.

Recently I bought a used Precor treadmill for 170--lucky me : )

Well, I did my 26 minutes at 2.8 mph. Then for a couple of days I put the incline to 2% and walked at 3mph. An exhausted sore dip occured.

What I take away from that for myself, is that to push to train and become in greater and greater shape is not the point. That I can do more and more in life is the point. And pushing the exercise is not gonna MAKE that happen. Only the STOP technique is gonna work. And STOP is not going to work on the physical stress my opinion. Exercise IS pure physical stress, it is not mental fear or obsession of anything like that. So until my body can "take" working out hard, I don't need to keep trying it out once a week to see, can I do it yet? Which again is a pressure that is unnecessary for me.

Besides the medical folks say 1/2 hour 5-6 days a week is good moderate exercise program. It IS sufficient.

Sylvia

[Maynard]

25 minutes brisk walking sounds good!

I'm starting to think recovery times when you're building up or getting back into exercise needs to be looked at VERY carefully... I'm thinking that kind of exercise probably needs at least 5 days between sessions, just to give the muscles time to recover... So probably best to alternate with something very different, like Yoga, and have complete rest days in between even if you don't feel you need them.


Just an update on L-Glutamine and Branch Chain Amino Acids.

Actually added them (at 15g and 10g/day) along with L-Lysine (1g) and Malic Acid (1g), a few days ago, and already noticing quite a few improvements. (much earlier than I expected)

Very little fatigue since starting them, but quite a lot of tired/sleepy patches in the day. Breathing feels better. Fewer viral symptoms.

Going to look into muscle recovery and exercise next.

[Recovery Soon]

Thanks Maynard for your research into exercise and nutrients.

Please do post your results. I hope you have a breakthrough!