HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Physically Active with Crohn's

Support Forums
>
Crohn's Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 10/17/2008 4:13 PM (GMT 0)
I want to talk with those of us who are physically active( runners, weight lifters, athletes etc) who struggle with Crohn's. I have had a very uphill climb with managing physical activity with this disease. I absolutley love the gym and working out, but when I get a flare I always loose my weight, and my muscle gains...How have some of you coped with staying active and dealing with your disease?
Posted 10/17/2008 4:43 PM (GMT 0)
I cannot help you. While I am very active and busy, I am not athletic.
Posted 10/17/2008 5:40 PM (GMT 0)
its hard. I'm athletic and i love the gym as well. I try to stay around 180-185 (5'9). that usually keeps me pretty ripped. but when i go into flares, the prednisone kills everything, and then i blow up, lose muscles, strength and the like. I try not to set too high of standards only because of the disease(i have UC)...but its hard when you are a competitive person!

I just deal with it as another challenge. I am content with my body as of this point and i realize i am never going to be an elite lifter/athlete with this disease.. so i just run as much as my body allows, and lift my weights to maintain myself.. and just try to be healthy in general. Its hard to do, but so is everything.
Posted 10/17/2008 5:55 PM (GMT 0)
I work out regularly with cardio and weights, that's all I do for physical activity but for me it's enough...about an hour and a half at minimum 4 days/week...if there are days that I just cannot push myself to do it then I don't (that mostly happens during my monthly times) for me I react well to working out compared to not at all, I took some time off cuz it was really busy around my house with having to drive people to work and such but finally I'm back to my routine and I'm so thankful to have the time and the energy to get back at it.

I've always been flaring to some degree but I have found working out to be quite a benefit, more energy and great for my mind (helping keep me a little sane). I don't worry too much about my muscle development, a lot of that is genetics and for me I can only tone so much I'm just happy I'm able to work out and keep trim and as toned as I am. To me it's more important that the mental and internal effects I get from my work outs, not so much building up major muscle.

:)
Posted 10/17/2008 6:07 PM (GMT 0)
When I can, I work out 4-5 days a week, for a total of about 11 hrs/wk.  It is definitely hard to keep this up with the arthritis is acting up or my stomach hurting.  On those days, I just modify what I'm doing...most of what I do is attend classes (pilates, power punch, body shaping, step), and there are always ways to modify the exercises whether it be using no weights to do lunges and squats or decreasing the difficulty of the cardio.  During a flare, just do what you can and, while it is frustrating to lose the muscle you've worked so hard to develop, doing what you can during that time will keep you from losing as much and will keep you from being so stressed about it.   

Posted 10/17/2008 6:25 PM (GMT 0)
Well for me the issue is the lack of appetite leads to weight loss and just the amount of things you can eat...and weight lifting is nothing without nutrition/FOOD. All the materials I have read for the past 11 years say if you are working out but not eating enough food and energy than you are doing more harm than good...
Posted 10/17/2008 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
Do protein shakes...also, L-Glutamine is suppose to be helpful for IBDers and of course has it's place for those that work out.

:)
Posted 10/17/2008 7:49 PM (GMT 0)

Doc2007 said...
Well for me the issue is the lack of appetite leads to weight loss and just the amount of things you can eat...and weight lifting is nothing without nutrition/FOOD. All the materials I have read for the past 11 years say if you are working out but not eating enough food and energy than you are doing more harm than good...

yea you need to find kind of a balance.  i think if you are starving yourself and working out you are doing more harm than good, but if you have a decent body weight then you will most likely benefit by working out as long as you aren't killing yourself every day. 

You will know if you are not eating enough food if you are finding yourself running out of energy even at the beginning of your workouts, you are very tired the day after your workouts, etc.  if you recover well from your workouts and aren't completely killed the next day or following days with fatigue, then you are probably fine.

Vin

Posted 10/17/2008 8:17 PM (GMT 0)
On the SCD diet and Protein shakes are illegal! LOL however I think I can do the SCD yogurt smoothies and find a way to pack in protein...
Posted 10/17/2008 8:42 PM (GMT 0)
Unfortunately, I have been in too much pain to workout.
Posted 10/17/2008 10:40 PM (GMT 0)

Doc2007 said...
On the SCD diet and Protein shakes are illegal! LOL however I think I can do the SCD yogurt smoothies and find a way to pack in protein...

Okay, I may get blasted here, but in The Maker's Diet, he recommends a raw egg in your smoothie. Yes, I have done this for my son. I read somewhere that the rare incidence of salmonilla poisoning comes from the *outside* shell of the egg. It's transmitted when you crack the egg open. To avoid this, I was told to wash the exterior of the shell with one of those vegetable washes you can buy at the store just before cracking it open. My son has decided he really prefers his smoothie unadulterated by the flavor of raw egg, though, but he did drink them that way for a while...

It would pack some serious protein in that smoothie for you! idea
Posted 10/18/2008 3:07 AM (GMT 0)
I've been doing the SCD/LWB thing, and am now up to 45-60 minutes/day of exercising, using the "P90X" (as seen on TV!) DVDs. There's one part of pliometrics (jump training) that is high impact, and I take that part easy. Otherwise, I've found a lot of strength and stamina in that.

Plus, I go caving. Woo!
Posted 10/30/2008 7:12 PM (GMT 0)
I am an athlete with Crohn's. At 33 I am still playing soccer at the highest amateur level, and co-ed, etc 4 nights a week. I also run (Marathon in 05). It is definitely harder staying nourished and healthy. I have way too many joint issues and know that I will pay for my passion soon. I already am. Anyways, if you are interested, I have a blog that focuses pretty much on Crohn's and Athletics. I also have a running blog that was featured in the Wall Street Journal Monday. Tototally piced at random, but if mentioned Crohn's which was cool. The artilce in the WSJ is here. Anyways, weight training is something I have backed off a bit due to hand arthritis as well as the inability to really digest and process protein. Hard to rebuild the muscles I tear up in the gym. Glad I found this site! -Scott Roy 
Posted 10/31/2008 12:21 AM (GMT 0)
Another quick note- coconut oil is good, fast energy. It's pure saturated fat, and it is quickly absorbed. It is very much SCD-safe.
Posted 10/31/2008 1:04 PM (GMT 0)
I'm not an athlete, but I enjoy walking because it makes me feel stronger. I try to get in some walking every day if I can, as long as things are going okay. Staying physically active does help you feel more positive at times.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply