I desperately want to exercise...

I've been suffering from several TMS symptoms for nearly 2 years now. I used to be a fitness addict prior to my chronic pain, but I haven't been able to get back into the gym since. I've gone through a number of physical therapists, and eventually called it quits on that. I was making decent progress at one point, but had one really bad day and haven't gone back since. There's nothing I crave more than a work out. It's crazy to think that at one point it was practically my entire life, and now, I can't even walk around for more than 10 minutes without feeling the pain intensity increasing. I've definitely been much better about it. I continue to walk or go about my day without letting the pain "intensity" get to me, but I haven't worked up the courage yet to just go for it with a real work out. I have tried swimming and that was going well, but I want my strong body back.

Does anyone have any advice or tips on how to get back into the gym after dealing with TMS, or while working through TMS?

 

Hopeful

Stop putting this kind of pressure on yourself we all want to heal....
Regarding working out....as Steve O said just do it don't worry about that u can't workout like you did before that's putting pressure on yourself.

If the pain gets bad reaffirm yourself its tms and its your repressed emotions take some deep breaths and continue.
Do it everyday no matter what you need to start removing doubt.

Our brain will try to fool us by either increasing the pain or moving it.

And I think the best words from Steve O don't try to heal.

 

Hello hopeful03!

Don´t put too much pressure on it. Just keep staying active and try to have fun without monitoring the pain. I know - that is not easy. When I restarted exercise I started with 5 Minutes running per day with two swollen knees. That was two years ago. Today I´m able to run as long as I want up to an hour and I don´t have any problems with my knees any more. That was a slow process and I´m not able to tell you when the pain disappeared. It just was gone one day.

And you can believe me - my doctor would kill me if he knew, that I ignored all his advices concerning the knees.

Christian

 

Hi, Hopeful. Marco and Christian have given you great advice and I can only echo it.
Steve Ozanich is an inspiration for us all... he played golf despite the pain it gave him...
and between that and discovering the anger he had inside him for years led him to heal and
write a wonderful book, The Great Pain Deception.

Swimming is a great way to heal. Think of TMS while you swim.
Do some exercise each day until you can increase the time spent at it.
It will give you confidence. And remember, it won't make things worse.

 

Again Walt

well said and its that easy….just do it, if your in pain stop reaffirm yourself its tms and continue. don't compare what you did before with KNOW…and let me repeat you are in the KNOW not the past.

 

Thank you all so much for your responses and helpful advice!

Christian - It's so nice and refreshing to know that you are able to run now. It truly gives me hope when I read successful stories like yours.

Walt - Thank you for your support and encouraging words!

Marco - I will try to always keep that in mind - I can't keep thinking about the past and what I was once capable of doing. It only drags me down. I will keep moving forward. Thanks!

 

When I still thought that my TMS pain was a physical problem I joined a gym and started doing standing cardio only (because of butt cheek pain).
Then when I discovered that it's just TMS I made an appointment where a guy created a full-body workout plan with me.
Of course sitting at the fitness machines hurt but that didn't stop me, I knew the truth,
I knew that it's just temporary and every second of pain was 1 step closer to health.

 

Hi, 575. That's the spirit. Just ignore the pain and do the exercise.
If the thought of pain or problems from the past surface while exercising, repeat a positive matra such as
"I feel fine. Exercise is good and is making me well. I can do this, it's a piece of cake!"

 

Remember outcome independence... Do not let the fact that you have lost ground since you stopped training bother you. Avoid the trap of negative thinking and disappointment if you need to stop or back off.

Remember that the fluctuations in pain have little or nothing to do with the exercises. "Pain is not damage", my tms doc told me. So do what you can, not to challenge the symptoms, but independent from them. Be patient with yourself; it may take a while to recondition your mind, even when you realize your body is fine.

If it is too painful to exercise, accept it as a message from your subconscious that you have something psychological you need to work on first.