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When Toby Morrison was sixteen he was a superbly fi t young man playing three games of high-level basketball every week. Then something happened that brought his world crashing down – Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

This is the story of his bewilderment at suddenly having no energy, the search for a diagnosis and his eventual triumph over an insidious illness that threatened to defi ne the rest of his life.

Toby’s story is not just an inspiration, it is a ‘how to’ guide for overcoming CFS. Together with founding the CFS Health Centre, he hopes this book will spread the word of what he

learnt during his battle and what steps fellow sufferers can take to get their lives back.

“In the space of six months Toby helped take me from hardly able to get out of bed, to be � t enough for the Stawell Gift … if it were not for his help I’d probably still be in bed! What a bloke!.” ASH HUMPHREY

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TOBY MORRISON

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cfshealthcentre.com.au

CFS_Cover_3pp.indd 1 15/03/13 9:43 AM

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

CFS_Text_5pp.indd 1 15/03/13 9:45 AM

ChronicFatigue

SyndromeA guide to recovery

Toby Morrison


Published by CFS Health Centre cfshealthcentre.com.au

First published 2013

© 2013 Toby Morrison

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright restricted above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

A Cataloguing-in-Publication record is available from the National Library of Australia.

ISBN: 978 1 922 21971 8 (pbk) 978 1 922 21972 5 (ebk–ePub) 978 1 922 21973 2 (ebk–mobi)

Designed, typeset and printed by Palmer Higgs Pty Ltd palmerhiggs.com.au

Distributed by Palmer Higgs Books phbooks.com.au


To my mum and dad.

You were the wind beneath my wings that got

me through the hardest four years of my life.

Thanks for being there when I wasn’t.

This book is dedicated to every sufferer out there.

You can have a life after CFS.


Contents

Foreword viii

Introduction 1

CFS – The Facts 7

My CFS recovery 15

Acceptance 23

Mindset is where it all starts 29

Getting moving – less is more to start with 35

Graded Exercise Therapy, Rest and Recovery 51

How? 59

Nutrition 65

Protein, carbohydrates and fats 75

How am I going to stick to this healthy eating? 91

Summary 95

Client success stories 99


Foreword

Toby Morrison is an enthusiastic, fit and healthy

young man. But he wasn’t always like this. When he

was sixteen he developed severe Chronic Fatigue

Syndrome (CFS). His symptoms, although quite

typical, were so severe that I investigated him for

many other conditions that I felt could be causing

such severe debility. He had CFS and was very sick

with it. He did not have anything else.

The impact of this condition on his education,

family and social life was profound but he slowly

improved after an intensive four-week inpatient

rehabilitation program at the Austin Hospital,

Melbourne.

vi i i


ix

His condition slowly improved using a carefully

controlled, graded exercise program and with

careful management he was able to complete his

schooling and go onto tertiary studies. As the CFS

slowly resolved, he decided to dedicate himself

professionally to helping others with CFS. With his

understanding of the condition and his infectious

optimism he has brought hope to many people with

this condition. His approach is sensible, safe and often

successful. This book is a synthesis of his journey

and his understanding of CFS and I commend it to

people with this condition.

All the best

Dr. Lionel Lubitz

Consultant Paediatrician, Dept of General Medicine, Royal Children’s Hospital

Associate Professor (Clinical), Dept of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne,Royal Children’s Hospital


CFS can also stand for Choice, Future,

and Success.


1

Introduction

This book is designed to educate you on the

importance of the key health aspects in relation to

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and what it can do

for you in a logical and simple way. After suffering

CFS myself, I understand the anxiety and stress

related to CFS when it comes to starting life all over

again. The first step towards better health is the most

important and the scariest too. I aim to inspire you to

better health with my own story of overcoming CFS

and to show you that it is possible to feel good again.

You will be able to see the steps I took to recover my

own health and also the work I do with my clients.

You will be educated on how to exercise safely and

correctly without making your condition worse,


2

CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME

the importance of nutrition, and how to work on

your mindset for the better.

I was struck down with CFS when I was sixteen

years old. For three years I was severely debilitated.

Fast forward to the present and I am now fully

recovered. I’ve gained an education in health and

fitness that has enabled me to fulfill my dream of

helping many others with CFS regain control of their

lives and get their health back.

Since I established the CFS Health Centre in

Melbourne (2009), I have helped a wide variety

of people who have suffered from CFS. From ten-

year-old school kids, to state netball and basketball

champions. From highly successful business owners

to teenagers who couldn’t get out of bed and even

grandparents who lived with CFS for more than

fifteen years. All are now fitter, healthier and more

knowledgeable than ever before. With amazing

results in the three years since the health centre

opened, I’ve decided to write this book to further

educate and inspire other CFS sufferers out there

who desperately need help and guidance.

I am truly passionate about helping people regain

control of their life and get their life back, perhaps a

better one than they had before. I am walking proof


3

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

that you can recover from CFS and I am definitely

not the only one, with every single patient benefiting

greatly from my wellness program. Although CFS is

terrible, it can be a blessing in disguise. It makes you

more health conscious, more aware of your body,

more grounded and makes you appreciate the small

things in life. It puts things into perspective.

Yes CFS sucks, yes it’s hard and life can be unfair,

but one thing you can do is to choose how you deal

with your illness. This is where you can take charge.

You can take control of your attitude.You can choose

to make things as GOOD as possible towards YOUR

recovery. At the end of the day you are in charge

of you.

With the right attitude and good support, you can

make a difference to your health.

I love doing what I do because I love to see people

return to good health. There is nothing better than

when someone comes to see me absolutely shattered

with life to then turn around twelve weeks later and

say, “I am feeling ten times better”. I know how hard

it is for them, I have been there too.

To see them start achieving things in their life

that they thought were never going to be possible is

so rewarding. It gives me such fulfilment to see my


4


clients strive for the best and do so well in life after

overcoming chronic fatigue syndrome.

CFS can also stand for CHOICE, FUTURE, and

SUCCESS.


Chronic fatigue is an unusual disease and

one that doctors do not yet fully understand.


7

CFS – The Facts

Chronic fatigue syndrome is very different from

every day fatigue. When a person is experiencing

normal fatigue they will feel worn out, drained and

tired. But this eventually goes away with rest.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is stronger and lasts

for much longer and cannot be cured by simply

getting more sleep and resting up. It leaves sufferers

exhausted after even the smallest activities. Even

walking around the block may be enough to leave a

chronic fatigue patient bedridden. Often people with

chronic fatigue were once fit and active, so finding

even small tasks draining becomes frustrating and

aggravating and often makes the person feel helpless

and depressed.


8


It differs from normal fatigue in two fundamental

areas: severity and time.

It is more severe in that it actually disables the

sufferer and it is more prolonged because it can last

for more than 6 months, or even years on end if they

don’t get on top of their health.

Chronic fatigue is an unusual disease and one

that doctors do not yet fully understand. Symptoms,

causes and recovery processes often differ from

person to person, however there are some stable

facts and consistent experiences for most, if not all,

suffers.

Definition and symptoms of CFSIn 1994, a panel created by the US Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) came up with

a definition for chronic fatigue syndrome, which has

since become widely accepted as the basic model for

diagnosing the disorder.

According to them the main feature of CFS is

constant and reoccurring fatigue, which displays the

following features:

• Lastsfor6monthsormore

• Isnotcausedandaccompaniedbyanother

medical condition


9

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

• Isnotduetocontinuousexertion

• Isnotrelievedbyrest

• Disruptsthepatient’snormallifeandstopsthem

from functioning

On top of feeling overwhelming fatigue and tiredness,

the CDC decided that the patient must also present at

least four of the following symptoms for four months

or longer:

• Sorethroat

• Badmemory

• Difficultyconcentrating

• Sorelymphnodesintheneckorunderthearms

• Muscleachesandpain(medicallycalledmyalgia)

• Jointpain(medicallycalledarthralgia)

• Inabilitytogetrefreshingsleep

• Headaches

• Feelingof bodilydiscomfort(medicallycalled

malaise) after exertion

Other symptoms include:

• Brainfog

• Irritability

• Soreeyes

• Musclespasms


10


• Insomnia

• Anxiety

• Depression

• De-conditionedmuscle

• Nausea

• Diarrhoea

• Constipation

• Lackof appetite

• Weightloss

• Weightgain

• Andmanymore

Causes of CFSScientists and doctors are still unsure of what actually

causes CFS. The CDC suggests that it is likely that

CFS has multiple triggers, some of which include:

• Infections

• Immunedysfunction

• Verylowbloodpressurewhichcancausefainting

• Adeficiencyof nutrients

• Physical andemotional stresswhich targets the

HPA axis in the brain; the axis where the hypo-

thalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands interact.


11

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

Diagnosis of CFSBecause there is no medical way to actually diagnose

CFS, no brain scan or blood test or any other type of

lab test, it is a diagnosis that can only be made once

every other possible illness has been ruled out.

Because of this the doctor must take an extremely

detailed patient history and conduct a thorough

physical and mental health exam. After this a series of

lab tests must be done to rule out any other possible

causes of the symptoms the patient is displaying.

Then, if the patient displays four of the eight

symptoms of CFS, they should be diagnosed and

treated for the disease. If the patient has experienced

fatigue for six months or longer, has been through

tests and has no other cause for their symptoms but

does not have four of the eight symptoms of CFS, the

doctor may diagnose them with idiopathic fatigue,

which is managed the same as CFS.

Managing CFSManaging chronic fatigue is as complicated and

hard to understand as the disease itself. There is no

miracle cure, no drug, and no overnight quick fix.

Having experienced chronic fatigue myself I

know that it is possible for patients to regain control


12


of their health and feel better; I did! Managing and

dealing with chronic fatigue is a slow process which

requires patience and commitment. Working on

the five health aspects of sleep, nutrition, graded

exercise therapy (GET), mindset and stress and

anxiety management can have a positive effect on

your overall health and wellbeing.


It was the small steps I took towards better health that helped me

the most.


15

ChApTer 1

My CFS recovery

When I was a kid I was always on the go. Full of

energy. Nothing could hold me back.

In my early teens sport was my life, playing

or training every day of the week. I was an elite

basketball player, playing at a high level from the age

of twelve to sixteen. I was fortunate to be born with

natural talent and good sporting genes.

By the time I was sixteen I was playing for three

different basketball teams, training five times a

week and playing three games a week. I was also

representing my school in many different sports and

athletic events, along with extra gym sessions when

I could.

