Pain and Exercise!
My two ellipticals;
one in the living room and one on the back porch.
February 7, 2025
Every day, I wake up in pain, I spend the day in pain, I go to bed in even more pain, and I sleep in pain...then I start the day, all over again, in pain. The level of pain fluctuates and is always at its worse at bedtime of course. But it is always there and forever constant. So, to start my day, my only option is to exercise. Pain and exercise, for me, goes hand in hand. I have been doing this basically every morning since 2004 when I first got diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia and have kept it up all these years to alleviate some of the Fibromyalgia, Migraines, and now Arthritis as well. It also helps with the ADHD, Depression and Anxiety. I try to be present when I exercise so I can be in the moment and slow down my brain. I ask my "Parts" (IFS Therapy) to go play so I can have time for my "Self" to just focus on my body and the constant pain I am always in...it really does make a difference.
I use an elliptical called a Gazelle by Tony Little. I saw it on the Shopping Channel in 2004 and had to have it. Before the TN started, I rode my bike all over the city, if I couldn't use my bike I would walk, and if it were winter I would skate...I lived near the Rideau Canal which was my route to and from work for many years, along the bike trails or skating when the canal was frozen. Then once at work I'd exercise for an hour every day, then do my full-time job of mostly standing and running around our huge gym. I went hiking, tenting, swimming, kayaking. I was also still the primary caregiver of my grandma and her older sister, so I did most of the housework, and all the outdoor work. But when the TN started, I could no longer do any of that (I still cared for my senior family though) and I needed an outlet for my ADHD energy and for just the energy I had from living such an active lifestyle. So, I bought myself this elliptical.
It is the most amazing machine I have ever used, and I am so grateful I found it. I still use the one I bought in 2004; it's in my living room. Plus, I have one on the back porch for when the weather is nicer. I had also purchased a few others so I could teach here at the farm which may still happen at some point but not right now...I'm still in too much pain.
However, this machine is a blessing. It just glides, there's no shock on the body at all, no impact, no strenuous movements to really trigger the pain. It's just like cross country skiing and I can go at my own pace. I like to try and be present and focus on holding my posture straight and notice the movements throughout my entire body. Doing this not only helps me work every muscle properly to maybe have good posture, and less pain, but it also helps me stay in the present, which is something I have a very hard time doing normally, so I really try hard to do this as I find it calms me down a lot...which, of course, also helps with the pain.
You have to be careful when mounting and dismounting the elliptical, and when you're just starting out, it is best to hold onto the side bars for stability, but once you get the feel for its movements, it really is a great machine to use. You can just use it for a walk, you can use the handles and do a full body work out. If you're looking to work muscles as well, you can use your own weight against yourself with the machine. And if you're really feeling up to it, you can even add weights and different workouts to it to make it even more intense. At the end of your workout, after cool-down, you can even do great stretches with this elliptical. It truly is an all-in-one machine.
It is a lot of fun as it can be folded up and moved around. Some are heavier, but they have wheels to drag it around. I like keeping one outside as I do love being outdoors, and it helps me feel like I actually get to go for a 'walk' without the physical trauma walking has on my body. Now, walking on a paved shoulder would be ok (except my road is too busy) there's not many dips and such, but walking through the farm is difficult as I find all the holes and bumps, and even the smallest impact jars my body into horrific pain. So even when I go for walks throughout the farm, I have to be very mindful of what I am doing...which for the most part is difficult for me, but I am working on it...I have no choice, or I end up hurting myself...and being out in the woods 'injured' is not an option I can afford to have.
At some point I'd still like to teach cross-training on these ellipticals here on the farm...I'm truly hoping that one day I will feel better, and this will be another way for me to help others heal as well. It really is a very fun machine, and I am so grateful to have it!