• home
• introduction
• self-treatments
• treatments
• M.E Therapy
• exercise
• sitemap

Skip navigation Site:

• Home
• Introduction
• Site map

Mickel & Reverse Therapy:

• It worked for me!
• My experience
• Why it works
• Summary
• Update

Treatments:

• Acupuncture
• Homeopathy
• Osteopathy
• Shiatsu
• Reiki

Self treatments:

• Acupressure
• Heat and cold
• Essential oils
• Sleep management
• Eye exercises
• Supplements
• Diet

Exercise:

• Exercise and cfs
• Tai Chi 1
• Tai Chi 2
• Tai Chi 3
• Tai Chi seated 1
• Tai Chi seated 2
• Breathing and meditation
• More breathing exercises

Kettlebells:

• Kettlebells intro
• KBell techniques
• KBell dynamics 1
• KBell dynamics 2
• KBell presses

Other pages:

• Symptom finder
• Videos
• Disclaimer & policy

Kettlebell training for M.E / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

It might seem a strange recomendation for people who suffer from almost constant exhaustion to start 'pumping iron'. But for some people it could improve energy and reduce anxiety as it did for me. Not a cure, but in my case kettlebells weight training definitely led to an improvement and stabilistation of my condition.

Kettlebells are an ancient form of exercise (even Pythagorus worked out with them!) which the West forgot about. In Russia they have long been a popular form of physical training, and were one of the main reasons Russian Olympic athletes were so dominant in the post-war years.

Kettlebells are little more than a ball of metal with a handle on top, like an old fashioned kettle. Because kettlebells are free weights all the core muscles in the spine and midsection are brought into play, so cause less injuries than other forms of weight training. They can even help people with back problems because the core muscles are strengthened evenly and naturally. left: a kettlebell - like a kettle, like a dumbell. So just where did they get the name?

I believe a major contributing factor to the rise of M.E / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is our modern sedentary lifestyle, packed with little stresses we often feel powerless to control. It is not just that we don't get enough exercise - I'll bet the proportion of people with ME/CFS who used to exercise regularly is higher than in the general population because M.E people feel the a need to 'keep going' - but we don't get enough exercise to properly strengthen the spine, which carries the communications network for the whole body - the nervous system. Note that I am definitely not promoting cycling, running, long walks, swimming or any other form of aerobic exercise for ME/CFS. Weight training with kettlebells has a specific aim of quickly building muscle fibre and nerve fibre, particularly in the core, which I believe can greatly improve energy.

Would kettlebells be right for you?

Not everyone with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome will benefit from weight training. In my case I was 32 and I started after having ME/CFS for two years. By then I knew my limits, I had learned how to pace myself and experienced two relapses when I tried to push my body beyond those limits, (trying to get back to cycling and running).

However, I missed getting regular exercise and reasoned kettlebells were worth a try because my main muscle aches were in my legs, and kettlebells were more an upper/mid body exercise. I took it steadily at first, but within 2 weeks of 10-15 minute training once every 3 days, I felt a definite increase in energy, a reduction in anxiety, and most importantly a stabilising of my symptoms.

If your muscles are generally too stiff for any exercise, ie. you can walk but only very slowly, try hot and cold compresses for inflamed muscles or the other suggestions in the treatment section until you can walk fairly normally for at least 15 minutes. If your arms frequently feel numb, weight training may only make that worse.

On the other hand, if getting back to some exercise appeals to you, you could do a straight minute for minute swap for whatever other exercises you're doing. Set a maximum of around 10 minutes per day for the first few weeks until you know what effect it's having on you. If you feel better over the following days and weeks, well carry on. If there's no change, again probably carry on. But of course if you feel worse scale it back or stop altogether - maybe this just isn't the approach for you.

One further point I should make is that kettlebell exercises are fairly intense, and every time I increase the weight or repetitions I feel pretty drained after a session. But I feel better over the following days - the reverse of what happens when people with ME/CFS do too much. So don't panic if you feel tired for the rest of the day - what matters is whether you feel better or worse in the following days and weeks. For this reason, space out any exercise sessions and keep a diary to keep track of your energy levels.

---

« Previous page | Home | Next page »