So I have Chronic Fatigue. It’s been almost 4 years now and I’m finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Yesterday I ran a bootcamp class, went surfing for 15-20 minutes (it was rubbish), did my rehab workout for 15 minutes and did a Krav Maga class for the first time for an hour.
I’ve gotta say, I’m quite proud of myself.
I probably overdid it though as I should really be doing only one intense activity for the day. Surfing and martial arts is too much. But I like to push myself occasionally just to assess where I’m at.
And I’ve been working on my schedule to maximise my day without overdoing it.
Even now I have set a stop watch for 30 minutes of writing time, then I’ll do something else. I can always come back to this later.
Plus I’m using an article I wrote a while back and never published, but I have the energy to share whats happening and I know it’ll be beneficial to some of you.
Please be aware that this is not a ‘How To’ manual and is a gross oversimplification of things. However, it is your own responsibility to work on your own health and only you have the power to do what you gotta do.
I like to think of recovery as adding a new health habit to your life every week or two.
You cant change everything all at once. It doesn’t work.
You’ll get overwhelmed and worse still, you’ll give yourself more stress when you dont achieve something which was way too big of a goal in the first place.
So start small with one habit and build it gradually.
There are plenty of alternative diets or protocols to follow to restore your own health but they will all rely on fresh produce, preferably organic.
When you reach a state of chronic illness, you’re out of quick fixes. Just accept the fact that it may be a long battle to get healthy and life will then get easier.
Where to Start
- Read ‘The Fatigue & Fibromyalgia Solution’ by Dr Jacob Teitelbaum and ‘Eat, Move & Be Healthy’ by Paul Chek and follow whats in them. Believe what they say. I had an appointment with Dr T in Hawaii last year and he is brilliant. I’ve done Paul Chek courses in the past and I’m looking forawrd to meeting him at a course this year.
- Metabolic Typing
- Eat all your meals when you are supposed to!
- Elimination Diet if you have digestion problems
- NAET which helps eliminate food allergies (I’ve not done it yet, but soon)
- Learn how to prepare nuts/seeds/legumes/dried foods/grains
- Reduce exposure to Electromagnetic Frequencies such as wireless internet, power lines, phones, electronic devices, etc
- Reduce or eliminate negative people and situations in your life
- Reduce your commitments
- Take a long holiday if you can, even if its to a relative or friends place.
- Don’t try to please everyone else – just do things that make you happy and look after number one
- Reduce or eliminate use of personal hygiene products that contain toxic ingredients including aluminium
- Look for possible toxins in your home or work environment such as mould, chemicals or heavy metal exposure
- Start your day with a juice with plenty of veggies.
- Make your room as dark as possible
- Only exercise as much as you can. Even energy building exercises like Tai Chi and Qi Gong were too much for me for a long time. A slow walk can be good. If its too long, even that can be bad and set you back.
- Drink plenty of water and add some sea salt.
- Every day write a list of everything you’re grateful for in your life, or just make time to appreciate all the good things and good people in your life.
- Don’t dwell on the bad stuff.
- Understand that most people wont understand what you are going through.
- Meditate whichever way works for you. Try a bunch of different ones.
- Get to bed early and sleep as much as you need to.
- Find ways to get out of your head. When you spend a ton of time alone you will think about stuff all the time and it can turn negative very easily. I watch a lot of movies. I had a motorbike for a year which was great. Now I can exercise that works too.
- Balance out your exercise and don’t overdo it. You should alternate between strength and cardio training on alternate days. View your exercise as energy building or energy depleting.
- You may want to include and I would recommend some form of tai chi, qi gong, yoga or meditation.
- Rest when your body tells you to rest. If you push through it, you’ll likely make it worse.
- Watch comedy a lot. Like a lot, every day. Hang around funny people. Join a laughter club. Just laugh yourself healthy. It really helps!
- Avoid watching the news or shows with any negative themes.
- If you are prescribed supplements, take them at the required time, every time!
- Make your home as comfortable as possible. You’ll be spending a lot of time there.
- Put your phone on silent or dont answer every call. It’s your time and it’s precious. You can always get back to people later. Real friends will understand.
This is only a small part of a very large list which I will put together one day. But that should keep you busy for a long while reading, learning and organizing your life.
Resources
Eat Move and Be Healthy – Paul Chek
The Fatigue & Fibromyalgia Solution – Dr Jacob Teitelbaum
God + Medicine = Health – Willow Valley Christian Fellowship
On Hope and Healing – Neil Nathan
Toxic Relief – Don Colbert
I’ve read a bunch of others but the 3 top ones are the best and most complete in what the say.
The trick is to find a doctor who understands and can treat you in the way they suggest, which is attack everything at once.
It is really hard to do everything at the same time, but you have to think of recovery as your job. Work hard at it and your health will come back.
And yes it costs a lot of money to recovery some times, but whats a year of your life worth?
For me I’d rather spend my savings or my hard earned money getting healthy a year or 3 sooner so I can earn the money back quicker.
Good luck with it.
If I can help, just ask me and I’ll see what I can do.
Trav
