Exercise to Help Chronic Fatigue

It may seem contradictory, but certain kinds of exercise may help relieve symptoms of chronic fatigue.

    Chronic fatigue can be a debilitating condition that makes it difficult to make it through daily activities because you feel so exhausted. While it may be tough at first to muster the energy to exercise, physical activity is one of the most successful ways that people with chronic fatigue syndrome can manage their symptoms.

What Is Chronic Fatigue? 

    Chronic fatigue syndrome is a condition in which a person lives with severe fatigue that isn't relieved by resting. Other signs of chronic fatigue include flu-like symptoms such as body aches, sore throat, headache, and enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or armpits.

   While the exact cause of chronic fatigue is not understood, the condition often appears after an infection or extreme stress. Chronic fatigue may also occur for no known reason, and may just gradually worsen until symptoms become severe.

Chronic Fatigue: How to Start an Exercise Routine 

    Since it's difficult for many who have chronic fatigue to simply get through the day, exercise may seem an odd way to remedy the symptoms of pain and fatigue. But because there is no cure for chronic fatigue, exercise is often recommended as a way to help those with chronic fatigue cope with their symptoms. Some smart ways to start a workout plan:

• Talk to your doctor. People with chronic fatigue should always check with their doctor or physical therapist before they start an exercise program. It's also important to take exercise slowly, but to gradually increase the duration and intensity of workouts for the maximum benefit.
• Don’t push yourself too hard or too fast. The key for exercising with chronic fatigue is, first, the person has to believe in what they're doing, or the exercise they're doing has to be something that they are comfortable with. The key is not to go too fast. "Those with chronic fatigue have a tougher time. It's really critical to find exercises that they can keep doing and not succumb to their fatigue."
• Increase exercise gradually. It's a slow process to get into a workout. And the goal is to increase how much you do based upon things like intensity and frequency. You want to increase intensity and frequency by about 10 percent every week or so.

Best Exercises to Ease Chronic Fatigue Symptoms

• Aerobic activity. Exercise boosts endorphins, which make us feel more energized, and increases oxygen levels in the blood. "The best exercises to overcome fatigue are aerobic exercises, which are most effective at increasing oxygen in the blood and boosting energy levels. "Aerobic exercises are really the key to building up oxygen levels in the blood."
• Stretching and strengthening exercises are as important a part of a chronic fatigue patient's workout program as they are for anyone else.
• Low-impact, low-key exercises. Yoga, tai chi, and pilates are all great for a person who has chronic fatigue — even biking and walking.

    Often, patients with chronic fatigue syndrome feel like they don't have the energy to go to work or take a shower. Seeing how much they've accomplished and improved over time by exercising can be a big motivator, and a way to feel better, both physically and mentally.

    Over time, when you add it up, it's a major difference. The visual feedback helps — it serves the psychological part.

If you have chronic fatigue, try to start getting some daily exercise. The more you get, the better you'll feel, so come up with a workout program that you enjoy and that makes you feel better. If you stick with it, you can take control of at least some of your chronic fatigue symptoms.