Combatting Fibromyalgia
Combatting Fibromyalgia
4 Simple Changes to Regain Your Life from Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
By: Lee Berlemann
According to the American College of Rheumatology, fibromyalgia affects 3 to 6 million Americans. Other sources
say the total number affected could be 8 million people. It primarily occurs in women of childbearing age, but children,
the elderly, and men can also be affected. (Approximately 80percent to 90 percent of affected people are women.)
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by fatigueand widespread pain in your muscles, ligaments and tendons.
At first, it was not considered an illness at all. Doctors could not find any thing wrong with patients so they
believed it to be psychosomatic. Slowly that dismissive view is changing. Published researchat Johns Hopkins, University of Pennsylvania and other top research facilities points to immune dysfunction and cardiac abnormalities in these illnesses. It is difficult to believe that some doctors still regard people with Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome as nothing more than ‘extremely worried well people’. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS or chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome, CFIDS) is a chronic, often debilitating disorder of unknown cause characterized by fatigue, pain and cognitive disorders. Often severe cognitive complaints differentiate the syndrome from similar disorders and usually occur in a later stage of the disease. There is no evidence to sustain the thought that CFS or Fibromyalgia is a contagious disease. Contagious diseases typically occur in well-defined clusters, either as outbreaks or epidemics. What Causes Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? Asking what causes Fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome can be a tricky question, depending on whom you ask. Doctors and researchers believe there is not a single cause of Fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome. At this point doctors are just not sure what causes these illnesses.
While the cause of Fibromyalgia is unknown, researchers have several hypotheses about causes or what triggers the illness. Some scientists believe that the syndrome may be caused by an injury or trauma. This injury may affect the central nervous system. Fibromyalgia may be associated with changes in muscle metabolism, such as decreased blood flow, causing fatigue and decreased strength. Others believe an infectious agent such as a virus in susceptible people may trigger the syndrome, but no such agent has been identified.
Research proposes that CFS may be caused by an immunologic dysfunction or altered capacity of certain immune functions.
One thing is certain at this time: there are no immune disorders in CFS or Fibromyalgia patients traditionally
affiliated with disease. That suggests a different approach is needed to reach the state of health you want.
4 Simple Changes to Shift Your Life From Fibromyalgia or CFS
Many studies have indicated that a healthy lifestyle including diet, exercise, relaxation techniques and
sufficient sleep offer the most effective approaches for reducing fatigue and pain from CFS and Fibromyalgia.
1. Nutrition/Diet
A common thread in many cases seems to be a tendency to feel better when refined sugar, caffeine, alcohol, fried foods,
red meat, and highly processed foods, are kept to a sound personal minimum in the diet.
Try supplementing your current diet with greater quantities of raw or lightly cooked fruits and vegetables. Try substituting meats that are high in fat with fish or lean poultry. Drink plenty of water and take a good vitamin
supplement to ensure that you are getting proper nutrition.
2. Quality Sleep: Seven Ways to Become Sleeping Beauty
This is perhaps the most important component of treating CFS/FM. The following tips will help you achieve more restful sleep. Try to follow as many of them as possible to obtain the best level of sleep you can:
· Try to go to bed earlier and at the same time everyday.
Even on weekends, try to go to bed and wake at the same time. This will help your body get used to a set schedule and provide for a more restful sleep.
· Try to avoid any caffeine-containing beverages such as coffee or soda before going to bed. It is a stimulant that will keep you awake at night. Also, alcohol drinking should be kept to a minimum in Fibromyalgia sufferers.
· Don’t eat a lot before bedtime. Generally, try not to eat within two hours of going to bed. Particularly avoid spicy or fatty foods and try to keep your “midnight snacks” to a minimum.
· Ensure that you have a comfortable mattress and pillow.
Sometimes, people’s poor sleeping habits stem from poor mattresses. What constitutes a comfortable bed is different for us all. Usually something that is not too firm and not too soft should be acceptable. Cervical pillows mold to the natural shape of your neck and eliminate any unwanted stresses on the muscles of your neck and upper back.
Choosing the appropriate bed and pillow is often done by trial and error. Find the combination that gives you the most restorative sleep and stick with it.
· A regular exercise program will help you have a more deep and refreshing sleep on a consistent basis.
· Try and avoid daytime naps. By doing so you will be more tired at night and be able to sleep deeper, thereby waking up more refreshed. Naps may seem like they provide more sleep time, but they are counterproductive to getting rest. Naps during the day will affect how well you will sleep during the night and it gets the body out of sync with the regular sleep pattern, leading to insomnia at night.
· Keep a proper sleeping environment. This involves a quiet and cool room. A slightly cooler room is ideal for sleeping since this mimics your internal temperature drop during sleep and silence is more conducive to sleep.
3. Exercise: You Can Be More Than A Couch Potato
Many studies have indicated that exercise is the most effective component in managing Fibromyalgia, and patients must expect to undergo a long-term exercise program. Physical activity prevents muscle atrophy, increases a sense of well-being, and over time reduces fatigue and pain itself. Be sure to consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.
