Try and avoid some common triggers if you suffer from chronic pains of Arthritis, Crohn’s disease, or Fibromyalgia.
1. Changes in the Weather
The extreme weather change from hot to cold or cold to hot can affect various chronic pain types. This is especially true when your pain is related to your joints and muscles, such as with arthritis or Fibromyalgia.
Most of my clients suffering from chronic pains keep a pain journal and record everything that occurred on the days when they had a significant flare-up. I suggest you do that too because it helps you record if your neck or knee pains worsen when it rains or gets extremely cold compared to other days. Knowing if the change in weather will increase your pain, helping you prepare for the future.
2. High Levels of Stress
Everyone experiences stress, but some can handle stress better than others. If you have chronic conditions like Crohn’s disease, the stress can impact your pain and cause painful flare-ups.
People also experience stress due to chronic pain, especially when you have migraines or stomach problems from Crohn’s. Reversely, you notice that work stress or personal issues can aggravate the pain. The good news is when you know the triggers for your pain and stress, you are well prepared to overcome pains with proper stress relief methods that have worked for you.
3. Hormonal Changes in Women
Concerning women, a notable flare trigger for chronic pain can be when you have hormonal changes during different times of life. Pre-menstrual syndrome, where your pain is worse when you are about to start your period, or you might experience more pain as you head toward menopause. This is another good reason to keep a pain journal because it helps you notice these patterns and be more prepared for the potential triggers.
4. Eating Inflammatory Foods
Suppose your pain is related to your digestive systems, such as Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome. In that case, You should be following an anti-inflammatory diet as it helps to reduce this trigger.
Ensure you AVOID the following inflammatory foods. Your body will thank you.
- Butter or eat real butter in less quantity.
- Red meat includes steak and hamburgers, processed meats like sausage, bacon, hot dogs.
- Fried foods like french fries, potato chips, shortening, and margarine.
- Refined carbs like white bread and pasta, white rice, white potatoes, and pastries.
- Alcohol and sweetened soda beverages.
Ensure you CONSUME the following Anti-inflammatory foods.
- Fruits: Consume plenty of tomatoes, cherries, oranges, blueberries, and strawberries. Luckily, these are all delicious and easy to add to cereal, yogurt, oatmeal, smoothies, and eating as a light snack.
- Green leafy vegetables: Regularly consume spinach and kale.
- Nuts & Seeds: Consume a thumb size of walnuts and almonds every day. You can add pumpkin seeds and pine seeds on top of salads or eat a light snack with cheese. Healthy fats like olive oil are delicious to cook with or use for a light dressing.
You can make a smooth transition to help with your chronic pain by making slight adjustments to your current diet, like replacing a steak with chicken for dinner, adding more leafy greens on the side with your preferred meal, and make a smoothie every morning for breakfast.
How Yoga and Pilates Help With Chronic Pain
An exercise is generally good for chronic pain. Still, for specific types, specialized yoga practices help decrease certain pain types, like shoulder, back, or neck pain, and the relaxation you get can also teach you to manage stress. Simultaneously Pilates on reformers assist in joints’ movements and increase circulations within the joints, reducing stiffness and pains.
When you want to use yoga for your chronic pain, you should first consider the type of yoga you do. While all yoga forms can be beneficial, certain types are useful for people struggling with physical pain. Check out the recommended Abbysan Yoga classes that help with chronic pains.
Yoga – Restorative, Back Flow, Yoga Core, Back Care.
Pilates – Core Recovery, Shoulder Clinic, Spine Clinic, Hip Clinic, Total Body.
One of the best types of yoga for pain is restorative yoga, which aligns with your physical and mental well-being. The movements are not complicated or overly advanced, so they are suitable even for beginners.
You can try restorative yoga at home with our online video or visit our studio for in-person guidance.