Should a person living with fibromyalgia consider a personal trainer?

I have worked with several clients who have had Fibromyalgia and all of them have had very different levels of pain. Some could tolerate only short bouts of exercise (up to 15 minutes) while others could tolerate a full hour. Because of this, I think it is definitely a good idea to search out a Certified Personal Trainer who will know how to start out very slowly and be willing to back track when you are having flare ups. Many of my clients with Fibromyalgia would feel fine while working out, but if we did too much, would have unbearable pain the next day. It might be helpful to find a trainer who has had experience with Fibromyalgia, but I don’t think that it needs to be a requirement. You want someone who is going to have patience with you and understand what you are going through, regardless of the quality of his or her certification.