Every time I tried to do a bit of exercise it backfired. I'd be going along fine, taking it easy and just slowly increasing then suddenly I'd hit the wall and crash for no discernible reason. After a number of years of trying it intermittently, I simply gave up as it only made my condition deteriorate in the long term.

My specialist at Stanford states that exercise is a hard one for us since the mitochondria of our cells can't recover. He doesn't recommend it. In my research about exercise the only thing I found is that the body shouldn't go into an anaerobic state and most of us with CFS/ME it usually harms us more than helps us. Listen to your body, keep your body in an aerobic state, and if you find your symptoms worsening stop. Some of the people with a severe form of this disease (bedridden, non-communicative etc) where once people that were very athletic.

Hi Rswat,

Any exercise will drain your body.......but we need to move when we're able. If you had a normal weights workout routine before then you can still do that, you just need to cut it way down. See what happens over a two day time period after excercise. PEM (post exertional malaise) hits the worst typically on day two, so by the end of that day evaluate how it went for you physically. But please cut back, don't turn into gungho suzie super ninja barbie out of the gate!

try to find exercise that makes you happy to do......make it something you really enjoy.......get in the water, walk.......try on clothes in a store ( i lost 25 pounds trying on clothes & the physical actual walking steps it took to do that).....whatever you like do it,but don't go crazy. i don't know how to tell you what is best regarding the number of repetitions since i would rather be shot than work out with weights and such.......but that's just my own weirdness! i was a skater for a very long time, that was my workout of choice!

when we're upside down with a crash/flare we need to lean in to it and rest. do only what is necessary to care for our tired bodies. stay hydrated, good nutrition, soft comfy nesting resting space......when you feel one of those energy pockets pick what you'll do wisely. anything you choose will have a blowback effect.......so like i said if you love doing it, then do that.......it will help you resent it less while you're wiped out! and it's good to rebuild muscle and help your heart, your whole body get in shape, but gradual is better. small steps ok? soft hugs, glad to hear that you are doing better in some ways......we all cherish those bits of better........

pick and choose your battles......if you're in a really large store use an electric cart for example, then when you get home the saved energy can help you bring in your groceries/etc. put things away......

i use smaller stores to get in my steps as i come back to life. if i'm wobbly i use the cart to stabilize me. i'm older, but i've been sick for more than two decades......back then i was too sick, too confused and too proud to try using tools like an electric cart or a shopping cart so i could save energy or walk awhile.

i'm not saying to anyone ever that you should exercise when you're in a rough flare/crash. i would never say that.......give yourself permission to be still and quiet. i used to fight it so hard and for so long that i would end up sleeping round the clock for days and days only waking to drink water, eat something quick and microwaveable ......to this day i can barely look at oatmeal. i ate a lot of packaged oatmeal early on....... sometimes i put my small exercise pedaling wheel on the floor in front of the tv and ride nowhere for a while. almost every time i do this i fall asleep unaware that i was conking out.....i would wake later with my feet still in the foot pedals. even asleep i was too tired to move......

i'm tired from typing, but i wanted to lend you some encouragement.....take good care of you! don't do all your exercises from a standing position either, do some of your exercise seated........change things up from how you used to work out. less is more til you know how your body will react........i hope this makes sense, i'm in a crash and pretty tired.

if this doesn't make sense i apologise in advance.....too tired to reread what i wrote......try to remember that life is absurd.......be kind to yourself, be your own strongest advocate for your own life/health needs. trust your gut......hone your skills and it will save you years in learning how to better manage your life/days/self care.

my doc told me i had to have a first floor bedroom, limited steps, no more stick shift / clutch nonsense......and other things. like no more lawn mowing due to the vibration of equipment and other bits of practical wisdom. but she didn't tell me enough by half........it takes time to figure out what works best for us during each stage of a day when feeling better, when heading into a crash and so on. wow, i'm gonna go watch mindless tv for awhile......and probably sleep!

hugs, take good care of you! i know it isn't easy, you sound like you have a strong outlook of good self care, which is awesome!

This has been my issue for ME/CFS. I loved to exercise . I loved hiking, biking, snowshoeing, rock climbing... the list went on and on... The CFS hit and all of that was gone.

But I am back to working very very part time. I teach online. And I can now sweet a kitchen floor. And I can go out with friends... but exercise will is different.

I can walk about a mile at a time. I do yoga almost every day. I do not lift weights but I use light weights to do isometrics.

It is a constant balance between all of those things. I was bed/ recliner bound for the first year.

Now I'm active but it's about a third or fourth of the life I had before. But before I was working full time, going to college to get my masters and hiking 10K s in the canyon on the weekends and biking twenty miles at at on my road bike...

My activity level was VERY VERY high. And it was like i was putting TOO much pressure on my body. I was also diaged with RA about the same time.

They came to the party together....

It can get better.. Just never as fast as we want it to...