Fitness and Fibromyalgia

It should come as no surprise that for the last 4 ½ years, I have been suffering with a disability called fibromyalgia. I have in the past, titled many posts about this topic as I shared my journey of self-discovery through it, my experience, my thoughts, my low points, my motivations and my symptoms. For those of you who don’t know, Fibromyalgia is a disorder with a throng of symptoms. One of the main one’s however is pain.

Pain so ‘main’ that I just tell people I have a pain disorder instead of going all WebMD on them. Now, I will admit that doing exercise when one suffers from a disorder which leaves you in pain 24/7 can be a bit daunting, the irony however, is that the only thing that really helps, is to get your muscles moving which I know many fibromyalgia suffers steer away from. Instead, the majority of us just chug a handful of potent pain killers every single day handed to us by health care practitioners who claim that it’s the Holy Grail in taking care of this horrid disease.

Recently however, I embarked on a fitness journey to help ease my symptoms by seeing a biokineticist who put together an exercise programme that would help build muscle, improve balance and strengthen my core, with the underlying hope that my pain would diminish in due time. I am currently on my 3^rd week and decided that a post about my thoughts halfway through would be a great idea as a way to keep track of the tiny changes going on in my body and share my secret weapon!

Firstly, even though I am only 6 sessions in, my resistance has increased significantly. I suffer with less Chronic Fatigue and sleep a lot better at night. My pain has decreased dramatically and I honestly cannot wait for the end of my sessions just to see how my pain levels are. Getting inflammation for holding a book or carrying a bag has definitely withered away and I can now stand for a few minutes longer than what I could (without feeling uncomfortable). My arms are looking more toned, hell, my entire body is looking more toned. I hardly get head splitting migraines and my legs hurt less. I have a slight increase in energy and experience no pain after my workout sessions, which, seriously is just the most amazing thing (after the first session I couldn’t walk for about a day or two). Trust me, if you suffer with something as time-consuming and life-changing as fibromyalgia, then even one of those positives above would be enough.

I do however owe all of this to my brilliant trainer Mustapha Marlie, who is also the owner of the “Never Give Up Boot camp” based in Salt River, Western Cape. Mustapha, who works at the University of the Western Cape, started NGU-Boot camp due to the epidemic of obesity happening in his community. Because of this, he was motivated to help make a change and started offering classes for a very low rate in order to give people the opportunity to get fit while having fun. Selflessly enough, there is no evil motive behind the boot camp as its main focus is to empower people and help them achieve their goals and ideal fitness levels.

I can honestly vouch for just how incredible he is and how passionate he is about fitness (seriously, have you read all the great changes happening to me above?). He is a great motivator, the kind that makes you want to pick up some weights. I am honestly just in awe of how he took advantage of inspiring fitness in his community and by how many people attend his sessions (although I’m pretty sure that most of the ladies just go to look at him and how fit he is ;)).

If you are interested in attending a class or merely just want to contact him then be sure to have a look at his facebook page and be inspired!

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Fatima