When and how to exercise?

I'm doing pretty well these days... gaining weight like crazy, my symptoms are starting to become less and less, and I'm starting to feel more like my old self again. Just to recap, I went from 175lbs to 125lbs during my UC flare... I was skin and bones, and had to re-learn how to walk. I'm up to 140lbs now and still gaining.

The only problem is that my iron levels are incredibly low and I'll be receiving a blood transfusion next week. I'm told that if anemia is the reason for chronic fatigue, then the transfusion makes the improvement feel like night and day. Fingers crossed. I'm tired of only having 2-3 hours of useful energy per day.

I've been up and mobile. Every day I go for walks, and run errands. I carry groceries and try to do all the normal lifting things that people do, so I know I'm getting some muscle back too. But honestly, most of the body mass I'm regaining is fat, and that's okay because at this point any body mass is good, but I do really miss going to the gym and weightlifting. I miss being toned and having muscle mass.

Can anyone here who's been in this situation give me some advice on when it might be okay to head back to the gym? I know some people workout constantly throughout their UC flare but that's not how it worked for me. I'm nervous that if I work out, even lightly, it could weaken my body and trigger a flare again. Building muscle involves inflammation and a lot of immune system functions and I just don't know enough to know what that could mean for me.

I'm also wondering about *how* to work out. I used to do abdominal exercises to build abs, but now I'm concerned it could aggravate my bowels if I'm not careful.

i am like you with severe weight loss during flares and having to relearn how to walk because of weakness. i usually just start from the ground up every time! i do chair workouts with soup cans as hand weights. granted, i was in the 80-90 lb range so you could probably lift more than me. i practiced a lot of functional movements like climbing stairs, squatting to a chair and standing up, and getting up off the floor. that was the HARDEST THING IMAGINABLE. i think it took me a few months to gain strength where i didn't have to have a person or piece of furniture assist me.

just do what feels manageable. during flares, working out is hard in general because it triggers bowel movements. i do not workout when i am in bad shape just because it makes me poop even more than i already do.

i am not flaring now, but i generally don't do "ab" exercises. i stick to the main lifts- deadlifts, squats, bench press, and military press. i just completed an 8 week 5/3/1 weight program which added a ton of muscle and strength. i highly recommend it. i did the entire program in my basement because i can't go to gyms anymore (neutropenia problems).

^ Restorative yoga was recommended to me by someone recently. I've never taken a yoga class because exercise is very personal for me and the group environment is a bit intimidating, but I guess I could give it a try, learn some technique, and then go do it on my own.

Weight lifting is the most familiar to me... maybe I can start it up again but start with very light weights only. I just have this sneaking suspicion that I might gain weight faster if I incorporate slightly more demanding exercise.

It's amazing how UC weakens the body!

I too was intimidated by yoga so I do it at home with youtube video's and I love it!! I've always worked out at home for the same reason (it's personal when you may have to stop and use the toilet and I don't want to be judged cuz that's what society does) so I have only ever worked out at home and now doing the yoga too.

My main concern is feeling trashed after exercise. Right now, I have about 2-3 hours of useful energy per day. I can use that to grocery shop, clean my home, visit a friend, and what not. I'm concerned that if I go to the gym or do anything strenuous that I'll basically be in bed all the next day.

Now that my prednisone taper is getting low and my adrenals are starting to take back over, they seem pretty weak. I'm wondering if exercise can help them or not. I guess there's only one way to find out.