yoga and exercise...was....Muscle Cramps

[Guest guest]

Steve, If you really want to up the ante (exercise and feeling great), spend about 10 minutes per day on pranayama (yoga breathing exercises) after you are finished with the asanas! Also, although my favorite yoga is Kripalu, I also love Baron Baptiste's programs. He will give you a real workout that lasts 90 minutes! I can only do about 30 and must go slowly. You can get his programs on DVD at www.collagevideo.com. Finally, I discovered that heat and humidity work wonders on the lungs when doing yoga! I get my exercise room up to about 90 degrees (with portable heaters) and have a humidifier going. After a few minutes, my muscles are very easy to work with and my lungs are 'purring'! After 2.5 years of preparation, I now have the following exercise schedule.... 20 min: weight-training (with

hand weights) to increase lean muscle 5 min: deep breathing (to remove C02 from lower lungs resulting from weights) 10 min: tai chi for relaxing the body (re-establishes energy flow in body) 30 min: low impact walking aerobics (hey, I need to lose some excess fat!) 30 min: yoga! to stretch all my muscles and feel good! 10 min: deep breathing to get rid of any residual C02 in lower lungs The whole program takes between 90-120 minutes. I do this program for 3 days and then take a day off to rest. I am thrilled that I can now run up and down stairs again...walking up and down takes too much time! Yes, I can still get out of breath if I push myself but I feel WONDERFUL. However, if I don't take off every 4th day, I will be forced to remember I have PF .... the hard way! It is just wonderful to feel human again. Keep in mind that 3 years ago I was suppose to die! I could not even walk up 2-3 steps without having to sit down and rest...even with supplemental 02! I slept 16 hours at night and took a 2 hour nap during the day! I would never have believed that yoga and tai chi could get me to the point that I can do this program! Every time I tried even 'senior' aerobics, my heart rate dropped (with supplemental 02) and I was in bed for two days. When I tried weight training, I would backslide every two weeks..for at least a week! If you will give tai chi and yoga a real chance, you may one day be bike riding again...maybe not as many miles or up as many hills but hey, a victory is a victory! mary steve moreland wrote: Hi , I took your advice and went to a yoga class Sunday, and did a 1/2 class today, what a workout! And my 02 levels stayed in the very high 80's and low 90's, I couldn't believe it! I just look at my bike and the 02's drop to the low 80's. I didn't use oxygen then but use it at night, I feel better in the day times, wish I could have been oxygen months ago, my ex doctor said I didn't need it, what does he know??? Fired him and got someone who would listen to me! Glad I did! Steve mary wrote: Steve, Since I moved to sea level, I do not need 02 during the day. However, I still need about 1.5 LPM at night or I will begin to have negative 'symptoms' of varying nature as well as difficulty doing my exercises. Some

people with PF need 02 when active while others need it when sleeping. I learned how to CONTROL my breathing when awake which is why I don't need it now during the day. As long as I only do exercise that will allow me to maintain abdominal breathing while exercising, I don't need 02 while exercising. However, I cannot control it while sleeping! My breathing is too shallow when in a deep sleep. This is why I need 02 when sleeping. Also, I cannot use pulse 02 when sleeping (due to shallowness of breathing) but need continuous flow! mary maryno_1dur wrote: A couple of weeks ago there was a discussion going on about what to do about leg cramps.I noticed that when I started to use my oxygen

at night when I sleep that the cramps have gone away! Could the cramps be oxygen related? I have stopped taking supplements and still no cramps in the legs and feet! Didn't know if that was a connection or not.Steve (who is sleeping better now!) marymassung Yahoo! MailBring photos to life! New PhotoMail makes sharing a breeze. Yahoo! MailUse Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments.

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[Guest guest]

And keep alert to your hydration for the muscle cramps. The

football player being taken off the field is suffering cramps from

water loss. We're delicate machines and even that last glass of

wine before bed, if not followed by a glass of water, can cause

dehydration I've found. Owen

> A couple of weeks ago there was a discussion going on about what

to do

> about leg cramps.

> I noticed that when I started to use my oxygen at night when I

sleep

> that the cramps have gone away! Could the cramps be oxygen

related? I

> have stopped taking supplements and still no cramps in the legs

and

> feet! Didn't know if that was a connection or not.

>

> Steve (who is sleeping better now!)

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> marymassung

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> Yahoo! Mail

> Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail makes sharing a breeze.

>

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> ---------------------------------

> Yahoo! Mail

> Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments.

>

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