HealthInfo Canterbury
Being active with fibromyalgia
If you're active, you'll feel less pain and stiffness from fibromyalgia. You'll also notice that your mood, general health and sleep are better too. But it’s important to be careful with how much exercise you do and when. Doing too much, too soon could cause a flare-up so the key is to start gently and progress slowly.
There are three types of exercise that are important for fibromyalgia:
- stretching exercises to increase the amount your joints can move and decrease your stiffness
- endurance exercises to improve the amount of activity your body can do
- strengthening exercises to increase the strength of your muscles and bones. When your muscles are strong, your joints don't have to do as much work, so you have less pain.
Tips for being active with fibromyalgia
- Exercise at the time of day that works best for you. You may find you have less pain and stiffness between 10 am and 3 pm.
- Do some gentle stretching exercises but be careful not to overstretch. You should feel a mild pulling but not pain. You may find yoga, tai chi or some types of warm-up exercises helpful.
- You only need to do 30 minutes of activity a day to keep healthy. You can do this in chunks of five to 10 minutes throughout the day to help manage any fatigue.
- Listen to your body. If your pain or fatigue is getting worse, stop what you're doing and rest. Give it another go on another day for a shorter time (don’t give up).
- For strengthening exercises, talk to your physiotherapist or personal trainer. They'll help you work out which exercises are right for you. Make sure you rest between sets of strengthening exercises. Only lift light weights or use resistance bands.
- For endurance exercises, find one you enjoy and start gently. This could be walking, swimming or cycling for 10 minutes at a very slow pace. If you don’t have a flare-up, gradually increase the time, speed or intensity over the next few weeks.
- Over time, you may find you can start doing other activities you enjoy like jogging, hiking in hills, golf or gardening. Start gently each time you try a new activity and gradually increase it. Active Canterbury has a list of local clubs and groups you may wish to join.
If you would like some specific advice and support with being more active, talk to your GP or practice nurse. They may be able to refer you to a physiotherapist, who may suggest a PhysioFITT programme to develop an activity plan for you over three to four sessions. PhysioFITT is a private programme and you'll be charged for it.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Arthritis New Zealand – Physical activity
A brochure explaining how exercise can ease arthritis symptoms and advice on types of exercise that might be suitable.
On the next page: Getting help for fibromyalgia
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed July 2021.
SourcesReview key: HIFIA-25336