I was unaware of how much I was actually doing


16


and the strain and load I was putting on my body

and mind.

My body went into meltdown.

I had no energy and there were days where I

couldn’t lift my head off the pillow. I was seriously

sick and there was nothing I could do about it.

After six months of seeing specialist after specialist,

being tested for every illness under the sun I was

finally diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Three years went by. I missed most of my senior

school years, most of my teenage social life and many

family events. All of my sport came to a complete

stop. I felt as though I had no life left. I thought my

life was over and that I would never get better and be

able to do what I once done with ease.

After three years of seeing all types of specialists

from all different medical backgrounds (that didn’t

really help me much at all), I was lucky enough to

find out about a four-week inpatient rehabilitation

program at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne run

by Dr Lionel Lubitz. The program was specifically

designed for teenagers with CFS and consisted of a

little bit of everything: exercise, physical recovery,

lifestyle and recreation, counselling, nutrition, and a

little bit of school work.


17

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

The program was great as it was run by a group

of professionals who helped me every step of the

way, each day over the four weeks. From only being

able to do half a push-up on day one and walk for

two minutes, I managed to do seventeen push-ups

and walk for ten minutes by the end of week four.

The program was about building up over time and

progressively doing more. Consistency over intensity

was the key that got me to do those seventeen push-

ups and the ten-minute walk at the end of the four

weeks.

The Austin program showed me that it was

possible to do things again because after three years

of doing nothing, I had lost all confidence to try

things. I thought it would only worsen my symptoms.

With a new outlook towards trying things

again and after seeing my strength improve quite

dramatically, I started to believe that one day I would

be completely healthy again. It was challenging on

every level but I learnt so much.

This was the start of my journey towards better

health.

After completing the Austin program I was keen

to keep my progress going.

The team at the Austin Hospital organised a


18


personal training group just for chronic fatigue

sufferers from the program. It ran twice a week and was

run by Erin Splatt. In a non-threatening, encouraging

environment she reinforced the importance of

exercise and diet and taught us how the body adapts

according to the amount of exercise we do. We also

worked on our mindset and attitude. With a gradual

build up of cardio, strength and recovery I started

to regain my fitness and energy levels. I was able to

cope with more at school, was able to hang out with

friends again, partake in my Year 12 ball and more

importantlypassmyV.C.E.

Of course there were days, sometimes weeks,

where I didn’t feel that great at all, but I was

determined to help myself get healthy again.

It was the small steps I took towards better health

that helped me the most.

Even if it was only a one-minute walk a day, I still

thought to myself, “I am doing this”, and the week

after it was a two-minute walk per day and the week

after that it was three minutes. By week four I was

able to consistently walk five minutes each day.

I remember I used to get my dad to take me to

the pool before school to do recovery and walk some

laps – some days I would only last five minutes in


19

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

the water, but I said to myself, “At least I am doing

something, and I will get stronger eventually if I stick

at it”.

Socialising was another really difficult obstacle to

overcome – it was such a mind game for me to go out

and see my friends. I used to think to myself, “What

will happen if I stay out for too long, or if I don’t

sleep tonight or if I’m not in bed by 9 pm? Will I be

sick in bed for two weeks?”

With support from my family and good friends

I was able to push through that mental barrier and

socialise, even if it was only an hour at a time to start

with. My confidence grew as I started believing that I

was slowly getting better. It made it easier to try new

things again and be proactive about my recovery

from CFS. Instead of letting CFS and my situation

have control of my life, I started to control it.

Of course I was lacking in energy but I knew that

I had to try and do something to help myself. As long

as I didn’t go backwards in my recovery, these were

the things I could do to help regain control of my life.

Was it easy?

No.

Did I do it?

Yes I did.


20


I know what it is like to have Chronic Fatigue

Syndrome and I know how it makes you feel: helpless,

restless, frustrated, sad, angry, weak, miserable and

uncertain about the future. I also know what it takes

to regain control of your health again. I know that it

is possible for you to regain control of your health

and feel better. I did, and now I am here to help guide

you towards better health.


Once you have accepted that you are

unwell and that you need to give your body

time to recover, you can start your recovery

process.


23

ChApTer 2

Acceptance

The hardest part of CFS for me was the fact I wasn’t

able to do what I previously found so easy … exercise.

For me, there was nothing worse than not being

able to run or play sport, let alone get out of bed.

I was devastated that I was no longer the person I

once was physically.

I remember early on when I was diagnosed with

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome how angry I was. Even

though being diagnosed with CFS meant all other

serious illnesses and diseases had been excluded,

I was still angry. I felt like CFS was the end of my

life. I was absent from school for months at a time,

I couldn’t play sport, was sleeping sixteen hours a

day, barely able to walk from the car to my bedroom,


24


being too tired to even eat, always too tired to see

friends and the list goes on.

There were nights where I literally tried to punch

holes in my bedroom wall with not much luck as I

barely had the energy to lift my arms. I would cry

myself to sleep.

Keep in mind I was only sixteen years old, so I

was really just a lost boy wondering what the hell was

going on with my body. I didn’t even care about CFS,

I just cared about missing out on everything – sport,

friends, school, dinners, exercising. Instead my days

were filled with visiting doctors’ clinics, specialists,

being in bed or on the couch. It was uneventful and

depressing to say the least.

It took me several more months to realise that

being angry and frustrated wasn’t helping my

recovery process and that if I didn’t accept my

situation and take proactive steps towards recovery,

I was either going to stay still or go backwards.

Acceptance has a big part to play in recovery

from CFS. If you don’t accept that you have CFS and

that it is real, you will just go around in circles and

never progress to better health.

Accept where you are at with your CFS and forget

about the past and what you were like. Let it go. Start


25

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

with where and how you are now. Once you have

accepted that you are unwell and that you need to

give your body time to recover, you can start your

recovery process. Being overwhelmed by frustration

and anger will only retard your recovery.

It took me a while to accept the fact that I had

CFS and that I couldn’t play basketball or run any

more. I continued focusing all my energy on all the

bad stuff and my mind was going crazy. Full of anger

and frustration I kept thinking about how I was such

a good basketball player and so fit, to now being

sick, unfit and not being able to do anything. I didn’t

realise the impact it had on my recovery (my stinking

mindset).

I soon realised that I would need to forget about

the past and how fit I was. I had to stop comparing

my current situation to my past and ACCEPT where

I was physically at this present time. There was no

more ‘poor me, life is unfair’ stinking thinking. I started

living in the now, not the past or the future, NOW.

Once I did this I was better able to listen to my

body and implement an exercise program.

I learnt early on that if I over did it with anything,

I would go backwards in my recovery very quickly.

Some days I felt great and I’d go for a run like I was


26


back to normal but then it would take me two weeks

to feel half okay again. Starting slowly was the best

way to manage my CFS symptoms. It didn’t happen

over night but I certainly got better at doing the right

amount for me as the weeks and months passed by.

I was so focused on being strict, not overdoing

it and not underdoing it at the same time. On the

days I felt good, I would only do what I had planned.

Nothing more or nothing less, just the right amount.

There were only so many times I could have a

bad setback as the pain and lack of energy got the

better of me. I was determined to respect where I

was at and start slowly and progressively.

I remember when I was quite ill with CFS, there

were months where I would refrain from going

outside because it was all too hard mentally to get

myself going. Those small steps I took with exercise

proved to me that I could do things. Even though it

wasn’t much to the average healthy person, to me it

was an achievement to go for a ten-minute walk. It

made me think that maybe in the future I could get

back to good health and be able to do things I really

wanted to do such as playing sport and perhaps even

get bigger and stronger than ever before.


Mindset is something we have to work on forever, not just for

one day, one hour or even one thought.


29

ChApTer 3

Mindset is where it all starts

Before you even start to think about your journey to

better health you need to make sure your mindset

is right.

One of my great teachers from high school would

come up to me when I was walking to the sickbay

to lay down for a rest and say, “Mind over matter

Toby. Start visualising and believing that you will get

better”.

At the time I didn’t have a clue what he was

talking about. Now looking back it makes sense.

I had the drive, the commitment, the perseverance,

the attitude to believe that I would one day get better.


30


Even when times got tough and I was bedridden for

weeks I would still lay there and truly believe that I

could one day overcome this.

Mindset is something we have to work on forever,

not just for one day, one hour or even one thought.

CFS brings you to your weakest point, it sucks the

life out of you and makes you feel like there is no

hope of getting better. It makes it harder to have a

good mindset when you are at such a low point in

your life. It’s almost like your mindset is either your

best friend or your enemy. There were months and

months where I would be my worst enemy and think

the worst of things. Today is going to be crap, I am never

going to play sport ever again, I can’t believe I am this

sick even though my mates aren’t, how unfair is this, etc.

Little did I realise how much impact those thoughts

had on my recovery. It definitely did NOT help.

Being a victim of your situation will only keep you in

that situation for longer.


31

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

Believe, succeed, achieveIt’s amazing what happens when you change your

beliefs and thought patterns from negative to positive.

Soon after I started exercising again (five minutes

a day to begin with) my mindset started to change.

I thought to myself, “Hold on, I am actually able to

do stuff. Maybe, just maybe, if I keep working on this

and be consistent and do the right things I will be

able to get back to the old me again”.

As time went on the picture became clearer.

I wrote down what I wanted on a piece of paper

every week: “I want to run, I will run, I can run. I am

running.”

Before I went to sleep each night, I would lay in

bed for ten minutes visualising myself running along

the beach with a big, buff body and feeling strong.

Same produces same, different produces change.

In order for you to change, you need to think

differently, for the better. A lot is dependent on your

mindset.

Make a proactive choice today and start with

small steps. You will be surprised how far it will take

you if you stick at them.

You are going to have good days and bad days,

so just keep a positive mindset at all times and know


32


that you are working towards something better for

you.Accept thebaddays forwhat theyare.Justa

bad day. Tomorrow is a fresh day.

Setbacks are bound to happen. It happens with

healthy people, caused by all sorts of things like

injury, stress and relationships. It’s how you deal

with the setbacks that is important.

Try not to panic when you feel like you’re getting

a cold or flu; just give yourself time to rest and get

better from it.

