Ditch “exercise” to overcome chronic pain

Are you tired of others telling you to “exercise” to help with chronic pain?

And it isn’t for lack of trying, but every time you find some semblance of energy to hop on that treadmill or put on that exercise video, you end up crashing right back down (or worse) into pain and fatigue.

Ditch the idea of “exercise”

I think 10,000 steps per day is arbitrary. 

I think getting up to 150 minutes of exercise per week is generalized. 

If you’re trying to measure up against these numbers while you’re trying to “exercise” with chronic pain, you’re setting up yourself to feel very defeated, very fast. 

Chronic pain changes you. It changes how you feel, think, and do things. It changes your body, your brain, and your nervous system. Without a doubt, it changes your energy levels, and with that, you need to adapt your life to support your body as it is right now.

The thought of “exercising” can also feel very daunting and overwhelming. The mere thought of it already wears you out, not to mention that most exercise programs that are 20-60 minutes long can overstrain your body and energy.

So, instead of thinking that you *MUST* exercise to get stronger and overcome pain, I suggest this instead:

✅Incorporate TINY gentle movements a few minutes at a time, for a few times a day. 

Walk from one end of your house to the other end and back.

Gently move your joints and stretch your body. 

Yawn, stretch, and squirm. 

Go up half a flight of stairs and back down (then you can increase gradually over time!). 

Dance, in your chair, in bed, or standing up, to your favorite song.

Can you think of anything else you can do to incorporate simple, functional, natural movements?

If you don’t move, your body gets stuck in the fear and anxiety around pain, and that’s not a way to live. If you try to exercise based on what our society has defined exercise to be, your body will make sure to tell you about it later, and that’s no way forward either.

It’s less about actually “exercising,” but allowing your body to feel safe in movements again. 

Next steps

Got specific questions and would like to get more personalized approaches for your pain and fatigue? You can set up a free strategy call with me so we can chat about how 1x1 yoga therapy may just be what you need to rise above the limitations of your chronic pain and fatigue.