For the millions living with cystic fibrosis, day to day activities can become quite challenging. You can help yourself alleviate the daily reminding pains that come and help improve your body's overall health by staying active and strengthening your muscles. Fortunately, exercise can be exactly what you need to feel a thousand times better, but before you start racing around the track, follow these tips to use exercise to alleviate your symptoms associated with cystic fibrosis.
Exercise Increases Endorphins
Studies have proven that exercise increases the amount of endorphins people produce in their brains, and these endorphins are what make people feel happy. If you've ever had to be immobile for a long period of time, whether sitting all day at a desk, traveling in a car or plane, or hiding home due to inclement weather, you know how great it feels when you finally get to move around and stretch your arms and legs. Your exercise routine can include basics, like stretching and deep breathing which are very non-strenuous activities, or more difficult ones, like walking, dancing, or hula hooping.
Pick Your Tune
Try putting on your favorite song, and dance to it until the song ends. This will give you a time limit of approximately three minutes, and it'll get you moving out of your chair. The movement will help strengthen and lengthen muscles and tendons that may be tight or otherwise unused, and it'll improve breathing and lung function. Concentrate on the beautiful tune or words to a song to force your brain to direct its attention to something other than the discomfort you might be experiencing. Dancing or swaying to a song will get blood pumping in the body, but remember that discomfort isn't the same as pain. If you start to feel pain, take a break or cool off a bit!