I remember there were days where I thought I

would never be able to run again. After starting my

progressive walking program I was eventually able to

jog and soon after being able to jog I was able to run

properly again. I believe it may have taken me two

years to be able to run my first fun run of fourteen

kilometres. That day was amazing looking back, as

two years prior I thought to myself I would never be

able to run again. The most important thing to me

was that I got my life back, I was functional again and

could have a go at anything I wanted to try.

It’s amazing what happens when your mindset

changes for the better.

One thing that really worked for me in order to

achieve a positive mindset was to write down what I


33

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

wanted in my life. I kept up the writing, “I want to jog,

I will jog, I can jog, I am jogging”.

I would put everything in to past and then present

tense. I found this technique extremely helpful.

Even though I was only walking at this stage, it

gave me the motivation to keep my walking program

going. If there were bad days, I truly believed that if I

kept doing it I would eventually start jogging sooner

or later.

Once I could jog (even if it was only fifteen

seconds to start with), it’s still jogging. I re-wrote my

affirmations. “I want to run, I will run, I can run, I am

running.”

As I built up my jogging over a few months in

intervals – walk … jog … walk … jog – I was soon

able to run.

It wasn’t a miracle. It was commitment and

persistence over time that got me to be able to walk,

jog and run again. It took time. There was no magic

pill, just pure determination to get my health back on

track. Slowly and surely.


Everything needs to be in balance.

Too much of one thing will overdo it and too

little will undo it.


35

ChApTer 4

Getting moving – less is more to start with

So how do I go forward rather than backwards with

exercising in my recovery?

To start with you need to make sure you ease into

exercising and not overdo it. It varies for each person,

usually anywhere from one minute to ten minutes of

light exercise is the norm, however, it depends where

you are at with your recovery.

Choosing the right exercises to do at that time is

important. Make sure they are low impact exercises

(see Chapter 5 for exercises) that don’t make you too

sore to begin with. Over time you can increase the

intensity and load and exercise as your muscles begin

to build strength and recover faster.


36


Before you try and run for five minutes like you

used to, make sure you can walk it first and see how

you feel the day after, before deciding to bump up

your exercise load.

Progressive overload is the gradual increase of

physical stress placed upon the body during exercise

training. If you go too hard, your muscles take longer

to repair and recover, leaving you feeling sore and

sorry. However if you train at the right level for YOU,

and consistently do that week in and week out, you

should see a steady increase in your overall fitness.

My priority was my health, so in order for me to

be as healthy as I could, I went to bed early every

night and I ate really nutritious food for breakfast,

lunch and dinner. I always carried a drink bottle full

of water so I was hydrated. If I was at a social event,

I would take some fruit with me so I wouldn’t have to

eat the not-so-good food like cakes and lollies.

I didn’t drink alcohol or take drugs and I would

never be up too late as I knew sleep was an important

part of the recovery process.

These are some of the actions I chose for myself

so I could really give myself the best possible chance

to feel good again and regain energy in my life.


37

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

Everything needs to be in balance. Too much of

one thing will overdo it and too little will undo it.

Find a manageable pace you can handle and go from

there.

Consistency rather than intensity should be your

main focus.

Most people will ‘overdo it’ in their recovery,

sometimes more than once.

I did it more than once. Being a sporty kid I was

always getting angry with myself that I wasn’t playing

sport or running around being active with my mates.

I would try to play a basketball game even though I

wasn’t fit or conditioned to do so. After learning the

hard way numerous times, I started listening to my

body. I learnt to do enough but not too much exercise

so that my body could handle at that given time.

Don’t overdo it! Listen to your body.


38


There were setbacks where I over did it because I

was feeling good on a given day and then over did it,

however I learnt from these setbacks and made sure

I didn’t over do it again.

I found a great trainer who knew a bit about

CFS and the importance of taking things slowly and

ensuring that my health was my number one priority.

It’s imperative that you find a trainer that reads your

body well and work together to take positive steps

towards exercising consistently rather than training

too hard and getting worse.

I started off very slowly as I hadn’t done much

regular exercise in the past years.

I began with a one-minute walk, five push-ups

on my knees, five sit-ups and five squats, resting in

between.

After two weeks of sticking to this program most

days of the week, I bumped the walk up to two

minutes and the three strength exercises from five

reps to eight reps.

After four weeks of consistent exercising I

increased the walking to three minutes and two sets

of five reps for each exercise – so now I was doing

all up ten push-ups, ten sit-ups and ten squats. To me

that was quite impressive considering I found it hard


39

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

to do one set of five push-ups four weeks ago. It’s all

relative.

As I was becoming more conditioned again

and my strength built up, my trainer added in new

exercises – light weight exercises like bench presses,

shoulder presses, DB row, bicep curls and tricep

extensions.

After about twelve weeks I was able to train for

half an hour four days a week in the gym. I was getting

stronger and could start to see physical changes in

my body. I looked fitter, had developed muscles on

my arms and felt a lot more confident with my body

and what it could do.

I added in pool sessions (hyrdrotherapy) where I

would wade through the water for two minutes then

do a light stretch and go back to wading again. After

a few weeks of building up my endurance in the pool

I added in a few laps of slow freestyle. Six months

later, after consistently going and progressively

making it harder according to my health, I was able to

swim two sets of ten laps in a row. Not bad for a guy

who struggled to wade through the water six months

prior. Again I took small steps towards a bigger goal.

Slow and steady wins the race.


40


A good rule of thumb is that if you can do the

exercise you do and wake up the next day feeling no

worse than you did the day before then it should be

okay for you to continue on with that program.

Consistency is the key to a maintainable fitness program.

Before having CFS I was an elite basketball player and

also one of the fittest teenagers at my school, hence

for me to have no energy and not be able to get out of

bed was depressing. The hardest part about it all was

accepting the fact I couldn’t do what I once found

easy to do. Going from a beep test of 15.6 (very good)

to only being able to walk a few laps of 20 m shuttles

(not so good) was disappointing to say the least. My

biggest hurdle with CFS was accepting the fact that I

had to start all over again with my exercise and that

I wasn’t going to be playing basketball anytime soon.

It took me months to accept where I was at

physically and that I had to start off exercising

slowly again. I was fuelled with anger at not being

able to play sport with my friends or not being able

to participate in my sport class because of CFS. This


41

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

hindered my recovery purely because I wasn’t being

proactive about my health and where it was at and

instead was focusing a lot of my energy into thinking

about all things I couldn’t do. No sport, no running,

no fit and fast Toby Morrison that I once was. When

I was healthy I would never have thought one minute

of walking was exercise, but after having CFS and

not being able to walk for one minute, I definitely

didn’t take it for granted anymore.

It took me quite a while to accept the fact that I

had CFS and that I couldn’t play basketball or run

anymore. I kept focusing all my energy on all the

bad stuff. My mind was going crazy, full of anger

and I didn’t realise the impact it had on my recovery.

I eventually realised that I would need to forget about

the past and how fit I was. I had to stop comparing

my current situation to my past and ACCEPT where I

was at physically at this present time. Once I did this

I was able to listen to my body better and implement

an exercise program.

I found a CFS specialist who was well educated in

fitness and conditioning.

Even though I was barely able to walk for more than

a minute to start with, there were exercises I COULD

do. Whether it was stretching my legs, or doing four


42


squats or four push-ups, or even on a stationary bike

for one minute. At least it was something.

I had been bedridden for months before starting

an exercise program, so small increments was the

key otherwise my muscles would get too sore.

As the weeks went by and the training was kept

consistent (five minutes a day to start with) I was able

to do more each week. It may have been an extra five

push-ups or an extra two minute walk. I was definitely

improving and was starting to get my strength back.

It was such a confidence boost and something I

enjoyed doing.

Yes it was challenging at the time but it was a good

challenge and something I looked forward to doing

each week. I wanted to get fit and healthy again and

maybe one day be able to run again.

That day did come again! Looking back at my

own recovery is quite amazing and inspiring to me. I

remember nights I would cry myself to sleep because

I truly believed I would never be able to play sport

or run ever again. Because I was stuck in such a rut

and wasn’t accepting the fact I was sick. At that time

I had a terrible mindset towards the future.

As I changed my attitude I was able to change

my actions. I might have seemed a little obsessive


43

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

but I really wanted to make sure I gave myself the

best possible chance of getting better. Everything I

did during this period of my life was productive and

proactive and aimed towards a healthier/fitter future.

It has been six years since I overcame CFS. In those

six years I have done a lot of physical activities

including a fun run of fourteen kilometres in under

sixty minutes. In the same year I was back playing

high-level basketball and I also managed to play a

few games of football too.

In the gym I also became stronger – when I had

CFS I think I managed three push-ups to start with

on my knees. Now I can crank out more than sixty

push-ups on my toes in a row. I can do over fifteen

full chin-ups, I can benchpress more than 95 kg.

I recently got a beep test of 13.6 (not having done

that test since before I had CFS). Overall I am the

fittest and healthiest I have ever been. I have gained

over 15 kg of muscle since recovering from CFS.

I sleep better, eat better and train smarter.

The funniest thing is that six years ago, I would

have thought all this was impossible. Not a chance

would I ever be able to run fourteen kilometres.

I have to say that there is no better feeling than

feeling strong after a workout.


44


What is important to remember here is that all

this success didn’t happen overnight. This is six years

of physical training, whether it was five minutes of

walking or three push-ups, or a ten-minute swim. It is

something I built up over time.

It is crazy what you can achieve when your

mindset is good.

Six years ago for me to be able to walk for more

than five minutes was a success. Then when five

minutes got comfortable and easier, ten minutes of

walking was an achievement. Small steps are the key

to success.

When clients come to see me for help and have

heard that I had CFS as well, they don’t believe it.

I remember I met this girl who had CFS, she looked

at me and said, “You didn’t have CFS, your arms are

way too big and strong for you to have had CFS”.

I laughed and then told her it was years of physical

rehab and conditioning that got me to where I am

today. Along with a good diet and well-balanced

lifestyle.

Unfortunately success doesn’t happen overnight.

With that in mind, accept the situation and then

work towards something better for you!


45

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

Dealing with setbacksAs you read before I learnt the hard way by overdoing

it with exercise. There are also many other ways you

can overdo it and have setbacks:

• Noteatingtherightfood

Avoid sugary foods, fast food, high GI foods,

foods that make you feel sicker and that give you

tummy aches.

• Sleepingtoomuch

Over sleeping can make you feel even more tired

than you were before you went to sleep – leaving

you feeling groggy for way too long.

