The Fibromyalgia Whisperer

I've called Khris my Fibromyalgia Whisperer. I was telling my nephew about my training today. He lives in Denver now after graduating from college. He's working out there now. He has started to do some weight training. He knew I had lost weight and was exercising, but he didn't know what I was doing exactly and didn't know about my pain going away.

I gave him my blog link so hopefully he checks it out! It's funny, he's been meditating for the past few years after reading The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle.  He asked me about audiobooks, which Khis and I have been talking about and he asked me if I had ever been in a floating tank and Khris had just been talking about those, too. Billy said it was like meditation on steroids. And he asked me about yoga and he wants to try to do some yoga, too. Khris is not namaste on the yoga, but that's okay, he weaves it into training! (hahaha)

Anyway, I have had to take an unexpected rest from working out for a week because of my skin cancer surgery on my neck and I've noticed a few things. Fortunately, I had Jack visiting me so I didn't miss working out as much as I would have because I got to go swimming a little and play catch with a tennis ball in the water with him. I couldn't go under the water, but I got to go in.

The first 2 days after my surgery I couldn't have worked out even if I wanted to because I was just exhausted from the surgery itself and my stitches were pulling and sore. I did a lot of napping and resting.

I went to yoga on the 3rd day and just did what I could. It was a flow class and it was too much for me at one point just from an exhaustion standpoint. I stayed in child's pose with tears coming for about 15 minutes and then rejoined the class. The post-surgery exhaustion reminded me of the crushing fatigue that I used to have all the time.

I don't have the same type of pain again that I used to in my thighs and arms and everywhere, but I've started to have back pain and just some stiffness when I stand up or when I move in different ways that reminds me how things used to be. It's not even close to the pain I had. It's just a stiffness when I stand and move after sitting for awhile that is not the ease I am used to with training. My back and butt have a gripping and pain when I'm sitting that I haven't had in a long time.

It reinforces what I already knew to be true about my experience with weight loss and exercise and training. It's the training that is the Fibro magic. I love that I've lost weight. I love yoga. Yoga has a magic all its own. It is a mind/body workout. But training is even magicker. Yoga has books written about how it is an arthritis cure. Khris is a Fibro cure.

Cardio is useless. The cardio that is mixed with training is fantastic. The cardio that I get with burpees or the sled or walkouts or push-ups that makes me sweat and gives me curly hair is what I need.  The cardio that the doctors recommend for Fibro patients because they think that's all we can handle without overdoing it, is not the answer.

My doctor said she wants me to write a book. I think I've said that before. Well, I will continue to write about the magic of training. Again, I am fortunate to be retired so I can rest and train. I don't know how I would do if I was working and trying to train hard and rest and work, but I can't go back now, I can only go forward. I do know I did better some years at work when I was doing step aerobics at night and yoga in the morning before work. I didn't lose weight then because I didn't have a handle on the food part. But again. I can't go back. I can only go forward.

I know I can't wait to get back to training. My incision/stitches are healing nicely and I'm allowed to start exercising without restriction now. My instructions were to gradually resume lifting and conditioning type exercises after a week.  I went to the gym with Billy tonight and did a workout on my own, but it wasn't fun like my training! I am grateful for my Fibro Whisperer!