Living with Fibromyalgia

Background

Mapaseka, a sports enthusiast, radio host, and a BODYTEC member was born and raised in Soweto, Pimville, where she began her broadcasting career. Mapaseka broke into the broadcasting industry in 1996, where she worked as a presenter for “Your Own Business”. She was later snapped up by the SABC news department, becoming the face of SABC 3’s prime-time English news bulletin and is now the host of Home with Mapaseka Mokwele on Kaya FM.

Out of the many shows Mapaseka has done, “The Single Wives SA” stood out the most for her. The show was centred on six previously married women who were unlucky in their search for love. Under the guidance of experts such as Mapaseka, these women embarked on a journey of self-discovery and transformation, giving them real-life tools to find love.

Health

Mapaseka describes herself as “a Homebody who enjoys a healthy, active lifestyle”. She eats well, does intermittent fasting, and gets lots of exercise because she believes health is wealth! Running and playing netball are amongst her favourite activities, and she loves feeling and looking good after working out!

Fibromyalgia

For years, Mapaseka struggled with horrible migraines and body pains that doctors couldn’t explain. She experienced indescribable fatigue and was later diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. The disease and her symptoms have changed her life. She needs to constantly focus on her triggers to prevent and minimise flare-ups, limiting what she can and cannot do.

Fibromyalgia is a condition characterised by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, memory issues, and mood swings. The condition amplifies painful sensations by altering how the brain and spinal cord process painful and nonpainful signals.

Women are more likely to develop fibromyalgia than men and symptoms can appear following a traumatic event like physical trauma, surgery, infection, or significant psychological stress. In other cases, symptoms develop gradually over time with no single trigger event. Fibromyalgia is commonly associated with tension headaches, temporomandibular joint disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety disorders, and depression.
Although there’s no cure for fibromyalgia just yet, there are medications that can help manage symptoms such as pain management medications.

Exercise and Fibromyalgia

For Mapaseka, EMS training has lessened the symptoms of her Fibromyalgia. However, once she has a flare-up, she needs to stay away from exercise and just rest. Fibromyalgia pain is unpredictable and worsens over time. A flare or flare-up occurs when symptoms temporarily increase in number or intensity. A flare-up can last from a few days to several weeks, which is why rest and recovery are so important to Mapaseka.

Mapaseka loves training with her good friend, Omphile, who keeps her motivated and accountable. “Omphile is as crazy as I am, so understand each other,” she says. For Mapaseka, strength training is very important for her condition and overall health. As a busy professional, she hardly has time to spend at the gym. “BODYTEC allows me to do strength training in the quickest time! 20 minutes a week is enough for me . I wouldn’t trade it for anything”.
In addition to regular BODYTEC training, Mapaseka participates in half marathons because she loves the aftermath of a good cardio session. However, her Fibromyalgia requires her to be careful not to overexert herself, so full marathons are not feasible for her.