Migraines and Exercise
The past few months have been extremely frustrating for me. I have been unable to exercise the way I want to. It is driving me crazy! I feel like a stress ball ready to explode!
I have been reading, researching, talking to people and trying to solve my issue. I can’t live every day afraid to have a migraine: That is not living.
I have found a few things that I wish to share, that may help others with this situation. Having migraines is an easy excuse not to exercise and be healthy, and we can’t allow that to happen. We must exercise to have a healthy heart, lungs and body!
1. Migraine sufferers can not do high intensity exercises. We can’t. There are many different theories and explanations, and the one that I feel is accurate for me is a defect in the brain stem. I can feel it, when I am doing tabata, or running, I can feel the pressure right there on the stem, and I can feel it begin in my head. Am I alone?
I have begun doing only low intensity exercises. Actually, it is proven that doing low intense exercise 6 days a week, helps relieves migraines. So I have been walking on the treadmill and doing slow cycling.
2. Migraine sufferers tend to have weaker necks, and overused Trapezius muscles, compensating for the weaker necks. Doing neck strengthening can instantly trigger migraines. So before you do any, speak with a physiotherapist, doctor, wellness coach, but don’t start these on your own. But you do need to strengthen your neck.
I read a stat that 70% of women suffer from migraines, 70%! That is a lot of us, and we need to be able to overcome this, to live the best life that we possibly can.
I will most likely be doing some more posts about migraines and healthy living, because this is what I am going through personally right now. But I have also come across some fantastic information in my personal training course that I also want to be able to share.
I look forward to my next few blog posts,
Keep living healthy, healthy mothers!
The newest member of my family
My parents have 2 blue heelers, and they had babies in December. Oddly enough 4 of the 8 pups were red -heelers. One of the parents (the dad is a cross breed to our surprise)….
I couldn’t refuse this one puppy. She is the most beautiful puppy I have ever seen. Below is my Krystal Blue. She has the most beautiful clear blue eyes I have ever seen. This summer shall bring many walks, games and fun with her. My son is in love, he just chases her around, and she chases him. How could I refuse this face?
- Best friends for life
Migraines
It has been a while since I have blogged. The holiday season is always crazy for everyone and work of course. I have stumbled up on a challenge that is DRIVING ME CRAZY!
I am a migraine sufferer, I would only get them about once maybe twice a year. But for the past few years I have been getting them about 2-3 times a week, and they are progressively getting worse. I am a single mom, I can’t be down and out, or in the hospital, with a migraine. I have been desperately trying to find my trigger, no one wants to live like that, and it is very unfortunate that my trigger is high intensity work outs. :o
I love high intensity work outs, I love to sweat it out and stress it out. For the past 6 weeks now, I haven’t exercised, and guess what? No migraines! ok, so where to go now? What to do now? I find that with out my exercise routine, I get lazy and eat more in the evenings. I have gained a whopping 11 pounds, and two inches…dang, I am over my BMI now…My personal training course has nothing about this that I have come across yet.
I have done some research and the first thing I want to share are home remedies for migraines. These really work. I do love my motrin migraine gel caps. As soon as I get my signs (I have the migraine aura, it’s like looking through a kaleidoscope only way I can explain) I pop my pills. They don’t always work and I find that when they have stopped 2-3 migraines in a row, oooohhhh I’m in a for a doozy…. For those healthy mothers that are migraine sufferers here are some tips I have come across that I find really help.
1. Peppermint essential oil. Rub this where the migraine is hitting (mine is usually worst on my left, above the eye).
2. Put your feet in hot water, and hold a froze ice pack (in my case a bag of frozen corn) right on the stem where your spine connects to your brain. This works great. It really does.
3. I find that my migraines are caused (or feel like it anyway) by stress in my neck. I can feel it. So I rub the stressed parts with Biofreeze (it’s like a muscle gel) and that really helps as well.
Just a few tips for the mother with migraines. As I come along solutions to working with migraines I will post and share. Over 70% of women struggle from migraines and they should NOT stop us from exercising and living our lives.
Keep being healthy, healthy mothers!
What Makes a Mother Run?
My joke of the day?
Question: What will make a mom run through her house like her ars is on fire?
Answer: A child asking for healthy food!
It’s a snow day here, and my little guy has eaten turkey bacon for breakfast and NOTHING else…I have been bugging him all day. Finally, I am in the bathroom cleaning up after his bath, and he says to me “mom, I’m hungry. Can I have Watermelon, Blueberries, Apples, Strawberries, Carrots and celery?”….Me…”hell’s ya”..that’s when I ran through my house to the kitchen before he changed his mind!
I love when he asks for healthy food!
Work Out Room
Over the past month, what I call my holiday season, I have been organizing and creating a work out room in my house. I have been going to the gym every day for the past 2 years, and my son told me that he doesn’t want to go every night anymore he wants to spend time with me! Ah, how cute. I am sure a very common obstacle for us moms. So, I asked for exercise equipment for Christmas and have a collection built up over the past 5 years.
I am changing my exercise routine this coming year (I would start now, but pulled a muscle in my lower back shoveling all of this snow). I finish work at 4:30 and don’t have to pick up my son from daycare until 6:00. So I am going to come home and complete my workout before I pick him up from daycare. This way, he doesn’t have to come every night to the gym’s kidzone.
I will attend my favorite 2 classes each week at the gym (I love core and spin class). I would go to the gym, but the 4:30-5:30 timeslot is extremely busy and my gym is small, and I personally dislike waiting for machines and weights. It interrupts the workout!
I want to share pictures of my new work out room with you. I am excited and love my new stationary bike, that is my personal favorite for cardio. The only thing that’s missing is my trampoline, I can’t get it put together, my papa bear is going to have to come over and get that complete for me. But I do have my sons trampoline and punching bag which he loves to use. And it is great exercise for him.
