How a Rowing Machine Helped Me Lose 75 Pounds and Relieve My Chronic Migraines

This blog is a guest post by Hydrow member Erin Dickinson. 

I have always been somewhat active, hiking every other week or so, but fitness was never really my top priority in life. Then, last year, I hit a point where I realized I had never felt so down physically. I was out of commission for about half the days each month due to chronic migraines and was having a hard time climbing the stairs in my walk-up apartment without getting out of breath. Plus, I was buying bigger pants all the time and knew I couldn’t keep spending money on bigger pants! 

I knew I had to do something about it and was looking for a way to get more active on my good days.

What I didn’t realize was that making a lifestyle change with a rowing machine would decrease those migraine days significantly, help me lose weight, and help me prove that I’m capable of committing to myself. 

This is my story.

Searching for a workout that would last

I’ve suffered from chronic migraines for about 10 years now and was experiencing them for about 15 days a month last year. This prompted me into thinking it could be a lifestyle issue. I could shove all these pills down my gullet and they still weren’t going to do everything I needed them to do. I was trying medication, chiropractic, and acupuncture and everything helped a little—but only a little.

That’s when I started to look at options for exercise. I was looking for something that had a low barrier to entry and was low-impact, because I do have a couple of joint issues. I heard an ad on a podcast for Hydrow rowing machines, and it sounded like they aligned with my goals. After doing some research, I realized a rowing machine was potentially the easiest path toward reaching my fitness and health goals. Then, when I found out about Hydrow’s community, Live Outdoor Reality rows, live rows, and extra on-the-mat workouts, I was sold on the machine and the subscription. 

I saw another advertisement from Hydrow that said over 90% of members were active one year later and that really resonated with me. If I was going to commit the funds to this, I wanted to still be doing it longer than a year. 

From migraines to movement

After getting my Hydrow, I was pleased to discover how easy it was to get started with rowing, choosing shorter workouts at the beginning and then ramping up over time. I had never rowed before, so Hydrow’s “Learn to Row” courses were so helpful to learn proper rowing form, avoid injuries, and gain confidence. 

Now, I’m addicted to my Hydrow. If you’re going to have an addiction, this is a good one to have! I work out for a minimum of 20 minutes in the mornings, and it helps me decompress and feel ready to start my day. 

What I didn’t realize was that exercising more would decrease my migraine days significantly. I’m down to two a month now and have been able to completely stop taking medication for it. I know that this approach doesn’t work for everyone, but becoming more active completely flipped the number of days a month I have migraines and helped me avoid the nasty side effects of my migraine medications. 

Around the same time, I got a notification from my insurance company about a free weight loss program. I thought it sounded like a bunch of huey but decided to try it since it was free. By changing up my diet, cutting a lot of sugar, and ramping up my fitness and my activity, I was able to lose 75 pounds this year, which is crazy. I found myself very motivated knowing that I only had to put in 20 to 30 minutes on my rowing machine to see huge gains. 

Finding and keeping my motivation

While I’m happy about the weight loss and migraine relief, what feels the best is knowing I’m capable of committing to something almost every day. I’ve never been this active before! I can’t even think of a time when I had five days of being active in one week unless I was on a backpacking trip, and those are so few and far between. 

I help myself stay motivated by keeping a physical journal where I copy down my time spent and total meters every day. I can look at it and remind myself that even if I’m not feeling like doing a workout today, I did a hard thing yesterday and have pages of progress to prove that I can overcome that hurdle.

I’ve also really benefited from encouragement from the Hydrow community. There are so many funny, kind people who can find just the right buttons to push in the moments you need, whether they’re posting their milestones on Facebook or liking my workouts on the Hydrow interface.  

The best advice I’ve heard is to take any opportunity to give back to yourself. You are all that you have, and if you’re not taking care of yourself, how can you take care of the people around you and the things you need to do in the day? A lot of the Hydrow Athletes will say, “If this is the only five minutes you have to do, good for you for getting on.” Every time I hear that, I try to internalize that it’s so important to take even just a couple minutes for myself each day. 

Rowing has become a lifestyle for me, and I feel so fortunate to have found something that works. My advice to anyone starting out? Don’t be intimidated. There are so many resources and tools to help you learn proper form and progress at your own pace. And remember, even five minutes counts. It can be the beginning of something transformative!