• Sleepingtoolittle

Not enough sleep has a terrible effect on your

body and your mind also, leaving you feeling

dazed and unrefreshed. Try having a minimum of

7-8 hours a night.

• Notdrinkingenoughwater

This leads to dehydration which can also have an

effect on your energy levels leaving you tired and

lacking in concentration.

• Alcoholanddrugs

Obviously a big NO NO when you are recovering

from CFS and building your health up again. It

simply isn’t good for you, will leave you feeling


46


more tired than before and with side effects that

are not fun.

• Toolittleexercise

Will lead to de-condition, loss of muscle strength

and energy, and create more problems in the

future as well as the now. Start with baby steps.

• Toomuchexercise

Also known as the push crash cycle – going too

hard will only make you feel worse. Too much

exercise will strain your muscles, deplete your

energy stores and worsen your recovery in

between exercising, which will then lead to more

damage resulting in a lowered immune system.

• Concentratingfortoolong

Leaves you feeling drained and sometimes

even faint. Have breaks for whatever you’re

concentrating on. It doesn’t take much to stop

and have a minute or ten off, especially if it is

going to impact on your health for the better.

• Doingoneactivityfortoolong

Again leaving you drained, tired and weak. Have

breaks and relax in between.

• Notenoughrestinbetweenactivities

Find something relaxing in between activities and

make TIME to do NOTHING.


47

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

• Latenights

Inconsistent bed times can have a negative

impact on your sleep patterns. Try to go to bed a

bit earlier each night.

• Staying in frontof acomputerorTVfor too

long

Too much digital stimulation can leave you feeling

drained, energy zapped and really tired. Try and

have short breaks in between using the computer

orwatchingTV.If itzapsyouof energythenstay

away from it.

• Spendingtoomuchtimeonyourphone

Talking can be tiring in itself. Don’t overstrain

you and your voice by talking for too long on the

phone. Explain to your friend you can only chat

for ten or twenty minutes then you have to do

something.

• Gettingemotionallystressedandlettingittake

control of you

Be in control of your stressors – if you feel you’re

starting to get emotionally stressed, STOP and

address the issue.

This list could go on but you get the idea. Everything

I have listed above can have a negative effect on your


48


overall health, resulting in damage to your immune

system and leaving you feeling more weak and tired

than before.

It’s very important to get the balance right. At the

same time try not to get stressed about the balance!

It is okay to stuff up, but learn from your mistakes.

What works for you can be different to what works

for someone else.

Listen to your body. You will get better at this

over time. Be conscious of what is good and bad for

you and gauge your energy levels for the particular

activities you have given yourself for the day.

Whether it be going to school or work for half the

day, or even having a shower and doing the grocery

shopping, talking to friends on the phone for too long

or socialising for too long, doing the washing up and

cleaning your bedroom. All of these daily activities

can be quite taxing if you have been unwell for an

extended period of time. So give yourself time to rest

in between your daily routine.

It is normal to be scared and anxious about doing

things after such a long time of doing nothing, but

is what you’re doing right now helping you? If not,

then try something different. There are things you

can do to help yourself. Even if it’s getting up out of


49

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

bed and moving around for five minutes. Or going

grocery shopping, or some gentle stretches. Doing

something is better than doing nothing. It will help

increase blood flow, build up resilience for you to

perform daily tasks better and give you a sense of

satisfaction that you are doing something whereas

before you were doing nothing at all.

Be positive; look for solutions not problems.

Try not to panic when you feel like you’re getting a

cold or flu, just give yourself time to rest and recover.

Everything needs to be in balance because too

much of one thing will overdo it and too little will

undo it. Find a manageable pace you can handle and

go from there. Consistency over intensity should be

your main focus.


Most people will overdo it in their recovery

and sometimes more than once.


51

ChApTer 5

Graded exercise Therapy, rest and

recovery

Most people would say exercise and chronic fatigue

don’t go hand in hand. However, done in the correct

way with the right amount, it can actually be of great

benefit to your health. It can be very beneficial in

more than one way.

Graded Exercise Therapy (GET) is physical

activity that starts very slowly and gradually

increases over time. This approach is used as part

of a treatment plan for people not only with CFS but

certain other chronic health conditions. This method

avoids the extremes of the ‘push-crash’ cycle of over


52


exercising during recovery or not exercising at all

due to concern about relapse.

Typically, the GET begins with active stretching,

followed by range-of-motion contractions and

extensions, done for five minutes per day for a

completely inactive individual. Avoiding extremes

is the key, and activity must be balanced with rest.

Exercise sessions should be preset by the number

of repetitions or amount of time. The duration is

determined by the patient using trial and error, with

the goal of stopping before becoming tired. Research

has shown that gradual, guided physical activity can

be helpful for those suffering from CFS.

Rest can be taken whenever needed. Typically

you would rest 1–3 minutes after performing a gentle

exercise for thirty seconds to a minute. Allow your

body to recover and then having enough energy to

do another exercise after that period of rest.

GET has an extremely important part to play

in whether you go forwards or backwards in your

recovery from your physical exercise program.


53

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

When should you increase your exercise load?It varies for each individual but here are some tips

for when and what to do when you increase your

exercise load.

It’s time to step it up with your exercise program

when:

• you feel like your exercise is doing nothing for

you and it’s far too easy

• you have maintained your health (haven’t got

worse, lapsed or worsened) after exercising

consistently for more than two weeks

• youhaveincreasedenergyformorethanaweek

consistently (not in ebbs and flows)

• yourmusclesdon’tgettiredorsoreatallafteror

during exercise (you want to feel it a little bit).

These are a few key indications for when you should

step up your exercise program.

How do I do it though? Am I back to the old me?It all depends on your current level of exercising.

If you are just managing a five-minute walk a day

and feel okay, I wouldn’t recommend going straight


54


into running. It’s really important that you step your

exercise program up gradually over time.

So if it has been a five-minute walk once a day

and you’re ready to increase your load, go to seven

minutes of exercise. Once you feel comfortable with

seven minutes then try ten minutes. This may take

more than a few weeks. Be mindful that your body has

been bedridden and has not been used to exercising

for quite some time. Pace yourself and give yourself

time to recover after exercising.

No one goes from zero to hero overnight.

Slow and steady wins the race – pacing yourself

with exercise is imperative, especially to begin with.

The last thing you want to do is go backwards in your

recovery. The problem that I see the most is people

trying to do TOO MUCH too early in their recovery.

They think they SHOULD be able to run like they

used to because it wasn’t hard back then. So in the

midst of their frustration they try to run when they

shouldn’t. They push through the pain barrier and

overdo it. The next day they feel like they have been

hit by a bus and are bedridden for days.


55

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

Most people will overdo it in their recovery and

sometimes more than once.

Acceptance has a big part to play in recovery

from CFS. If you don’t accept that you have CFS and

that it is not real, you will just go around in circles.

Accept where you are at with your CFS and forget

about the past and what you were like. Once you

have accepted that you are unwell and that you need

to give your body time to recover, you can start your

recovery process. Being overwhelmed by frustration

and anger will only delay your recovery.

Tips on how to step up your program:

• In all programs you should progress in gradual

increments of volume (how much) and intensity

(how fast).

• Smallincrementstoexistingprogramsshouldbe

made as good health is maintained. For example,

if you are comfortable with being able to walk

twenty minutes then try walking every second

minute a bit faster. Once you feel comfortable

with that then you could complete two minutes of

fast walking and one minute of slow walking over

twenty-five minutes. If you feel you are ready to

start jogging, start by jogging fifteen seconds of


56


each minute for a total of ten to fifteen minutes.

See how you feel the next day and if okay and not

worse than the day before, then continue on.

• If itallseemstoohard,youshouldfindanexercise

physiologist or a good personal trainer who can

point you in the right direction.

• EachpersonisdifferentandIhaveseenpeople

go from not being able to walk for more than

a minute to people who are quite fit but have

other problems with CFS like concentration and

fogginess. If this is the case then it is best to see

someone who can assess you personally and

write you a specific personalised program.


The most important thing to remember is to start slow and steady,

choose the easier version first and then

progress when you feel you can.


59

ChApTer 6

how?

Now you have an idea of when to step up your

exercise program, it is important to learn how to do

that safely and correctly.

First of all you have to assess your current level

of fitness condition.

• Howmanypush-upsonyourkneescanyoudo?

• Or, if that is too hard, how many can you do

against a wall?

• Howmanysitupscanyoudo?

• Howfarcanyouwalkorjogorrunwithoutfeeling

worse than you did before you went for your walk,

jog or run?


60


You are at a different level to everyone else who has

CFS, so don’t do a program that is made for someone

else.

There are typically three variations to most

common exercises.

1. Beginner

2. Intermediate

3. Advanced

There are also guidelines for sets and reps.

Sets – the number of exercises you choose to do.

Reps – the number of times you do one exercise

movement in a set.

A common protocol would be three sets of ten

rep push-ups.

So that being said here are the general guidelines for

sets and reps:

1. Beginners – 1–2 sets, 1–10 reps

2. Intermediate – 2–4 sets, 10–15 reps

3. Advanced – 4–6 sets, 10–20 reps

For example, a push up:

1. Beginner – either against a wall or elevated rail/

bar or on the floor on your knees.


61

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

2. Intermediate – on the floor on your toes.

3. Advanced – feet on a bench and hands on the

floor in a decline position, or push-up clap or

even weight added onto your back (very tough).

You should know where you are at in terms of your

strength. Choose your variation safely. You know

your body better than anyone else does.

A good rule of thumb is that if you can do the

exercise and wake up the next day feeling no worse

than you did the day before then it should be okay for

you to continue with that program.

Consistency is the key to any fitness program.

The most important thing to remember is to start

slow and steady, choose the easier version first and

then progress when you feel you can. Don’t throw

yourself in the deep end and then be sore and sorry

for a week. You want your health to be maintained,

not go backwards.

PACEyourself.


62


Before starting an exercise program, you should

always consult your doctor first and then seek the

right help.

It is also helpful to make yourself a chart to keep

track of your progress. By noting your sets and reps

you will be able to clearly see how far you’ve improved

over a week or month. I’ve included a sample chart

on the next page to give you an idea. You can choose

your own exercises.

Remember, nothing great happens overnight

and nothing great is ever easy, so stick at it and be

consistent. Whether it’s exercising one minute a day

or ten minutes, it’s better than nothing!