4. Relaxation Techniques: Even When You’re In Pain
Relaxation and stress-reduction techniques are proving to be helpful in managing chronic pain. There is certainly evidence that people with Fibromyalgia have a more stressful response to daily conflicts and encounters than those without the disorder. A number of relaxation and stress-reduction techniques have proven to be helpful in managing chronic pain:
· Deep breathing exercises.
· Muscle relaxation techniques.
· Meditation.
· Hypnosis.
· Biofeedback.
· Massage therapy.
Your goal with these lifestyle suggestions is to modify the choices that are within your control. But obviously, many things in your life are not in your control and impact you on many different levels. But, you CAN gain control over these areas too.
A free ebook titled “Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: What you need to know, what you need to do” explains how you can regain control your health to enjoy a life free from the symptoms of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Start living the life you want and deserve!!
ZZZZZZ
AB secrets
AB secrets
by: Jesse Cannone
Do you want a flat stomach? I don’t know a person who doesn’t!
People spend millions, if not billions of dollars, each year in the quest for a flat stomach. Right now there are about 200 or more ab exercise devices out there. There’s the ab do-it, the ab rock-it, the ab roller, the ab dolly, and so many more. You would think that with all of these amazing new products, most people would be walking around with that nice, lean mid-section they’ve always wanted.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
Most, if not all of these products, will do little or nothing to flatten your stomach. And that’s because these exercise contraptions cannot eliminate the layer of fat that lies on top of your abs.
In order to be successful at thinning your waistline you must have a basic understanding of how the ab muscles function and how your body burns fat. It is important to understand the difference between fat and muscle. Fat is made up of excess calories and is primarily stored in layers on top of muscle tissue. Muscle is made up of fibers that contract or shorten to produce movement. Fat cannot turn into muscle and muscle cannot turn into fat!
However, with lack of exercise and improper diet, you can lose muscle and you can gain fat. That’s what happens as most people ignore these criteria.
So if your goal is to thin your waist line and have a nice flat stomach, the first thing you need to do is decrease / eliminate the layers of fat that are on top of your abs. We all have a flat stomach; we just need to eliminate the excess fat covering it.
The most effective way of flattening your stomach is a combination of strength training (with an extra focus on mid-section), cardiovascular exercise (short, hard workouts), and stable blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional fat and makes it easier for the body to use body fat for fuel).
There are 4 primary strategies which need to be implemented.
1. You must do some form of progressive strength training
The primary function of the ab muscle is to flex your torso forward. However, there are also muscles that flex your torso to the side and muscles that rotate your torso. Often times you see people on their ab roller every day doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups.
If you want to effectively strengthen your stomach you need to incorporate the following types of exercises:
– forward flexion exercises (crunch, sit-up, etc.)
– side flexion exercises (side bends, side crunches, etc.)
– rotational exercises (trunk rotations, standing twists, etc.)
The abs, are muscles just like any other and should be worked at most 3 times per week. You also want to make sure you are training them progressively, working them harder each time.
2. Use short, hard cardio workouts to increase metabolism
Cardio workouts are important because they CAN, if done correctly, increase your metabolism for 4-24 hours or more! This means you are less likely to store any excess calories as body fat because they are more likely to be used by your elevated metabolism. Plus, you are more likely to burn off some excess body fat.
Below is a sample interval workout that can be done with just about any activity (walking, bicycling, swimming, stair climbing, etc.).
Warm up at easy pace 2-5 minutes. Then perform 30 seconds of hard work (almost as hard as possible). Then perform 1 minute of moderate work (recovery time-catch breath). Tnen repeat this process 6-10 times followed by a Cool down at an easy pace for 2-5 minutes
3. Stable blood sugar is the key
Most importantly, you must stabilize your blood sugar! This is by far the most important factor when it comes to burning away that excess body fat and keeping it off! To effectively stabilize your blood sugar you must feed your body frequently; like every 2-3 hours. The key is to give your body only what it needs at that time. Your body burns calories 24 hours a day, so, why would you only feed it once or twice a day? Give your body the fuel it needs: vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, whole grains, and lean proteins (chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, etc.).
Many people are too hung up on how much fat is in food, or how healthy of a choice it is. Calories are calories and it doesn’t matter where they come from. If there’s extra… where’s it going? Yup, you guessed it . . . body fat!
This is not to say that what you eat is not important because it is, it just doesn’t have that much of an affect when it comes to fat loss. Try to make healthy choices whenever possible, but don’t feel like if you eat a cheeseburger it is guaranteed to be stored as fat.
4. Get the help of a professional
Unfortunately, most people don’t know enough about the human body, nutrition, or effective exercise to meet their health and fitness goals. Ask yourself this one question, “Am I happy with my current progress or condition?” If you’re not, you should consider getting the help of a qualified personal fitness professional. Don’t depend on the information you get from magazines or from your local gym/ health club. A qualified fitness professional can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, and in less time than you would imagine.
If you are serious about your health and fitness goals, and you are ready for that flat stomach, I recommend you start implementing the 4 strategies listed in this article.
These 4 strategies can help you take control of your metabolism and burn off that excess body fat so that you can look and feel the way you want!