Aeropilates - motion sickness?

[Anso]

Hoping I can get some advice regarding the Aeropilates machines and motion sickness please...

Ordered the Aeropilates 4640 machine at the weekend and it arrived yesterday. We put it together in the evening and then we took turns trying some exercises. Maybe I was on it for about 10 minutes in total or so. Not doing a workout DVD but just doing things I remembered seeing on the QVC presentation. Some leg exercises, some arms, rebounder etc. Just testing it.

Afterwards I felt "weird", like dizzy and nausea. Motion sickness. I did NOT exhaust myself at all so it was not a case of over working when not being used to it. Definitely some type of motion sickness. Which confuses me as I never normally suffer from this. My boyfriend felt the same (though maybe not quite as bad though I think I tried it for longer). Going to bed 3 hours later I still felt it.

So after feeling very excited about this. Thinking that I have finally found an exercise which I would actually NOT get bored of, the machine felt very sturdy and great quality...now I'm worried, "worried" in the sense of feeling upset. I really DON'T want this being a reason that I'd be forced to return it.

I'm hoping that some of you might be able to reassure me on this please. Have you experienced it? Will it go away, getting used to it? Are certain movements more likely to cause it (rebounder?)? Can you do anything to avoid it/make it better...?

Please tell me that there are ways to solve this without having to return the machine.

Thanks very much in advance for any advice.

 

[boffy]

are you on blood pressure/heart tablets

 

[Akimbo]

I have motion sickness from the slightest movements and/or visual disturbance which may stem from ear problems (says GP). I also getting it lying flat without a pillow or going back in a dentist chair or backwash at the hairdressers. I can sometimes "think" my way out of it but still get terrible car sickness if I'm not driving. You could experiment with raising the head slightly (I've done pilates and the instructor modifies the perfect alignment for those who can't lie flat or kneel or whatever), try closing your eyes as the visual stimulation or movement may be causing the nausea (it might make it worse though). You could also take an anti-histamine a few hours before and try again. I take a high dose of cinnarizine on prescription for my dizziness and nausea.

You could try emailing Marjolene (sp) as my friend Sue has had a couple of email replies from her re specific physical limits to using the pilates machine. It'll be such a shame if you can't overcome the effects and have to send it back. I hope you find a solution.

 

[iloveshopping]

There is a virus going round at the moment too. I have been dizzy and nauseous for 4 days. OH thought I was imagining it until he got it too. I can now eat a little food such as toast. OH is sicker than me and has only managed a small bowl of cereal in 2 days. We haven't even been up to watching telly or a film, just lying listlessly in the house and garden. BUT at least no vomiting or diarrhea. Headaches too and achy joints some of the time.

 

[srhgts]

There is a virus going round at the moment too. I have been dizzy and nauseous for 4 days. OH thought I was imagining it until he got it too. I can now eat a little food such as toast. OH is sicker than me and has only managed a small bowl of cereal in 2 days. We haven't even been up to watching telly or a film, just lying listlessly in the house and garden. BUT at least no vomiting or diarrhea. Headaches too and achy joints some of the time.

Oh dear, that sounds nasty. Hope you're both feeling much better quickly.


I haven't had any kind of sick feeling with the aeropilates, I don't have a clue what could be behind it. Hope you get to the bottom of it Anso, it'd be a shame to have to send the machine back as a result. I love mine, it's so handy to have and much less faff than going to the gym.

 

[backstreetgirl]

I have Meniere's Disease which affects my balance amongst other things and I find that I can't use the rebounder part of the machine because of vertigo. If I'm not going through a bad period I find the rest of the Pilates exercises ok - touch wood! Have you visited lighterliving.com (Marjolein's website) as there is a forum where people talk about their machines? Here's a link where you sign up. I find it quite a good forum. Good luck!

http://www.lighterliving.com/become-member/profile.asp

 

[backstreetgirl]

I just found this statement from Marjolein on the lighterliving website:

Do you feel nauseous while exercising?

Posted by Marjolein Brugman on Tuesday, October 15, 2013


Symptoms of motion sickness include dizziness, nausea and in severe cases, vomiting. My understanding of the cause of motion sickness is a disruption in your sense of balance because of a discrepancy between messaging from the vestibular (ears) system and visual stimulation registered by your eyes, to the brain. Motion of your body is detected by your inner ears, your eyes and skin all of which send sensory messages to your brain.


If you are reading in a car for example your eyes do not register movement as they see a stationary page while your ears and skin receptors send a conflicting message to the central nervous system. This confusion causes dizziness and nausea.


Very infrequently an AeroPilates user will describe the symptoms of mild motion sickness while working out. This is caused by the same conflict in sensory messaging and may be corrected by adding the head and neck support pillow while jumping to lift the head so that the eyes are taken away from staring at a blank, white, apparently stationary ceiling and instead can detect the walls and surroundings moving.

 

[May]

Without sounding preachy and obvious ....if you are not sure what is causing this ...no matter what that lady says about her machines ...get a check up ...just so you know that nothing else is causing it that might need medicines

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

are you on blood pressure/heart tablets

That was my first thought as well although if your partner is also having problems it seems less likely.