63

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

E

xam

ple

of a

dai

ly a

ctiv

ity p

lan:

Pus

h-up

sSi

t-up

sW

alk/

Run

/Jog

Sets

Rep

sSe

tsR

eps

Sets

Rep

sSe

tsR

eps

Km

Tim

ePa

ce

Wee

k 1

Mon

day

Tue

sday

Wed

nesd

ay

Thu

rsda

y

Frid

ay

Satu

rday

Sund

ay

Wee

k 2

etc


Know that breakfast is good for you and will help you regain some much needed energy

in the mornings.


65

ChApTer 7

Nutrition

1. Food is fuel – nutrition is importantFood is fuel – you are what you eat. Our body is our

temple so why not give it the best food possible to be

the strongest it can be.

Let’s put it into context, say a car for example:

If we put fuel in the car and fill it right up, the car will

function and get you from A to B. If the car is running

on empty and has barely any fuel in it, the car will take

longer to start up and potentially run out of gas and not

be able to move.

The same rule applies to the human body. If we

eat breakfast, it will give us the energy (fuel) to kick


66


start our day and do what we need to do. By lunchtime

your energy may be running low, so you fuel up again

for lunch, maybe a steak and vegies or even a salad

sandwich, that gives you the energy you need to

perform tasks from lunch to dinner. By dinner you’re

starving and you could eat a horse (hopefully not), so

you should have a substantial meal to replenish your

body from what it has done throughout the day.

Here is an example of two similar people who do

the same stuff day-in day-out but eat completely

differently.

Mary and Jane live very similar lifestyles, they are both

in their twenties, they both work in the corporate world

and they both try to go to the gym or do some exercise

five times a week. The only difference is their diet. Let’s see

who gets through the day better and what happens both

physically and emotionally throughout the day.

Mary and Jane both have to be at work by 8.30 am.

Mary knows how important breakfast is and sets her

alarm half an hour early so she can get ready for the day

and cook a nutritious breakfast: eggs, spinach, avocado

and some mushrooms along with a fruit smoothie.

Jane on the other hand, hates getting up early. She

says she would rather have an extra thirty minutes laying


67

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

in bed than getting up and having breaky. So Jane skips

breakfast altogether because apparently she doesn’t have

the time.

By 9 am Mary feels good, she is wide awake, focused

and fuelled up with a good breakfast. Jane not so good,

she still looks like she is half asleep and seems a bit grumpy

today and she’s definitely not focused. She wonders why

she has no energy so she grabs a coffee, with two sugars

of course.

Mary on the other hand is organised and has a one-

litre bottle of water at her desk. She is flying through her

work today and feeling great.

It’s almost lunchtime and Jane is still feeling flat, so

she is on to her second coffee for the quick pick-me-up.

Because she got up late and also didn’t bring any money

with her today, she is eating the staffroom biscuits by the

handful.

Mary who has already had breakfast and a litre of

water, gets her lunch out. Tuna and salad – perfect.

The clock strikes 3 and who’s hit the wall? You guessed

it – Jane is struggling. She finally borrows some money

and gets a roll with chicken in it. She makes another bad

choice though by getting a coke instead of water. So all

Jane has eaten today is a few biscuits and a chicken roll

with a can of coke. Not one glass of water, and two coffees.


68


It’s 5.30 pm now and they are both off to their local

gyms for a workout.

Mary feels well and does her program without feeling

too drained.

Jane made it to the gym but not for very long, she

lasted five minutes on the treadmill before she got dizzy

with low blood sugar and so tired that she had to go

home to rest.

Mary goes home, has a good dinner with lots of

protein and vegies and has a good night’s sleep.

Poor Jane is almost too exhausted to eat dinner and

has a piece of toast with jam. She has an interrupted

sleep as she drank too much coffee during the day, the

caffeine keeps her awake.

So who’s the winner?

Mary by far – she ate breakfast, lunch and dinner,

drank more than two litres of water throughout the

day and did an hour workout at the gym. Her overall

performance was great and she is feeling good. And

her boss is rapt that she is so productive at work.

We can’t say the same for Jane, she skipped

breakfast (not a good start) then dehydrated herself

with two coffees and a coke and ate high GI food that

only gave her energy for a short period of time. Her

overall performance was below par and she definitely


69

A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

needs to change her diet if she wants to have more

energy throughout the day.

Although these women don’t have chronic fatigue,

you can see the impact diet can have on your overall

health and wellbeing. Who is at risk of burning out

and creating health issues and potentially getting

CFS?

Janeis.Shebarelyeatsandwhenshedoesitisnot

a healthy choice, she doesn’t drink any water which

makes her more dehydrated, she cannot exercise as

she lacks energy which then leads to de-conditioned

muscles which can cause injury problems and

imbalances in the future. If she doesn’t change her

habits for the better it will only get worse.

If you have CFS, the effects of poor nutrition will

be magnified due to the small amount of energy you

have.

Consistently choose to eat better food. Your body will

thank you.


70


2. The importance of breakfastBreakfast stands for BREAK – FAST – break the fast,

meaning you haven’t eaten for 8–10 hours as you

have been in bed and it is time to eat again.

If you don’t eat breakfast you are going off

last night’s fuel (dinner), which has predominantly

been used to replenish your body from yesterday.

So it makes sense to start a new day with new fuel

(breakfast).

Recharge the batteries and get some energy again.

I know that breakfast is sometimes hard to eat

and you might not have much of an appetite. You

might simply have got out of the habit of eating

breakfast regularly. However, you can change this

negative cycle into a positive one. Even if you start

with a small breakfast, it is better than nothing.

Like point one, you need fuel in your body to get

started, otherwise you are running on empty and will

not be able to function at an optimum level.

Whether it’s cereal, eggs, toast, smoothies, vegies

or fruit. The list goes on and in Chapter 4 there are

lots of good foods you can choose from to get started.

Bottom line: know that breakfast is good for you

and will help you regain some much needed energy

in the mornings.


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A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

Remember, small steps. Changing habits can add to

your recovery.

3. Five meals per dayNow you might wonder how you can have five meals

a day – that’s too much and plus it will make me fat.

Well it’s five SMALL meals a day – breakfast,

snack, lunch, snack, dinner.

This is extremely effective in energy efficiency.

Why? Let’s say you have a huge breakfast where you

are so full you feel like you could fall asleep. Some

people call it a food coma. This sudden tiredness

occurs because the energy it takes to digest such a

big meal is so great that the meal itself is not doing

you favours.

• Breakfast

If you have a smaller breakfast you will digest it

easily and be able to function better.

• Snacktime

Usually around 10–11 am depending on what

time you have breakfast. This is where you will


72


have some fruit or a lighter meal or smoothie.

The snack is to get you through until lunch with

energy.

• Lunchtime

Take 30–60 minutes off and recharge yourself

for the last half of the day. In European countries

they usually spend 2–3 hours having a nice

relaxing lunch. Lunch is where you have a hearty

meal – usually some meat or fish (protein) with

some salad or vegies. I know this is not ideal for

everyone as they cannot cook at work or school.

Remember you can pre-make meals the night

before.

• Anothersnacktime

3–5 pm, where you should have another small

meal or snack – piece of fruit, some nuts, a

smoothie.

• Dinnertime

As you have already had five smaller meals

throughout the day you probably won’t be too

hungry. Again, have a hearty meal full of protein,

vegies or salad.


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Water!Did I mention water is kind of important?

Water makes up to 60% of our body, so keeping

your fluids up is very important.

The guidelines are men should drink around

3 litres of water per day and women 2.2 litres of water

a day. This is just a guideline and not specific to an

individual. It will vary for each person as it depends

on how much physical exercise they are doing, what

they do for work, the climate they live in and so on.

Bottom line – DrINK MOre WATer.


The type and timing of carbohydrate

intake needs to be considered to maintain

our blood glucose levels, otherwise we

experience side effects like energy and mood

highs and lows.


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ChApTer 8

protein, carbohydrates and fats

We have all heard of protein, carbohydrates and fats,

but what are they and what do they actually do?

In this chapter I have broken down each food

category to give you a simple way of understanding

what each food group does and the reasons why we

need each one.

Eating a balanced meal

Vegetablesand salad

Protein

ComplexCarbo-hydrates


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ProteinAll tissues in our body are made and repaired

with protein. Protein is responsible for growth and

repair of muscle tissue, structural support for vital

organs, enzyme and hormone production, antibody

production for the immune system, and transportation

of nutrients.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein

and there are twenty amino acids that the body

requires for efficient functioning. Eleven of these the

body can make, but there are nine ‘essential’ amino

acids that the body can’t make, so we have to get

them from eating the right food.

Animal sources are a very rich source of protein,

providing all the essential amino acids so they are

referred to as ‘complete’ sources of protein (see list

below). Plant sources (apart from soy products) on

the other hand, only provide some of the essential

amino acids and therefore need to be combined with

other foods to provide a complete source of protein

(see page 77). Protein should take up one-quarter of

our plate at every meal.


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Animalsources:

• Leanredmeat

• Leanwhitemeat

• Fishandshellfish

• Dairyproducts(organicmilk,yoghurtandcheese)

• Eggs

Plantsourcestocombine:

• Legumesandgrains

• Seeds,nutsandgrains

CarbohydratesCarbohydrates are a primary source of fuel for our

body. Once digested, carbohydrates are broken

down into glucose that the body uses for energy.

Carbohydrates also provide us with fibre, vitamins

and minerals and approximately half of our calorie

intake for the day should come from carbohydrates.

The type and timing of carbohydrate intake needs

to be considered to maintain our blood glucose levels,

otherwise we experience side effects like energy and

mood highs and lows. The glycaemic index (GI) is a

system for ranking carbohydrates depending on the

rate of digestion and absorption and hence, influence

on glucose levels. High GI foods (often referred to

as simple carbohydrates) are digested and absorbed


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quickly, causing a spike in our blood glucose levels,

whereas low GI foods (often referred to as complex

carbohydrates) release glucose slowly and do not

cause a rapid rise in blood glucose levels. Lower GI

foods give longer-lasting energy.

