Migraine & Headache Awareness Month #16- Riverdance

Have you found a way to work exercise or movement into your life with Migraine/Headache Disorder?  What is it?

After gaining 51 pounds from countless medications that include the wonderful side effect of WEIGHT GAIN and going from working to being a bump on a log; I was ecstatic to find a physical therapist who could help me out.  Anyone who suffers from chronic pain knows that finding motivation to work out and keep that bikini one piece body is almost impossible.  But it was either do that or live on the floor of my closet for the rest of my life.  Luckily, I found my salvation in the form of a physical therapist at Tampa General. She taught me that the key was to hit my target heart rate without triggering an attack (let me tell you, that is easier said then done).  With a treadmill at my house, she focused on ways to get me moving by walking whenever I could handle it.  Instead of increasing my speed to get my heart rate up, I increase my incline.  So I am able to get moving without being a bobble head- which tends to trigger attacks like MAD!  To increase my amount of movement I tend to walk between attacks and try to walk 5 minutes every hour.  I have found that by doing some type of physical activity throughout the day tends to be more productive then walking for 30 minutes and then sitting my butt on the couch for the rest of the day.  I have also been able to keep this consistent for a longer period of time, instead of exhausting myself one day and then not doing anything for 3 days after.  It is all about a balancing act and working within my limitations.  I have lost 47 pounds to date and hope to lose another 15 pounds.  My hope is to be as healthy as possible to help me through the chronic pain as much as I can.  Sometimes it is hard, but I just breathe.

June 2013, Migraine and Headache Awareness Month, is dedicated to Unmasking the Mystery of Chronic Headache Disorders. The 2013 Migraine and Headache Awareness Month Blog Challenge is a project of FightingHeadacheDisorders.com.