I think the combination of the allergy shots and the high levels of pollen are really getting to me. I've had some days reminiscent of those horrible fatigue days I know so well. I have been continuing taking quercetin and bromelian (at the suggestion of one of my readers) but I still have the intensely boggy feeling sinuses and all the other lovely symptoms and at the end of the day my eyes looked like someone threw lye in them......
But I'm going to press on because I feel it's my last shot to really get rid of all my health problems. I added another type of exercise to my regime and that's doing free weights for my arms. I think if you're sick with CFS doing arm stretches and very light weights or bands might even be more doable that other exercises that involve your legs, the thigh muscles are hard to work out when you're very sick and require a lot more exertion.
So I thought I'd share these exercises so you can try them at your own level. You have to do a variety of upper arm exercises in different combinations in order for your upper muscles arms to develop. And the variety of exercises you can do is endless. You can use the weight of your arms if you're very sick, exercise bands, or free weights. I suggest that women stick to 3 pound weights and work on increasing reps. Since we have a problem metabolizing lactic acid not only go slowly with any of these exercises but stay hydrated, use heat in the form of moist hot towels, heating pad, or a hot bath in order to increase circulation to your exercised muscles and to prevent lactic acid buildup in your muscles.
You can do arm exercises in a seated, standing, incline bench or lying down position that's why they're great exercises to do when you're sick. If you haven't read my posts
What Exercise Really Means to People With CFS and
Heal Your Pain Don't Just Medicate It I suggest you read them so you understand why exercise is important for healing but how to actually implement it depending on your level of illness.
If you are doing these in bed you may not be able to do them 100% correctly. Do your best to do some of them.
Flat Bench Press: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, deltoid
- This exercise can be performed using free weights or just your arms.
- Lie face up on the floor, or in bed.
- Lift arms or weights straight up.
- Lower weights/arms slowly and with control to the chest keeping the wrists straight.
Push Up: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, deltoid
- Position yourself face-down on the floor with arms extended and shoulder width apart, back flat and feet together (or kneel to do the woman version).
- Lower your body towards the floor as far as you can go while keeping back parallel to the floor.
- Push your body back to starting position slowly until your elbows are fully extended.
Lat Pulldown: Latissimus dorsi
- Sitting with torso erect, head slightly down and arms fully extended with weights or just arms slowly lower weights/arms down and back toward the base of the neck.
- Lift arms/weights to fully extend upward.
Bicep Curl: Biceps and elbow flexors
- Hold weight/arms out with a closed, supinated grip that is slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Stand erect with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent.
- Raise arms/weights in an arc by bending arms at the elbow moving upward to the front of the shoulders (dont swing, use control)
- Lower weights/arms in a slowly with control until the arms are fully extended down.
Hammer Curls: Biceps
- Stand erect and grasp the weights with a closed, neutral grip with the palm of the hand facing the outer thighs, feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent.
- Fully extend arms with weights or just arms hanging at the sides.
- Raise one weight/arm at a time by slowly bending at the elbow, bring the fist/weight to the front of the shoulder. Alternate arms.
- Lower the fist/weight in a slow, controlled movement until the arm is fully extended.
Tricep Extension: Triceps
- Kneel on the floor with one leg extended out for stability.
- Raise arm/weight up to the front of the body at hip height by bending the arm at the elbow.
- Straighten elbow back so that the weight is at the back of the body.
Flat Dumbbell Fly: Pectoralis major
- Lie face up flat
- Grasp weights or just use your arms
- Press weight/arms straight up over your chest keeping your palms facing each other
- Point elbows out slightly flexed
- Move arms out in a wide arc keeping palms up and elbows pointed out and weights in line with chest
- Lower weights/fists under control until they are level with your body
- Pull weights up in a wide arc to your starting position above the chest keeping elbows slightly flexed during the entire movement
Lateral Dumbbell Raise: Medial Deltoids, Trapezius
- Standing or seated
- Grasp weights or just use arms with palms at sides and facing in
- Bend elbows slightly
- Keeping your elbows bent at the same angle raise the weights to the side slowly
- Stop the weights as they reach shoulder level (palms should be facing the floor)
- Lower weights/arms to the start position
One Arm Dumbbell Row: Rhomboids, Latissimus Dorsi, Biceps, Brachialis
- Stand at the side of a bench or chair
- Kneel on the seat with the leg that is next to it
- Lean over and place inside hand on the seat directly below your shoulder
- Place outside foot 1-2 feet from seat and flex knee
- Position your body parallel to floor and grasp a weight with your free hand or just use your arm
- Hang weight down with arm straight
- Pull weight up toward the chest keeping body parallel to floor
- Touch weight to outer chest
- Lower weight slowly with control to a straight arm position maintaining body position
Overhead Press: Anterior Deltoid, Triceps, Trapezius
- Stand or sit
- With weights or just arms at shoulder position and knees slightly flexed
- Push weight/arms up to full arm extension keeping elbows pointed out until arms are fully extended
- Lower weights/fists slowly and under control back to your shoulders
You can try doing one or two of these for a few weeks until your arms feel a little stronger, don't push too hard if you're very sick, but DO do some exercise.
I'm going to write on the use of the supplement Monolaurin and my critique of this paper next:
General practitioners' perceptions of chronic fatigue syndrome and beliefs about its management, compared with irritable bowel syndrome: qualitative study Since I can tend to rant at times I wanted to carefully reflect on this paper before I rip into how I really feel. Stay tuned!
