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Exercise improves your life in so many ways because it lowers your risk for certain diseases and it’s not just about the physical aspects of it. People with migraine are often told by doctors that they should exercise because exercise has been proven to lessen the frequency and severity of migraine attacks, but telling someone to exercise more is a lot easier said than done, because it can also trigger more pain. Exercise can help some people with migraine manage their pain, but it can also trigger attacks if you aren’t realistic with your goals and try to do exercises that do not support your pain. Some people with migraine are not able to exercise because their pain is too severe, or may need guidance from a professional to be able to do it safely, but a vast majority of people with migraine disease are able to do some level of movement. Some people with migraine may have to make modifications during exercise that someone without migraine disease wouldn’t have to make, but it is possible. Exercise can be scary when you live with migraine disease because there is always the fear that you may trigger an attack that lasts for days. How do you exercise if you live with migraine? In this post, I am going to talk about a few things I do to prevent migraine attacks during exercise.
Listen to your body- When you live with pain, sometimes people think that you shouldn’t exercise, and that is true for some people because some medical conditions can be worsened by exercise, but not everyone with pain has to give up their favorite exercise routines, and you just have to learn your limitations and be willing to accept them. Exercise can be a great tool for preventing pain, but if you don’t listen to your body, movement can be your worst enemy because it’s not smart to force yourself to do a high-intensity workout when you feel a migraine is brewing. It can be frustrating to have to skip a workout you were planning on doing, and I had to do that yesterday, but if you don’t listen to your body and try to push through pain when you should have rested, it can trigger a migraine attack that may have been avoidable. Listening to your body and doing a less intense workout when you are in pain is one of the best things you can do for yourself because sometimes no exercise is the best medicine. Listen to your body because no workout routine is worth making yourself ill!
Hydrate before and after exercise– Hydration is so important for preventing migraine attacks because when you sweat, you lose water, which can trigger a migraine attack if you are not replenishing these fluids. When I exercise, I mostly do a high-impact weight-lifting routine, and although I do sweat, I am not drenched in sweat like someone who just went on a run would be. My exercise routine is not as high intensity as a lot of my non-disabled friends, but I have triggered a migraine attack during exercise because I was not adequately hydrated, and when you are triggering a migraine every time you exercise, it doesn’t make you want to exercise. There is no exercise routine that can guarantee you’ll never get a migraine because you can trigger a migraine by doing something very low intensity, such as Pilates, but I have been able to avoid a vast majority of exercise-induced migraine attacks by hydrating before, during, and after exercise. I am not drinking huge cups of water before and after my workout because I don’t sweat a whole lot, and it’s unnecessary, but I try to make sure I have some kind of hydration. When I do exercise, I add electrolytes to my water because it hydrates my body faster than water alone, and the salt helps prevent migraine.
Always fuel by body after exercise– If your workout is only ten minutes, you probably don’t need a huge post-workout meal if any at all, but if it’s an hour or more you most definitely should be fueling your body after your workout because it will be very difficult to build strength if you aren’t eating in a way to support your goals. My exercise routine usually is about an hour and a half, but some months it may be a little shorter or longer because I change my routine every month to avoid a plateau, and the one thing you will never see me do after a workout is skip my post-workout shake. I have triggered a migraine by not fueling my body after I exercise, because good nutrition plays a major role in pain management and prevention.
Ease into harder routines- I am able to lift over fifteen pounds without triggering a migraine attack, but I have not always been able to lift heavy, and it took years of consistent training to get my fitness to where it is today. Fitness enthusiasts are always telling people that they need to work out at super high intensities because higher-impact workouts burn more calories. There is nothing wrong with doing a high-impact workout, but if you want to train without triggering a migraine attack, you have to be smart about it because doing the hardest workout on the Internet on the first day you start exercising is not smart for anyone, especially for those with migraine disease. Ease into harder routines and don’t be afraid of being a beginner because we all start somewhere!
Don’t try to exercise like you did before pain- Most of the time, I am able to do the same exercise routine that I did before pain, but there are some types of exercises that I can no longer do because they trigger migraine attacks every single time. The biggest mistake you can make as a migraineur is trying to exercise at the same intensity that you did before you started experiencing chronic migraine. Some people are able to do the same workouts they did before pain, while others aren’t, and that is okay because there are going to be some things migraine disease prevents you from enjoying. You have to take your pain into consideration before you exercise and stop trying to do exercises that you used to be able to do but now cause you pain, and by doing that, you are only hurting yourself.
Stick to low-impact workouts- People sometimes are hesitant to do low-impact workouts because we have been taught to believe that low impact means easy, but that is not true, and it only means it’s not as hard on your joints. Weightlifting works for me as one individual because I have been doing it for years, and my body is used to it, but it can put a lot of tension in your neck and shoulders, and I wouldn’t recommend someone with a severe form of migraine to jump straight into weightlifting. Never underestimate the power of Pilates and Yoga because, although these are considered low-impact workouts, they can be very challenging if you do them right.
When you live with migraine disease, or any type of chronic pain, exercise is often recommended, but it’s hard because although exercise can alleviate pain, it can also trigger it, which is why it’s so important that you listen to your body and do not try to push your limits. There are so many different types of exercise that can benefit people with migraine, and even though weightlifting works for me, that doesn’t mean everyone who tries it will get the same results. Exercise is hard when you live with migraine because there are so many things to consider, but if you are struggling to move your body and are physically able to exercise, it might help to work with a physical therapist who can teach you gentle ways to move your body that will not trigger an attack. Most people with migraine disease are able to exercise, but some people don’t out of fear of triggering an attack, and that is a valid reason. You can learn how to exercise without triggering a migraine attack, and sometimes it takes some trial and error before you find the right routine, but not moving is not the solution. How do you move your body without triggering a migraine attack? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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