Chronic Fatigue Part 5

It's been a while since I wrote about my battle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). This is symbolic because my progress has been the same...very slow, very methodical. Some weeks I feel as though I'm making huge gains, other weeks I just want to crawl back into my cave and sleep.

As I mentioned before, the worst part of CFS for me is not so much the actual fatigue but my inability to absorb life's little challenges. At times, it feels as though I'm caged in a small box with really loud, obnoxious music blasting at me. And, all I want to do is just run away.... Totally a fight or flight scenario.

I'm not to blame or make excuses, but I do believe my battle with CFS contributed to my being let go from my last job and my break-up with the person I was dating. Again, inability to manage life's little challenges and inability to give and take with life.

The good news is that I am getting better. I believe napping, good food, supplementation and liquid DHEA to help stabalize hormone and thyroid levels have helped me tremendously.

I've gotten to the point where I can actually exercise 5-6 days out of the week, while still keeping my intensity low. A typical week includes 3-4 bike rides, 2-3 short runs (no more than 50 minutes), at least one surf session and a couple of core strength activities. Oh, and I recently bagan playing tennis again a couple of times a week and that's been good for my mind and emotions. So, in addition to the naps and nutrition, mixing it up has also been important.

I recently began volunteering some time with the Challenged Athletes Foundation and am serving as a group leader on Sunday rides. It feels great to give back, especially for such a worthy organization.

Follow the link on CAF to find out more about this organization.

Okay, that's it for now. Thanks for reading!