I'm working out again!

Believe it or not, I'm on a workout high! I've worked out for 21 of the last 28 days! It has been years since I was able to work out that consistently without causing a Fibro Flare! Why now!? I have a few theories about what is different in my body today.

Healing 

I'm sure that I am consistently healing from the years of damage done by eating foods that were bad for ME (not everyone, but me). Especially gluten, but also food additives and other chemicals. It is really worth the time and effort to figure out what food or chemical intolerances you may have.

Hormones 

I had a hormone profile done several months ago that showed my testosterone levels were undetectable. I've been working on increasing my levels with natural methods and bioidentical hormones for about 3 months now. In those 3 months, I have gained 7 pounds of muscle! Testosterone helps women build muscle. Working out breaks down muscle so your body can rebuild even stronger. That is a much more difficult job when you have no testosterone. Recovery from a workout takes longer and more energy - resulting in a lot of pain and fatigue. Now when I work out, I have "normal" soreness, not Fibro soreness. I can tolerate normal, but Fibro soreness is in a whole different league.

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Watch this video: Anna Cuddy's Ted Talk: Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are

The Workout

I also think the workout I've chosen is helping make it possible to keep going. I'm doing the PiYo workout from Beachbody, which is a combination of Pilates and Yoga. I love it for several reasons. For one thing, the modifications in the video are actually DOABLE by those of us who are not strong or athletic! I've tried video workouts before and even the modified exercises were too difficult. This left me discouraged and frustrated - in other words, not real motivated to come back for more! Not so in PiYo! Also, it is low impact and works only with your body weight. No need to have extra equipment, no pain from jumping and it doesn't have me twisting my body in ways that just hurt when you have Fibromyalgia joint pain. I also like that it has variety and a progression of workouts that get harder as you get stronger. Click here if you want to learn more about PiYo!

Will It Last?!?!?!

The only predictable thing about Fibro is that it is completely unpredictable. I can't guarantee that next week or next month I won't be in bed again. But while I have the chance to improve my body, I will take it! I'll definitely be reporting back about the changes in my overall strength and muscle as I continue working through the program!  Wish me luck!