The best types of carbohydrates to include in our

diet are low GI, complex, wholegrain carbohydrates

that are less refined and full of nutrients. All fruit and

vegetables, wholegrain and dairy products provide

you with carbohydrates, however, the following lists

the best sources and should take up one-quarter of

your plate at every meal:

Vegetables:

• LowGIpotato

• Sweetpotato

• Parsnip

• Pumpkin

• Corn

Wholegrains:

• Barley

• Corn

• Oats

• Quinoa

• Brownrice

• Rye


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• Millet

• Buckwheat

• Wholegrainbreads

• Wholegrainwraps

• Wholegrainnoodles

• Wholegraincereals

• Wholegrainpasta

Beansandlegumes:

• Navybeans

• Cannelinibeans

• Kidneybeans

• Butterbeans

• Broadbeans

• Azukibeans

• Soybeans

• Chickpeas

• Lentils

• Splitpeas

Fat We only require small amounts of fat in our

diets because fat is so energy dense, providing

twice as many kilojoules per gram as protein and

carbohydrates. We need fat for insulation, organ

protection, energy, supply of fat-soluble vitamins, and


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to make hormones. However, if we consume excess

fat in our diets, problems like obesity and a very long

list of other health complications can emerge.

There are certain healthy fats that we should

consume most of our fat requirements from and

others that we should limit. The fats to limit include

saturated and trans fats. These fats increase the LDL

‘bad’ cholesterol in our blood that contributes to

plaque formation and the build up of fatty material

that blocks our blood vessels and greatly increases

our risk of heart disease. Healthy fats, also known

as monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats

(omega-3 and omega-6), reduce LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol

and also increase the levels of HDL ‘good’ cholesterol

in our blood as well as having many other important

functions in the body.

Cholesterol in foods has only a very small effect

on the cholesterol levels in your blood. It is the

saturated fat from foods that increases your blood

cholesterol levels and should be kept to a minimum.

All fats should be included in small quantities in

our diet and the best sources of healthy fat for us to

include in our diet are:


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Oilyfish:

• Salmon

• Mackerel

• Herring

• Sardines

• Tuna

Seeds:

• Flaxseeds

• Sunflowerseeds

• Pumpkinseeds

• Sesameseeds

• Chiaseeds

Nuts:

• Almonds

• Walnuts

• Brazilnuts

• Cashews

• Peanuts

• Pinenuts

Oils:

• Organicextravirginoliveoil

• Coconutoil

• Sunfloweroil

• Sesameoil

• Peanutoil


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Nutandseedspreads:

• Tahini

• ABCspread

• Naturalpeanutbutter

Avocado

WaterWater is an absolute essential for a healthy diet.

So many of us live in a dehydrated state and are not

even aware of it. We can live weeks without food, but

will only survive a few days without water.

With our bodies made up of approximately

60% water, it is important to know your individual

needs for water intake, as this can vary for everyone.

Aim for at least two litres of water per day but keep

in mind the following conditions require additional

water intake:

• Exercise/sweating

• Hot/dryclimates

• Alcoholconsumption

• Caffeineconsumption

• Consumptionof meat,eggsorsaltyfoods

• Fever.


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The best source of water is filtered water, however

plenty of water can also be consumed from fruit,

vegetables, grains cooked in water, soups, broths and

herbal teas.

Other important nutrients for people with CFS to

consider which help to maintain energy levels and

reduce fatigue:

Nutrient Function Source

BVitamins Required for energy production and formation of red blood cells.

Wholegrains, beans, legumes, vegetables, nuts and seeds, seaweeds and microalgae (spirulina).

Omega-3 fatty acids

Reduce inflammation and boost the immune system, deficiency has been associated with fatigue and depression.

Fish and shellfish, flax seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts.

Iron Transports oxygen around the body and we need oxygen for energy.

Seaweed, molasses, wholegrains, beans, legumes, nuts, beets, sesame seeds, prunes, raisins, dates.

Magnesium Energy metabolism and action of insulin which controls blood glucose levels.

Seaweed, wholegrains, microalgae (spirulina), beans and legumes, seeds, leafy green vegetables.

Zinc Antioxidant which can help fight the effects of oxidation which can damage cells.

Seaweed, whole grains, legumes and beans, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, soy beans, unrefined salt.


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Nutrient Function Source

Folate Help produce healthy red blood cells. Deficiency can result in weakness and feelings of depression.

Microalgae (spirulina), sprouts, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, dates, beans and legumes, mushrooms, oranges, beets and root vegetables.

Fibre Keeps digestive track healthy and helps to maintain stable blood glucose levels.

Whole foods. (Avoid juicing, peeling and refining processes.)

Importance of metabolism and energy output Maintaining energy levels comes down to the

importance of a balanced diet comprising of fresh,

whole foods without additives, preservatives or

colourings. Another aspect that is essential for a

healthy diet to energise you is regular consumption

of meals.

When we consume foods it affects our blood

glucose levels. We want to avoid rapid rises in our

blood glucose levels throughout the day because

this is when we start to become fatigued, lose

concentration, experience feelings of depression and

weakness and hunger cravings.


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The best way to maintain our blood glucose levels

is by consuming regular meals and snacks throughout

the day and ensuring each meal and snack is low GI,

fresh whole foods.

The optimal times to have the three main meals

are below:

Breakfast: 7:00 am – 9:00 am

Lunch: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Dinner: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Note: snacks should ensure there is no more than three hours without food.

Example of a daily eating plan:

Time Meal Examplemeal

7:30 am Breakfast Porridge with nuts and seeds and yoghurt plus a herbal tea

10:00 am Snack A pear and a boiled egg

12:30 pm Lunch Chicken and salad rye wrap

3:30 pm Snack Celery sticks with nut butter and herbal tea

6:30 pm Dinner Fish, brown rice and steamed vegetables


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Intolerances and allergiesFood intolerances and allergies are common with CFS,

particularly wheat and dairy. It is best to avoid these

foods in your diet if you experience any bloating, gas,

stomach pain or indigestion after consumption. There

are plenty of replacement foods you can use when

eliminating wheat and dairy from your diet.

Wheatreplacements:

• Buckwheat

• Quinoa

• Millet

• Amaranth

• Brownrice

• Rye

• Spelt

• Barley

• Oats

Dairyreplacements:

• Soymilk(nonGMO)

• Oatmilk

• Almondmilk

• Ricemilk

• Quinoamilk

• Coconutyoghurt


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• Soyyoghurt

• Ricemilkyoghurt

• Vegancheese

Human bodies should exist at a pH of 7.4 (slightly

alkalised). Our bodies work best at this pH because

our immune system functions optimally in an

alkalised environment. On the other hand, when our

bodies are exposed to an acidic environment (one

that is created by too many toxins in the body from

poor food choices) it promotes the growth of disease

and infection.

Our bodies try to combat acidity by storing the

acid in our fat cells. These fat cells then become very

difficult to burn off because the body doesn’t want

to release all that stored acid into our bloodstream.

A vicious cycle then begins between eating poor

foods, storing acid in our cells and gaining weight.

Not only does the excess weight become difficult

to shift, but our bodies also try to restore the pH

balance by using water and minerals (calcium,

magnesium, potassium, sodium and iron). This can

result in water and minerals being stripped from the

body, leaving us dehydrated and undernourished.

The food we choose to eat can have a large


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influence on our pH levels due to the alkalised or

acidic residue that is formed during the digestion

process.

So what foods should I eat to maintain a slightly

alkalised body pH?

You will notice that almost all vegetables are

alkaline but there are some fruits that can have an

acidic effect on our body. This does not mean we

should avoid these fruits, but we should include

these as 20% of our whole diet. This complies with

the recommendations that we should have more

vegetables than fruit per day (two serves of fruit and

five serves of vegetables).

Here is an example of some meal choices that

will help fuel your body.

Healthybreakfastchoices:

1. Muesli with yoghurt, fruit and cinnamon

2. Fruit salad with yoghurt, nuts and seeds

3. Poached eggs on one piece of rye toast with

avocado, spinach, tomato

4. Two egg omelette with spring onion, capsicum,

mushroom, spinach

5. Smoothie (banana, berries, yoghurt, LSA,

cinnamon)


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Healthylunchchoices:

1. Turkey and salad rye/multigrain/wholemeal

wrap

2. Tuna, beetroot, carrot, rocket, spring onion, feta

cheese and walnut salad

3. Barley, quinoa and vegetable soup

4. Chicken, roast vegetable and spinach salad

5. Vegetarianricepaperrolls

Healthydinnerchoices:

1. Chicken stir fry with soba noodles

2. Fish with brown rice and steamed greens

3. Lamb cutlets with mashed sweet potato and

steamed vegetables

4. Fish with nicoise salad

5. Home made vegetarian pizza on wholemeal pita

bread

Special thanks to nutritionist Steph Wearne for

contributing to the Nutrition section.


Choice – we get to choose whether we

eat poor food or good food; poor fuel

or good fuel.


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how am I going to stick to this healthy eating?

You are now educated enough on the importance of

food. As the old saying goes – You are what you eat.

This is very true. How many times have you eaten

fast food (that seemed like a good idea at the time)

to only feel tired and lethargic afterwards. Whereas

if you eat a healthy meal you feel like you have more

energy, your skin starts to clear up and you generally

feel healthier.

CHOICE– we get to choose whether we eat crap

food or good food, crap fuel or good fuel.

We can consciously choose what food to put in

our mouths. Making good, wise food decisions will

impact positively on your recovery from CFS.


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When your health is in a bad way and you’re sick

and tired, your goal is to get better and feel good

again. One significant thing to help you get back to

good health is healthy eating. Not just for one meal

or for one day or for even a week. Consistent healthy

eating over a long period of time. If it makes you

feel even 1% better, when every percent can make a

difference, why wouldn’t you choose to do that?

I remember when my health was at its worst, my

priority was to regain some kind of control over my

health and at the very least feel okay again. I made a

massive conscious effort to get up and eat a healthy

breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes I couldn’t be

bothered eating healthy, and there were times where

I just wanted to eat fast food. However I always

reminded myself of why I was eating healthy. If I

want to get healthy and better again I need to choose

healthy foods. It really is a matter of self discipline.

Do what makes you feel good, and that includes

eating as well as you possibly can.

I know it’s not easy to eat healthy all the time,

however go back to the reason why you are eating

healthy. If it is to feel better or help you to regain

your health than it is definitely worth doing right.


CFS can also stand for Choice, Future,

and Success.


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Summary

This book is not intended as a cure for CFS, but

rather as a practical guide to educate and inspire

you to recover, step by step and to have a life after

CFS, a better more fulfilled life. Although I struggled

with the illness for four years, I would not have it any

other way. It was a blessing in disguise. I don’t take

a minute for granted, I am grateful to be alive, and

more so to be in the position I am in to help people

regain control of their health and life.

