So Iām still having a terrible time of this thing. I canāt sit in bed for long periods, I canāt watch any TV, no computer use, even reading books now makes me suffer. All I seem to be able to do is walk. So walk I do. Usually upwards of 6 miles a day. But i am stuck at night. Soā¦
I was wondering what kinds of gym machines do you all find helpful? Any that are triggers? I tried jogging in place on the treadmill and it didnāt feel that great afterwards.
Hi, I feel you on the gym thing. Before I was diagnosed I was going to the gym often and making great progress. Now I am limited to only going during the day as their lights bother sometimes. I too have noticed that cardio tends to do me in. The elliptical machine is the one I used to use the most, is now off limits, or limited to only 10 minutes at a slow pace.
I personally love lifting weights and the last time I went to the gym I did only weights and had the most success. I like to do the leg press, ab twists, lateral pull down, leg curls, arm curls, etc. my gym has a circuit training area that works out your whole body so I tend to use that the most
When I was at my worst, I swam. I had to take a meclizine and swim alone at 4:30 am. I eventually worked my way up to working out first on a stationary bike and then the elliptical. My vestibular rehab therapist taught my how to dance along my thresholds. I go until any one of my symptoms goes above 20% from where I was when I walked in. I slow down when things get bad, speed up when Iāve recovered. Now, I can swim miles in a full pool and run 6 miles on the elliptical. The first 20 minutes is always hard. Sometimes I have to give in early, but I keep going back. I used to wear sunglasses, a ball cap and earplugs and take meclizine. Often I hold on and close my eyes. The point is, keep trying. Dance the edge of your thresholds and push them inexorably back.
yup, helps a lot! we tense the neck because of the dizziness so yoga helps relax. Try a slow flow and restorative yoga class, it is less intense but helps relax the body.
I have maintained a regular but heavily scaled back gym routine ever since I started with MAV. For me I try and do more exercises seated than standing or bending. That means a lot of machine work and riding on the bike.
The biggest issue for me is the gym is a huge open space with a lot of people moving and bright fluorescent lights overhead. Itās like a MAV nightmare. So I try and keep my workouts on the shorter side, usually 30-45 minutes.
I struggle with things like squats, step ups and other exercises that require changing my body position vertically. They are very challenging, so Iāll only do a few reps with low weight. The key with working out, as with anything, is to do it only to the point where you donāt exacerbate symptoms.
My suggestion is to find exercises that work for you that you can do easily, pick a less busy time to go, and keep your workouts short
Hi Shazam
Treadmill wasnāt great for me either - I think itās because you are moving AND the surface beneath you is moving and the balance system just canāt comprehend that as opposed to walking when you are moving but the surface beneath you is not moving. I could manage the stationery bike, rowing machine and some weight machines especially for lower body but I couldnāt manage free weights or floor mat exercises or anything that required a lot of head or upper body movement.
i have set up a mini gym in one of the vacant rooms. Adjustable rack that you can place your barbell so you can bench and use it as a squat rack. That room is small but I made it to work. It comes in 2 pieces so it doesnāt take up lot of space.
My YMCA is nothing compared to the near by Office Depot. I donāt know what they are trying to accomplish in there, itās like 10x the fluorescents of any building Iāve ever been in.
Our Y just replaced all the lighting with LED or Halogens or Spot Lights. I canāt tell. I think theyāre trying to send a message to space that all peoples are welcome at the Gordon Family Y.
If my thresholds are even a bit twitchy I work out in a ball cap.
The lights thing made me laugh. IKEA and Bed Bath & Beyond are like being in hell with their ultra bright beaming everywhere lights.
My hair dresser is going to be switching from fluorescents to LEDs and Iām not too sure how I feel about it yet, since, I was thinking the ball cap idea but then itād be as if I had a bowl haircut haha.
Hi there. I started tai chi in recent weeks. Itās very early days, but it definitely does not trigger anything for me because itās so slow moving.
I have a stepper and an exercise bike at home, but am not good at sticking at regular use. As my symptoms are worse in the mornings, I could do these at night if properly motivated.
All the best.
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Just to add, I found basic tai chi very useful. It was especially good at getting rid of any āmorning nauseaā. It was also fun to learn and in a good way: distracting from symptoms.