Gym exercise

Hi all,

So Iā€™m still having a terrible time of this thing. I canā€™t sit in bed for long periods, I canā€™t 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 didnā€™t feel that great afterwards.

Any advice is appreciated!

Dizzily yours, Shazam

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

what about swimming or yoga? i do both and feel fine

Do you find that yoga helps with the neck and upper back pain? I tend to get this lately during storms when the pressure changes

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 Iā€™ve 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.

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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.

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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. Itā€™s 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 Iā€™ll 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 donā€™t 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

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Hi Shazam
Treadmill wasnā€™t great for me either - I think itā€™s because you are moving AND the surface beneath you is moving and the balance system just canā€™t 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 couldnā€™t 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 doesnā€™t take up lot of space.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CNIML2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

At least small is something your visual system can keep track of. I often wish I had horse blinders at the YMCA.

My YMCA is nothing compared to the near by Office Depot. I donā€™t know what they are trying to accomplish in there, itā€™s like 10x the fluorescents of any building Iā€™ve ever been in.

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Our Y just replaced all the lighting with LED or Halogens or Spot Lights. I canā€™t tell. I think theyā€™re 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 Iā€™m not too sure how I feel about it yet, since, I was thinking the ball cap idea but then itā€™d be as if I had a bowl haircut haha.

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Hi there. I started tai chi in recent weeks. Itā€™s very early days, but it definitely does not trigger anything for me because itā€™s 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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Tai Chi Streaming videos US accounts UK accounts
Lots of videos Several videos

Other DVDs (be careful of region)

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Just to add, I found basic tai chi very useful. It was especially good at getting rid of any ā€˜morning nauseaā€™. It was also fun to learn and in a good way: distracting from symptoms.

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