Let's face it, rebuilding your health after a chronic illness such as fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome isn't an easy task.  It's a journey that takes dedication, self-awareness, some practical tools, and this gives you an opportunity to  brush up and acquire some new skills to help you through it and out through the other side.  But it can and must be done in order to survive, to repair, and to heal yourself and that means taking a proactive approach because let's face it, no one can else can or will do it for you.

This is a journey that begins with a single step, a decision to get well, and often is solo when it gets right down to it.  Of course, having lots of support is ideal but isn't always available when we need it so knowing some quick and efficient ways to restore some real easy energy to your cells, fast, is the way to go!

Whilst I personally have not suffered from fibromyalgia, I do know what it's like to suffer from chronic pain, achy joints, and the feeling of complete and utter exhaustion, fatigue, and being tired and drained.  For the many people who suffer with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and pain, their numbers are growing with estimates being greater than 12 to 15 million people in America alone.  The upside of these alarming statistics is that awareness is raised and more solutions will be found and made more readily available.

More and more people are suffering through auto-immune related disorders, low thyroid function is rampant among us and adrenal burnout is more common than ever from our high stress lifestyles.  When you're hurting all over from pain, and you feel utterly drained of all your energy and stamina, it becomes paramount to find ways out of this and to get yourself healthy and well.  I'm going to share some of them with you here starting with seven easy steps you can do to help you get things going and on your way to wellness starting today.

Let's face it, living with fibromyalgia is painful  and exercise is often the last thing our bodies wants to do.  But did you know that new research suggests that deep breathing, such as that recommended in yoga and meditation, can lower pain levels both for healthy people and some people with fibromyalgia?   Deep breathing, such as that practiced during yoga, meditation, and exercise, helps by increasing blood flow and circulation while also slowing down the heart rate allowing relaxation to occur.  It is during this state of relaxation that we are able to function at more optimum levels and feel a lot less pain and stress.

When you have fibromyalgia, there is a tendency for clenching to occur, which is an involuntary reaction to stress.  This clenching reduces blood flow to the muscles, which then causes pain.  That's why a stressful lifestyle -- plus too much couch time -- is a double-whammy for conditions like fibromyalgia.  Too little exercise slows blood flow to muscles, so fibromyalgia pain just gets worse.  However, studies show that walking, stretching, swimming, and strength training all help control fibromyalgia pain and muscle tenderness and that exercise just three times a week improves life on many levels. 

Exercise is important when it comes to relieving the symptoms and pain associated with fibromyalgia.  Not only can regular exercise help manage pain in some cases, but it can also help to improve quality of sleep and provide some much needed rest for your body, mind, and spirit.  Along with relieving some of the symptoms, it also aids the body in producing more serotonin and adrenalin, which are pain inhibitors.

The important thing about doing exercises for fibromyalgia relief and support is that you need to start out slowly and build your way up. It's best not to overextend yourself, especially on days when you are feeling good and think that you can do more.

Before you start exercising, its best to start with stretching exercises and gentle, low-impact activity, like walking or swimming. Begin your exercise program gradually, since at the start, exercise could worsen your pain. A little muscle soreness is typical when you're first starting out, but sharp pain might be a sign that you have injured your muscles

Exercise has significant influence on detoxification.

 -- Exercise speeds up removal of toxins through perspiration.  Sweating helps expel toxins through the skin, your body’s largest organ of elimination.  Exercising to the point of perspiration offers overheating therapy benefits, too.  Tests show that when athletes sweat, for example, they excrete potential cancer causing elements, like heavy metals and pesticide PCBs from their bodies through perspiration.

 -- Exercise stimulates removal of toxins through deep breathing.  Low impact aerobics help build a stronger diaphragm and elasticize your lungs.

 -- Exercise stimulates metabolism, especially before you eat, to aid in weight loss. Exercise uses up stored body ft.  Calories are burned at a greater pace for several hours after you exercise.