Learning to Work With My Body, Not Against It

Do you know what it feels like to have a body that won't cooperate?  Longing to move, but knowing if you do, you could wake up the next morning feeling as if you have literally been run over by a bus. Having lived with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) for almost 30 years, I deeply understand the frustration of ongoing limits—just like many of my clients do. In March this year, due to several incidents occurring that resulted in high stress and lack of sleep, I suffered a severe CFS flare-up that lasted for 2 weeks. It caught me off guard, but forced me to stop and reevaluate again what learning to work with my body, not against it, really means. Just this week, one of my clients with fibromyalgia had tried lifting heavier weights during her gym session and was now suffering from painful joints and exhaustion. I felt her frustration, and we talked about how to manage this for her going forward by increasing the weight very gradually over time. If you’re living with CFS, Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Long COVID, Lyme Disease, Lupus, or chronic pain, here are some gentle, practical ways to help you navigate flare-ups and move safely through these times.

 
Calming the Nervous System

Waking up to face a CFS flare-up back in March took time to come to terms with.  I couldn't just jump out of bed like usual. After the initial shock—when the anger, frustration, and self-pity began to settle—I tried not to panic. I turned my attention to calming my nervous system.  CFS symptoms vary from person to person, but a flare-up for me usually includes a severe migraine, sensitivity to light, exhaustion and muscle weakness. Nausea is common, too, and in March, I had all of the above.  Breathing is always the first step in calming. Breathing in for 4 and out for 4 for as long as needed always helps.  A warm shower or Epsom salt bath can help, as can listening to guided relaxation sessions and focusing on positive affirmations, which can be done throughout the day.  Eating breakfast surprisingly took the edge off the nausea. Ginger tea made by pouring boiling water onto pieces of real ginger in a mug and leaving it to steep for 10 minutes also helps. During a health crisis like this, when you don't know where the end point is, you need to listen to your body, but how do you do this when you feel so unwell?

 

Listening To Your Body - Especially When It Says No

Having participated in many sports as a child, I was always encouraged by coaches and teachers to keep going no matter what. To push through, ignore pain and keep playing. No pain, no gain was the mantra back then. No one was listening to their body; they were actively ignoring it! When I started learning the Alexander Technique and then the Feldenkrais Method at acting school, I was taught to respect and listen to my body for the first time. I built on this when I started learning Pilates more than 24 years ago, and now I guide and encourage my clients to listen to their bodies. It's part of the mind-body connection of Pilates. During my recent CFS flare-up. I was forced to listen to my body, loud and clear, and I gave it what it needed: rest, good nutrition, hydration, and constant calming. I knew if I pushed through, I would prolong my recovery. If something felt too much for me at that point. I didn't do it.  So, how do you know when to introduce some gentle movement so you don't develop Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM)?

The Power of Mini Micro-Doses of Movement

I have talked a lot in the past about small 5-minute daily doses of Pilates and you can read my recent post here.  But when you are having a flare-up of CFS, you need to start even smaller with a micro mini-dose of movement.  You may have to do these small movements while lying in bed. Walking can be a challenge, so small pelvic tilts, shoulder shrugs, and legs outstretched, pointing and flexing your feet are good places to start. If you can sit up and roll a ball under the arches of your feet to massage the fascia, it's helpful too. It all comes down to listening to your body and starting with a very, very small or micro movement and very gradually increasing it from there. Sleep is very unrefreshing with CFS, and I would wake up each morning feeling just as bad as I had the night before. This continued until one day I woke up and felt slightly better, and I gradually improved until I felt back to normal. The danger is overdoing it when you feel better and going back to square one. I've done that before, and it's devastating. So keep doing small movements for a while, even when you feel good, and only increase the intensity VERY gradually.