CFS was the hardest thing I have ever had to

deal with. It was something I would not wish upon

my worst enemy. As I slowly recovered from CFS

I appreciated my life much more. Be kind to yourself,

recovery and healing takes time, believe in yourself,


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never give up and look for the small positive changes

in your day today.

Bless you and your health. You can do it.

CFS also stands for CHOICE, FUTURE, SUCCESS.


“As my strength increased, so too did my ability to go out

and do things such as see my friends, and do

some casual work.”Ash humphrey


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Client success stories

Ash HumphreyMy journey with chronic fatigue started just after

I turned twenty-two when I was diagnosed with

glandular fever. Initially I didn’t feel at all worried by

this diagnosis, rest up for a few weeks and then we’ll

be back on our feet running around again was the

thought process. However, as a month went by and

I still wasn’t feeling a whole lot better, I started to

get a little concerned. I went back and forth between

different doctors trying to get an answer for what

was happening to me, until I was finally diagnosed

with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome about two months

after contracting glandular fever. Upon this diagnosis


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I spent the next six months virtually incapacitated.

I slept upwards of fifteen hours a day, constantly

felt light headed, and seemingly lost all my strength,

struggling to even walk at times. For someone who

had been very active all their life this was a huge

shock, as just months before I started feeling unwell

IwasplayingfootballintheVFL,wasaneliterunner

and possessed a pretty hectic social life. Needless

to say I was devastated with my state of affairs and

was desperate to try anything that may help improve

my condition and get me back on my feet, from

trying special diets, to seeing specialist doctors and

even drinking weird herbal potions. Nothing I tried,

however, was guaranteed to help my condition, nor

could any medical specialist give a timeframe for

how long it would take to regain full health, if I was

ever able to at all. This was not the reassurance I was

hoping for, especially as I heard stories of people that

suffer from CFS for ten years and never fully recover.

For months on end I woke up feeling terrible, on a

good day I could get out and complete small tasks,

such as going up to the shops, and on a bad day I

scarcely left my bedroom. There seemed to be no

respite, day in day out I had feelings of lethargy and

severe exhaustion, and no one could guarantee me


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a definitive recovery process. It wasn’t until I started

the CFS wellness program with Toby that I was

implanted with some hope. Having suffered from,

and then overcome CFS himself, Toby provided me

with a real life story I could draw inspiration from,

and also endorsed the use of a very gradual exercise

program, something all other health professionals I

had spoken with had frowned upon. This exercise

program started out with a few short walks, as well

as two sets of five push-ups, which for a former elite

athlete wasn’t really my idea of a workout. The first

few times I completed this program I could hardly

walk the next day, but as time went on I managed

to progress from two sets of five push-ups, to two

sets of six, and then seven, and so on, until after a

few months I found myself able to do a number that

would almost have resembled a workout pre-illness.

As my strength increased, so too do did my ability to

go out and do things such as see my friends, and do

some casual work. This step was initially daunting, as

I would worry about how I would feel the next day

if I stayed out past certain times, however I found if

I applied the same principle to such steps forward

as I had with my strength program, I was able to

take the small steps and progressively increase my


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confidence. After about six months of this ‘recovery

phase’ I was able to return to competitive sport, as

well as a much more normal life. Opting not to play

football again, I chose to pursue my athletics for a

year and within a year of recovering from CFS, I

was able to compete at a national level and also run

overseas on the European circuit, suggesting I had

not only recovered from CFS, but was in fact fitter

than ever before! Overcoming CFS taught me a great

deal about my body and how to look after it, and also

gave me a great perspective on not taking things for

granted. Ultimately CFS is an illness you would not

wish upon your worst enemy, however as challenging

and traumatic an experience as it was, I would say,

thanks to a lot of help from a lot of people, I have

come out of it a much better person.

Lisa – Campbell’s mumEver since I can remember, Campbell was an active

child. He began walking at eight months; not well,

but he was the kind of child that had their ON switch

on all the time. Within weeks he progressed to a run

and he never stopped running from that day on.

As a nine-year-old boy, he was like a lot of other

boys his age. He was bright, loved physical activity


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and was always on the go. He played football,

attended swimming classes and played tennis. Life

was good to Campbell as he did well at school and

on the sports field.

When the day came that he was unwell with a

throat infection, my husband and I thought that with

some rest, he would recover. But as the months

passed, he seemed to lack energy and enthusiasm to

do anything. Every task was an effort. From getting

out of bed in the morning to eating meals, everything

became hard.

As the initial weeks went by and we could see

that he was slowly getting worse, we started getting

him tested for everything. After eight blood tests the

doctors finally diagnosed him with chronic fatigue.

Being a physical education teacher, I had taught a

few children with this illness over the years, but I had

never heard of it affecting a nine year old. I always

assumed it was a teenage illness.

The doctors diagnosed his illness, suggested he

exercise for half an hour a day and told us to come

back if we had any questions.

My husband and I felt at a loss at what action to

take next. Sure, I could walk him around the block

but it was hard enough getting him out of bed and


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dressing him every morning. I could see that I was

in for a lot of work over quite an extended period of

time. And when your child is sick with an illness that

runs its own course, you need to mentally prepare

yourself for this long journey with them.

I went to naturopaths and had tonics made up,

bought vitamins to build up his immune system.

After Googling every site on chronic fatigue, I

became a little worried by all the information about

people’s terrible afflictions and the worrying effects

of what CFS had done to them. So I decided to stop

researching on the internet.

That’s when a friend of mine, a physiotherapist,

referred me to Toby Morrison.

Initially, I was sceptical. I wondered what a

twenty-year-old young trainer could offer me when

I had been to so many doctors who could only offer

me vague advice.

In hindsight, I think going to Toby was the best

thing I could have done.

His initial consultation offering a twelve-week

course sounded too good to be true, but I was ready

to try anything to get Campbell well.

After that first consultation, I realised that Toby’s

understanding of CFS was far greater than a lot


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of people I had talked to because he had lived the

experience of having CFS himself.

He offered a positive solution to our problem.

Toby was living proof that someone could have CFS

for a long time and come out the other side living a

healthy, active life. He was a living point of reference.

It was so great to have him speak to Campbell

as someone who understood what he was going

through. Someone who was aware that CFS not only

affected one’s body, but also their mind. Toby was

also acutely aware of the need to keep Campbell in a

positive mental state.

He modified Campbell’s diet to increase protein

and even offered help to me as a parent by providing

his details in order to contact him anytime to discuss

any questions or concerns.

I was surprised at the amount of activity he got

Campbell to do over the course of those twelve

weeks. Even on days where Campbell didn’t feel good

and didn’t want to go to the session, he always came

back from the session smiling and feeling better.

As a parent, it is sometimes hard for you to

motivate your own child so it was great to have this

young, happy, active guy encouraging my child and

telling him that he was doing well. He became a


106


mentor figure for Campbell in a very positive way.

It was also great as a parent to have these sessions

with Toby to keep Campbell on track and positive

for another week. We tended to live week by week

with this illness, taking small steps towards recovery.

I say ‘we’ because this illness has an effect on the

whole family. We all had to keep positive, even if

we felt despair at the situation. Our social life was

affected, my work life ceased while I had to care for

Campbell and the family became either housebound

or separated with different family members doing

different activities. Toby’s constant reminders that

life would get better was good for our whole family.

I liked the fact that he also tested Campbell’s

fitness level at the start and end of the course. It

is always great to have factual reinforcement that

proves your child is improving and it was great for

Campbell to see good, positive results in a medical

capacity rather than negative results.

Toby also read Campbell’s energy levels well and

modified exercise on the day depending on how he

was feeling.

I am grateful to my friend for recommending Toby

and I am so grateful that Campbell did his twelve-

week course.


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It is great to have an outside person tell, show

and reinforce that your child is getting better and I

am so grateful to have had Toby to talk to, bounce

ideas off and take a genuine interest in my sick son.

He became the person who could help us when I had

exhausted all other avenues.

Bec PierceI’m currently sitting on a plane heading to a month-

long snowboarding holiday in Canada. This is a trip

that I could never have imagined five years ago.

It was five years ago that I first injured my knee,

which started me on a journey that led to chronic

fatigue. After a drawn out period I finally had knee

surgery to correct the problems with my knee.

Unfortunately everything led to me getting chronic

pain syndrome, further delaying my recovery and not

allowing me to do many of my daily activities. Before

the knee injury I was a competitive netball player so

being sedentary was hard for me. I overcame this by

doing things I couldn’t do when I was playing netball,

like getting fake nails. I also decided to focus more on

my schoolwork and aimed to meet specific goals in

that area of my life instead of sport for once.

However, after barely being able to move from


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my bed let alone open a school book for a few weeks

I went to the GP. She suggested that I see a specialist

and it was at that appointment that I was told I had

chronic fatigue and would most likely have to go

to hospital. I don’t even remember what happened

after that. It had been about a year and a half since

my initial injury to get to this point. I started seeing

another specialist after that and was making minor

progress but wasn’t going anywhere fast. My mum

had taken leave from work to be my full-time carer

because I could not do much for myself. It was

decided in August of 2010 that I would go to hospital

for four weeks. Those four weeks fell at the same time

as my annual family holiday and the end of school

for the year twelves, which was a big celebration at

my school. I cried, a lot, when I found this out. I think

some point during those couple of days I figured out

that I couldn’t keep fighting being sick and I just had

to accept that I was and do what I could to make the

best out of what I could do.

Only one week before I was meant to go to hospital

I felt a lot better and it was as if everything I was

doing was starting to work. Thankfully I didn’t end up

having to go into hospital and got to attend my holiday

and school events. Over that summer I started to feel


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a lot better. I even got a summer job, started running

again and it was looking like everything was on track

again. I got to play two games of netball for school

which was the most amazing feeling ever because I

never thought I’d get back onto the court.

I unfortunately injured my knee again and again

needed surgery. I started to feel like I did in the

previous years. I got through year twelve thanks to

the help of my mum, my house dean – one of the best

teachers out there – and management by a team of

doctors, naturopaths and physios. After I finished my

last exam I started seeing Toby. Within two weeks of

starting the program with him I began to feel better.

I was able to go to schoolies and keep up with all

my friends. I came back and finished the program.

I was feeling well enough half-way through to enjoy

my eighteenth birthday and all the celebrations that

go with it.

