Chapter 6 - Exercise: Use It Or Lose It

1) positional - such as yoga for flexibility,
2) aerobic - for maximum cardiac benefit and weight loss, and
3) resistance training for muscle toning and developing more     mitochondria in the muscles.

Yoga is recommended as the most beneficial type of exercise for fibromyalgia patients, according to the research in Leon Chaitow’s book, “Fibromyalgia Syndrome, A Practitioner’s Guide to Treatment.” So if you suffer with chronic pain all over your body, this would probably be the best way to begin. This isn’t standing on your head and doing impossible positions for hours, but gentle, specific positions called “postures” for maximizing your body’s mobility and flexibility and learning how to master your breathing for maximum health benefits and pain relief.

Aerobic exercise is exercise that oxygenates your blood without creating an “oxygen deficit.” When there’s an excess demand for oxygen from exercise, called an oxygen deficit, that type of exercise is termed “anaerobic” exercise. The anaerobic form of exercise is the one that causes the soreness one feels after hard exercise. It makes you very hungry too. The soreness from anaerobic exercise is actually from the production of lactic acid, a by-product of burning fuels other than what your muscles have readily stored for that purpose.

Determining how to stay in the aerobic state and avoid the anaerobic state is actually pretty simple. As long as you can breathe easily, you are operating in the aerobic state. When you start to get out of breath, that indicates an oxygen deficit, signaling the entry into anaerobic exercise levels.

Aerobic exercise is what most exercise physiologists recommend for maximum cardiac benefit. It’s also the best exercise range for losing weight. Because you never lose your breath, you can actually exercise for more extended periods, allowing you to burn off more calories. Good aerobic exercises for beginners include swimming, walking, mild dancing, golfing (especially when you walk the course instead of ride) and Tai Chi. The typical “aerobics” classes at your local gym are usually NOT aerobic at all unless you’re 18 years old

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