I think the combination of the allergy shots and the high levels of pollen are really getting to me. I've had some days reminiscent of those horrible fatigue days I know so well. I have been continuing taking quercetin and bromelian (at the suggestion of one of my readers) but I still have the intensely boggy feeling sinuses and all the other lovely symptoms and at the end of the day my eyes looked like someone threw lye in them......
But I'm going to press on because I feel it's my last shot to really get rid of all my health problems. I added another type of exercise to my regime and that's doing free weights for my arms. I think if you're sick with CFS doing arm stretches and very light weights or bands might even be more doable that other exercises that involve your legs, the thigh muscles are hard to work out when you're very sick and require a lot more exertion.
So I thought I'd share these exercises so you can try them at your own level. You have to do a variety of upper arm exercises in different combinations in order for your upper muscles arms to develop. And the variety of exercises you can do is endless. You can use the weight of your arms if you're very sick, exercise bands, or free weights. I suggest that women stick to 3 pound weights and work on increasing reps. Since we have a problem metabolizing lactic acid not only go slowly with any of these exercises but stay hydrated, use heat in the form of moist hot towels, heating pad, or a hot bath in order to increase circulation to your exercised muscles and to prevent lactic acid buildup in your muscles.
You can do arm exercises in a seated, standing, incline bench or lying down position that's why they're great exercises to do when you're sick. If you haven't read my posts What Exercise Really Means to People With CFS and Heal Your Pain Don't Just Medicate It I suggest you read them so you understand why exercise is important for healing but how to actually implement it depending on your level of illness.
If you are doing these in bed you may not be able to do them 100% correctly. Do your best to do some of them.
Flat Bench Press: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, deltoid
- This exercise can be performed using free weights or just your arms.
- Lie face up on the floor, or in bed.
- Lift arms or weights straight up.
- Lower weights/arms slowly and with control to the chest keeping the wrists straight.
Push Up: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, deltoid- Position yourself face-down on the floor with arms extended and shoulder width apart, back flat and feet together (or kneel to do the woman version).
- Lower your body towards the floor as far as you can go while keeping back parallel to the floor.
- Push your body back to starting position slowly until your elbows are fully extended.
Lat Pulldown: Latissimus dorsi- Sitting with torso erect, head slightly down and arms fully extended with weights or just arms slowly lower weights/arms down and back toward the base of the neck.
- Lift arms/weights to fully extend upward.
Bicep Curl: Biceps and elbow flexors- Hold weight/arms out with a closed, supinated grip that is slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Stand erect with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent.
- Raise arms/weights in an arc by bending arms at the elbow moving upward to the front of the shoulders (dont swing, use control)
- Lower weights/arms in a slowly with control until the arms are fully extended down.
Hammer Curls: Biceps- Stand erect and grasp the weights with a closed, neutral grip with the palm of the hand facing the outer thighs, feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent.
- Fully extend arms with weights or just arms hanging at the sides.
- Raise one weight/arm at a time by slowly bending at the elbow, bring the fist/weight to the front of the shoulder. Alternate arms.
- Lower the fist/weight in a slow, controlled movement until the arm is fully extended.
Tricep Extension: Triceps- Kneel on the floor with one leg extended out for stability.
- Raise arm/weight up to the front of the body at hip height by bending the arm at the elbow.
- Straighten elbow back so that the weight is at the back of the body.
Flat Dumbbell Fly: Pectoralis major- Lie face up flat
- Grasp weights or just use your arms
- Press weight/arms straight up over your chest keeping your palms facing each other
- Point elbows out slightly flexed
- Move arms out in a wide arc keeping palms up and elbows pointed out and weights in line with chest
- Lower weights/fists under control until they are level with your body
- Pull weights up in a wide arc to your starting position above the chest keeping elbows slightly flexed during the entire movement
Lateral Dumbbell Raise: Medial Deltoids, Trapezius- Standing or seated
- Grasp weights or just use arms with palms at sides and facing in
- Bend elbows slightly
- Keeping your elbows bent at the same angle raise the weights to the side slowly
- Stop the weights as they reach shoulder level (palms should be facing the floor)
- Lower weights/arms to the start position
One Arm Dumbbell Row: Rhomboids, Latissimus Dorsi, Biceps, Brachialis- Stand at the side of a bench or chair
- Kneel on the seat with the leg that is next to it
- Lean over and place inside hand on the seat directly below your shoulder
- Place outside foot 1-2 feet from seat and flex knee
- Position your body parallel to floor and grasp a weight with your free hand or just use your arm
- Hang weight down with arm straight
- Pull weight up toward the chest keeping body parallel to floor
- Touch weight to outer chest
- Lower weight slowly with control to a straight arm position maintaining body position
Overhead Press: Anterior Deltoid, Triceps, Trapezius- Stand or sit
- With weights or just arms at shoulder position and knees slightly flexed
- Push weight/arms up to full arm extension keeping elbows pointed out until arms are fully extended
- Lower weights/fists slowly and under control back to your shoulders
You can try doing one or two of these for a few weeks until your arms feel a little stronger, don't push too hard if you're very sick, but DO do some exercise.I'm going to write on the use of the supplement Monolaurin and my critique of this paper next:
General practitioners' perceptions of chronic fatigue syndrome and beliefs about its management, compared with irritable bowel syndrome: qualitative study
Since I can tend to rant at times I wanted to carefully reflect on this paper before I rip into how I really feel. Stay tuned!