How Exercise Helps Manage My Chronic Pain Disorder
I have been an active person for most of my life and enjoy exercising and going outdoors with my friends and family. Before I had New Daily Persistent Headache (NDPH), I was a competitive tennis player and would play for over 2 hours a day. I also enjoyed doing outdoor activities like biking, hiking, and running. When I was first diagnosed with NDPH, I had to stop all physical activity; I could not exercise without my headache increasing and did not know how to bring my pain back to my baseline level. I could not lead an active life for over a year, and this took a toll on my mental and physical health.
After 1 year of having a constant headache, I slowly started to add physical activities back into my life. It was a frustrating and long journey to build up my stamina and return back to my active life, but I am happy that I can play tennis again and continue to stay active. Exercise is important to me now because I feel more energized during the day and can follow a healthy lifestyle. I feel strong and empowered that I can return back to my active life even with a constant headache. One thing that changed before and after my diagnosis are the different types of workouts I like to do. Before I had NDPH, I would play tennis 5-6 days a week at an intense level. Now, I play tennis 3 times a week and like to incorporate other types of workouts. I also learned that having rest days and days to do low intensity activity is important. Some low intensity workouts that I do include walking and yoga. I like to go on long walks with my friends and recently started doing yoga as well. Lastly, I learned how important it is to listen to your body: we all have days where we don’t feel well, especially with chronic pain, and it is ok to take the day off and completely rest, because your health and well-being comes first. Before I had NDPH, I would be upset with myself if I did not workout or if I had an off day at tennis. Now, if I don’t feel like exercising or just want a break, I will listen to my body and take the day off. Here is an example of what my exercise routine would be for the week!
Monday- Tennis
Tuesday- Walk
Wednesday- Tennis
Thursday- Rest
Friday- Walk
Saturday-Tennis
Sunday- Yoga
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