Yup, I said exercise! Before we go any further, don't begin an exercise program without checking with your doctor first! Let's play it safe. Exercise is not for everyone. Certainly, if you have chronic fatigue or certain other health conditions, it should be taken slowly and may even be contraindicated. That's for you and your doctor to decide. So please check with a doctor first.Now, once you've been given the go ahead, you'll probably be wondering why exercise is showing up in a healing modalities column. No, exercise will not cure MCS. But it will improve your ability to RUN FAST in the face of an exposure without losing your breath and forcefully shove smelly people out of the way. Seriously, like any healing modality, there are true benefits of exercise including increased strength, improved circulation, improved stamina, cardiovascular health, flexibility, pain reduction, and even relaxation. All of these lead to better overall health and it can't hurt to be healthier in the face of MCS and the damage many toxicants can and do cause.
For me, exercise is a form of meditation that far surpasses any other form of meditation or relaxation. Nothing relieves pain more than a hard core workout. Call it a "runners high" if you like, but when one exercises there is a true change in the body as endorphins are released. Endorphins are the bodies endogenous, natural pain killers. My muscles melt like butter after a workout. I feel relaxed and good.
So what kind of workout is best? Now seriously, that is like asking what food is the best food on earth. Answers will vary greatly. You may already know what form of exercise you enjoy and suits you best. If not, I suggest trying out a few different types of exercise on differing days.
Allow yourself time to recuperate in between, take it slow in the beginning, and see what you enjoy. Some ideas are aerobics, yoga, running, biking, weight training, and Pilates. The main thing is to find something you enjoy. If you enjoy it, you will stick with it. Actually, you might become addicted to it!
Personally, I'm a weight lifting addict. It keeps the body in shape, is easy to do, and can be done daily if body parts are rotated. I prefer a real gym, though with MCS for many of us that is not possible. Some concerns at the gym include cleaners left out for members to mop up sweat with, fragrances on other members, and air filtration. I find if the gym has a good air filtration system or is open air I am able to move about to avoid too many things that bother me. A gym with several smaller rooms, rather than one big room, works well too because changing rooms when someone enters with fragrance is not a big deal.
A home gym is easy to set up for a couple of hundred dollars. A simple adjustable bench, an EZ curl bar, a set of adjustable dumbbells, a few extra weights for the EZ curl bar and dumbbells, and a couple of heavy duty exercise bands is about all you need to get started. If you wanted to spend $600 you could add a squat rack and bicycle, as well as go for a bench that has a straight bar, leg curl/extension attachment, and rack for the bar for bench pressing.
If you want to keep it simple, the neighbor hood track is a good place to do some walking and running. Many calisthenics can be done in the living room. The sofa makes a perfect ledge to do crunches too! With the benefits of exercise being so great, it's worth a try to see if it improves health and function. Oh, I must go now. It's gym time!
Copyrighted © 2007 Lourdes Salvador