The one thing that kept me going and staying

positive throughout the whole experience was my

dream to be a paramedic. I have now finished my

second of three years of training and this time next

year will hopefully be out there helping people full

time. I also have a part-time job, got to play netball in

a social team and learnt to snowboard.


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Although chronic fatigue absolutely sucks, it

taught me quite a few things. Firstly I learnt not to try

to be perfect all the time, I also learnt how to study

effectively which comes in handy quite a bit. I got

to spend a lot of time with my mum. And I watched

so many cooking shows I learnt to be a good cook.

I’ve learnt to accept what is and be thankful for what

I’ve gained rather than what I’ve lost from chronic

fatigue.

Maxx HartAfter finishing school in 2009 I took a gap year and

decided to travel. I had a fantastic time travelling

through Europe and South America but with little

regard for my body.

Knowing how to treat my body was not something

I knew much about before being diagnosed with

chronic fatigue, but it is something that is an integral

part of my daily routine now.

Before being diagnosed with CFS I was playing

volleyball at a national level and loved sport, I was

training and playing 5–6 days a week.

My chronic fatigue journey started when I was

diagnosed with bronchitis mid-2011. I recovered from

the illness but was still struggling to get back to being


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A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

my normal self again. Going out and socialising with

friends was now a challenge and after one Saturday

night party my body pretty much broke down. I had

no idea what was happening and thought it was just

a short phase of being really tired. I was sleeping 14–

15 hours a day and feeling completely disconnected

from everything that was happening around me.

Things like socialising, which came naturally to

me before, were an effort and close to impossible to

do. I couldn’t concentrate on my uni work and would

come home from half a day at uni and go straight

to bed. I went to see a GP who suggested I might

have post-viral fatigue and to take it easy. I literally

couldn’t do any uni work and had to take a leave of

absence.

It was a really tough time for me and my family as

they were as worried, if not more worried, as I was

about the state of my health. Following the doctor’s

instructions I didn’t do a thing for the next two

months, which was easy for me to do but definitely

not getting me any better. In fact it was probably

making my condition worse. My daily routine would

be waking up at 1 pm, eating lunch (maybe) and

watchingTVoramovieuntil7:30whenIwouldhave

dinner and spend time in front of the computer until


112


2 or 3 am and after laying in bed for another hour I

would finally get to sleep. By this stage I had seen

four or five different GPs, all as unhelpful as the next,

some even discounting CFS entirely because they

didn’t believe in it.

I will not forget the day I walked into the practice

of a doctor who had a ‘special interest’ in chronic

fatigue, only to be met with confused looks, unhelpful

advice and information read to me off a pamphlet.

Realising this wasn’t working, my mum was given

a name by a friend of hers that turned out to be Toby.

After her having a chat to him and deciding it would

be worth seeing him as he had come from a similar

background to me, she made an appointment. To

put it plainly, I didn’t want to go, I thought he would

be some guy who wouldn’t help and would just be

another person to see. After some convincing from

my mum I got myself there and I was in a pretty bad

state. I remember walking in to see him, nervously

sweating and shaking. This had become a norm

for me with my social interactions. Comparing this

to only the year before when I was travelling and

working as a promoter who would stand outside a

nightclub all night chatting to people and convincing

them to come in, I had gone backwards a long way.


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A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

I think what made me want to go back to see Toby

a second and further times was the fact that I could

relate to him very well and he had been through a

similar experience to what I had been going through.

No promises were made to me and he put things

into perspective in that it was up to me and nobody

else to get myself better. To say he was the facilitator

for me getting back to good health would be accurate.

By no means was my CFS journey over after

the twelve-week program, but it gave me the skills

to realise what’s going on with my body and how to

treat it.

In the early stages of recovery a similar pattern

emerges in nearly everyone thinking they’re going

well, pushing themselves and then going back a

couple of stages in their recovery

In my opinion it’s one of the hardest parts of

recovery and it definitely took me more than a couple

of times to learn my lesson.

My state of physical health now is superb after

managing to do less than ten push-ups in a minute in

the initial consult I can now do over forty in a minute.

I play soccer twice a week and do gym work two

to three times a week, something that a year ago I

thought would be close to impossible for me.


114


After completing the program I was inspired to

do something like Toby and help people on their

CFS journeys, so I started a personal training course

which is in the final stages of completion now. It was

a challenging time to take on a task like that but

something I’m very glad I did. I have been doing work

experience with Toby learning things about people

on the road to recovery. Sitting in on consultations

is fascinating and also pretty tough sometimes as

you can draw many similarities with people and

remember how tough it was for you when you were

going through that.

Matt Young October 20th 2010, the day my life changed forever.

It was my second round of glandular fever after

having it once before when I was nineteen or twenty.

Everything was exactly the same as the first time

except now I had responsibilities, a great girlfriend,

a job, in fact my life was how I imagined it would

be. One month had passed and I was starting to feel

better. I was getting pressured to come back to work

as they needed me for a big shutdown job in rural

NSW. I’m a refractory bricklayer which is a very

demandingphysicaljob.Jackhammering,demolition,


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A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

construction, all very hard for a fit healthy person

let alone me recovering from glandular fever. Three

weeks I was away for. It had been bloody tough, I

pushed my body to its limits but I got the job finished

on time. The six-hour drive home was hard, I was

tired, it was 38 degrees and I needed a well-earned

rest.

January4th

I opened my door to my apartment after the long

drive home, dropped my bags and jumped straight in

the shower. Fifteen minutes later I’d collapsed on the

floor unable to move. My legs had lost feeling, my

body had finally given up on me. My girlfriend, Amy,

drove me straight to the hospital.

The weeks after that day were the worst time of

my life. I literally felt like I was going to die, I vomited

hourly, didn’t sleep more than five minutes at a time,

I was sweating then I was cold. The worst was the

muscle pain, it felt like someone was pulling on my

calfs, hamstrings, biceps, triceps. I’d lost 21 kg in

three weeks, I was so physically sick and unwell I

couldn’t leave the bed/house.

Seeing doctor after doctor and getting the same

response: “Rest Up”, “It’s a really bad case of


116


glandular fever”, etc. I knew it was something more.

I was fed up with all these doctors, lost and looking for

answers as to why I was feeling this way. By chance I

was referred to a ‘quirky old doctor’ who had treated

a friend with CFS once before. His name is Dr Zennin

Gruba. He took one look at me and said you look

horrible, let’s find out what’s wrong with you and fix

you. Within a week I had an answer, I had CFS. I was

put on 15–20 supplements and a strict three-month

diet plan.

Being so physically sick, your emotions kind of

take a back seat for a while. Once I had answers to

why I was sick along came all the emotional feelings.

All these thoughts about your future, the relationship

that’s been neglected/strained for the last month,

money, friendships. I needed help. The psychologist,

Dr EliseJulien,whoIwasreferredto,wasanother

saviour. A person who still to this day suffers from

CFS and understands everything about what people

with our condition go through day to day. There were

many great things she taught me.

1. Pacing. How to read the signs my body is telling

me and take action.

2. Goals, short term and long term. Strive for them

no matter how many set backs.


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A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

3. Relationship advice. My relationship with Amy

was at its worst and was probably the hardest

thing to work at. Having CFS limits everything

you do day to day, unable to do the simple things

like go for walks, socialise, sex, everything you did

together before. I was so lucky to have an amazing

partner who was supportive, understanding and to

go through so many lows and come out the other

side so strong now I wouldn’t change a thing. CFS

made our relationship stronger and more loving

in a weird kind of way.

I think it was two or so months later I was having lots

of little relapses and a big one which put me in bed

for three weeks. I was starting to lose hope, as you

do. I then stumbled across this personal trainer, Toby

Morrison, on the internet and his story battling CFS.

I rang him straight away. I still remember the day I

first spoke to him. He was so helpful and wanted a

meeting as soon as possible. Before he let me get off

the phone he said one thing to me which stuck: “If I

meet you, you have to give this 100%. No half arse!”

By this stage I was at my lowest weight, 79 kg, and

no muscle whatsoever. My first meeting lasted 30–45

minutes I think. I managed to lift a 2 kg dumbbell


118


with a great struggle, one push up and one of a lot

of other things. Toby also provided great motivation

by setting short weight goals, small goals each

week that gave me something to strive for as I had

lost all my motivation. Twelve weeks, with massive

improvement I’d put on an average of 1.5 kg a week

and got back to my original weight of 94 kg.

Half-way through the twelve-week program, I’d

started back at work 2–3 days a week doing four-hour

days.Myemployer,JimDewar,wasamazingandso

supportive. I’d been with the company five years

previous to getting sick, and the whole time off I had

their support and a job to go back to. I started doing

the half days, three days a week then lifted one hour

every month until August this year where I’m now

back to eight-hour days five days a week. I believe

they thought I would never get back to work full time

and neither did I. But with hard work, determination

and a little help from everyone at work I was able to.

I’m now reasonably healthy, still pacing myself

day to day, still have little relapses but overall getting

on top of CFS. I learnt so much over this journey, so

much about myself. One thing you learn very quickly

is who your real friends are, the people that were

there for you, cared for you through the hard times,


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A GUIDE TO RECOVERY

the people who you didn’t have to explain everything

to, the people that understood what you were going

through. I weeded out a lot of people in my life and

couldn’t be happier now. You learn the things in life

that are most important to you and most of all what

you want out of life, like being healthy, living a healthy

life, relationships, family friends, a job you love and

can manage. I see the bigger picture more now than

ever before. I learnt to read and understand my body,

what my body was telling me and take the steps in

order not to relapse.

My family and Amy’s family were amazing, they

went above and beyond what I could ever have

expected. My dad, who is also my supervisor at work,

was great through this whole journey, he was there at

the drop of a hat. Having a supportive family went a

long way in helping me recover. Last, but definitely

not least, someone who goes through this journey

with you but doesn’t feel the physical pain, BUT

definitely goes through everything else: my girlfriend

Amy. I wouldn’t have got through any of this without

her love, support and motivation. She was my rock

through that difficult time and always kept me in line

and motivated me everyday to become “that person

I was before I got sick”. I love her so very much.


Journal


Date


For help and information go to

cfshealthcentre.com.au

For online support you can become a member of

my website. You will receive weekly articles, videos,

podcasts, success stories and inspiration on how to

become healthy again. Included in the membership

is an online chat forum so you can talk and support

others going through similar situations to you.


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