Despite my health issues I've been able to work myself up to doing pretty well with exercise. I don't go to the gym as much as others around here but I do what I can do. I really like weight training and I've been getting into a little running too. I was finally able to run a mile last week (with another mile of walking in between).

Well, my chiropractor had already told me to cool it with the weight training. He didn't want me to do anything more than 10lbs with my upper body, which even leaves out body weight exercises. Now today he told me he doesn't really want me running either. He wants me doing casual walking. Um, okay. I guess. I don't feel at all motivated to casually walk everyday (and he insists it needs to be everyday in order to help me relax). I just feel sorta discouraged and a little like a failure I guess.

I don't mean to pry, and maybe I missed it written somewhere else, but what is exactly the medical problem? If I may be so bold as to ask ...

fibromyalgia, adrenal fatigue, slight hypothyroidism, etc. I see him for muscle and joint pain.

What about Yoga or swimming? Lower impact workouts that are great for your body and mind and may help with your health conditions?


Don't give up! There has go to be a way to keep you excited about working out! And what about talking to another doctor?

Can you do biking? I know when I injured my knee, my physical therapist recommended walking or biking. The biking is a bit more intense than walking, but much better on the joints than running..
I'm sorry to see of your difficulties. My mom has fibromyalgia and a bunch of other problems, its very hard. Keep up the hard work!

I have several friends with serious FMS. The exercise they say helps them most is walking (yeah, I know), yoga (NOT the insane kind), bellydancing, hula hooping and bicycling. All of that is low impact and pretty easy on the body but a lot of it can be very fun.

I am glad that you can run a mile last week, but sorry to hear that your chiropractor don't want you to do anything more than 10lbs with your upper body. I think you should abide your chiropractor's advice.

My opinion is, if running doesn't cause you pain, do it.
I had a slipped disk in August 2008, I was unable to walk without a stick (and I'm just 22) and was in constant pain. My doctor made things worse giving me steroids that made me increase my body weight, also he told me to swim and told me I'd forget hiking.
But...sometimes maybe the day had been good enough, with not too much pain, and swimming would just get it worse, much worse. At the same time he told me not to run at all because it'd damage more. And I was scheduled for surgery too.
But I got fed up of having someone else managing my health without believing when I said the steroirds made me fatter and swimming hurted, so I did by myself, and I ran. I went out running, almost everyday. And after running I was always less sore. My physio agreed with me, he said that our body knows by itself what is good and what is bad for us and it tells us through pain, if an activity causes us pain then it's wrong, if it doesn't it also doesn't matter general doctors ideas, but it's not wrong for you.
I think, if running doesn't cause you pain, you should keep on running, remember, he has a degree and all, but he is NOT you, he is NOT in your body, YOU and YOUR body know what is right, what causes pain, he can use his knowledge to guess and foresee, you who EXPERIENCES everything is YOU. Uh?
Oh, forgot to say, 6 months after deciding to run and listen to my body instead of a doctor, I am training to race a 10K, never had pain again, didn't have surgery, hiking mountains as much as I have always done and overall I understand that slipped disk was just a way of my body to tell me to move my butt! Lesson learnt, I won't stop exercizing.

also, as far as weight lifting you can do the movements and use light weights and it keeps the muscles moving and once he gives the ok you could increase the weights. sounds like he wants you to keep the tension off your joints so anything that does that is better than nothing.