 

[Nutsville]

I have a form of scoliosis and have 4 curvatures in my spine, 2 in the small of my back as an extra s the wrong way round within the natural curve, one at bra level and the final one is in my neck. The neck one squashed my spinal cord so badly that they had to take a vertebra out and put a carbon cage between C5 & C6.

I struggled with my pilates machine for quite awhile until I got the neck pillow and the stand. Without the stand I kept getting tense because I knew I would jar myself by catching the floor and that caused me a sickness feeling. Since getting the stand and head pillow things have got a lot better. Before getting the head pillow Marjolein suggested using a rolled up towel to see if that would help and if it did then the pillow would be a worthwhile investment.

I do still end up with the motion sickness at times. The main time is if I forget to pull my stomach in or I haven't fixed (screwed the bolts in) the foot bar or cardio board and they move which can set me off. If I'm doing nothing wrong and I'm just having a 'off' day I've found a really stupid fix. I've got a bluetooth dongle that I plug into the headphone socket on my telly which means I can then use my cordless bluetooth headphones and listen to Marjolein on the dvd or something else, Kindle reading to me, if just doing the exercises I know. I have no idea why that works as it should be the exact opposite, but I don't do anything by the medical handbook so that's just me.

Yes I live on my own so have the facility to have my machine permanently up in the front room. Unfortunately getting the stand had one huge downfall. I now end up with Wingy (white cat) or Rascle her daughter fighting over who gets to ride on my belly! I can't do normal exercise so have found the pilates machine an excellent way to exercise without any impact and well worth trying everything to get through the motion sickness.

 

[Whatsgoinon?]

I have used my AeroPilates machine since ankle surgery and at first had my machine on the floor, but because of a plate and pins on the outside of my right ankle I was unable to do any of the exercises cross legged and being so low to the floor couldn't do the side twist.

Looking at the stand, I couldn't afford one on top of the cost of the machine, then whilst on the internet found the Bodi-Tek website, they do accessories for AeroPilates machines, they had a tan coloured stand for the 4 corded machine at a knock down price of £49.99!!! Now, some people may want everything to match and at that price I thought 'blow' that, so ordered it, it looks great!

Up until recently the stand was available on the Bodi-Tek site, but I have just checked and it's out of stock...however keep checking because it has previously been out of stock and then back in stock again.

It's the best thing I've ever had and I also have the neck support, although use the lower end because of neck issues.

Hope the motion sickness gets sorted out, it's a brilliant machine :mysmilie_59:

I have since had the plate and pins out of my ankle and whilst easier, I still can't cross my legs on the machine, but will keep trying!

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

There is a virus going round at the moment too. I have been dizzy and nauseous for 4 days. OH thought I was imagining it until he got it too. I can now eat a little food such as toast. OH is sicker than me and has only managed a small bowl of cereal in 2 days. We haven't even been up to watching telly or a film, just lying listlessly in the house and garden. BUT at least no vomiting or diarrhea. Headaches too and achy joints some of the time.

OH and I have come down with this, feeling miserable so know exactly how you feel. Was intending to build a deck tomorrow but doubt it will happen!

 

[iloveshopping]

I'm quite a lot better but OH is a few days behind me and still bad. The getting better is in small stages with a few relapses. Hope you make a speedy recovery. My boss and all his family have it too and they live a 5 hour journey away from me so it must be all over the country.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I'm N Ireland so it can cross water ! I have just come back from holidays so put it down to that.

 

[Anso]

First of all. I'm sorry to hear that some of your are unwell and I hope you feel better now.

I'm fine (not ill), thanks. Thank you all for the posts. Very interesting to read. I wrote to Marjolein and was told to try raising my head so I could focus on something rather than a blank ceiling.

At the moment I have decided to try a few exercises very slowly and to avoid the rebounder. So we'll see how that goes the next few days.... Also I realised another thing which might not help either. Our house is relatively new and we have put the machine in an empty room (really only white walls and ceiling plus a few plants in the window). So I'm either looking at a white ceiling or a white wall. Maybe not the best to sense movement...!! We're going to try and get a colourful painting to put on the wall at the foot end of the machine to focus on. That plus my head raised might (fingers crossed!!!) be enough to make me be able to use the machine....

Anyone else with any ideas, or anyone who have experience the same, I'd be very grateful if you'd post here and shared your experience. Thank you

 

[Akimbo]

They sound like good places to start, and I hope you find a long-term solution Anso.

 

[Whatsgoinon?]

It does help focusing on one point as you are doing the exercises and a picture at the foot end would be a good place to start.

I have a number of focus points, at the foot end it's the wardrobe door knob when my head is raised, when it's flat I focus on the light above, at the top end it's a picture and when I'm sitting sideways doing the side pulls, one side is the window, so I focus on a farm building across the fields and the other side it's the light switch.

As for the rebounder, do use it, but rather than bounce and push yourself away, try staying static with the board and bounce one foot then the other in a walking motion, this is what I did to get used to it until my ankle was strong enough to bounce properly.

Also, I tend to do my exercises first thing in the morning before having anything to eat, but everyone is different...I do have to have my 2 cups of coffee first tho' so maybe defeats the object a bit:mysmilie_17:

Hope it works out for you:mysmilie_59: