# Working out.



## ©Aj (Dec 5, 2008)

I was thinking about trying to make the rest of my body as healthy as possible by getting on a nice solid workout plan at a gym or something. Maybe that would help alleviate my IBS. I really don't want to work out that much because I never feel up to it but I could make myself if it will help. If anyone knows anything about this topic it would be very helpfulI thought about Yoga but all that bending and stuff hurts my stomachthanks a lotAj


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

A lot of people find that once they find an exercise they can do without making the IBS hurt too much that exercise helps.If nothing else it helps relieve stress and just makes the body work better overall.Some people find yoga helps a lot if the bending helps move the gas along more than the bending hurts, so you might not rule it out.


----------



## baz22p (Dec 1, 2008)

Hi Aj,I second what Kathleen has advised. The only thing I would say is that an actual plan maybe easier said than done. Like you, I feel that I would like to organised an improved exercise regime (my exerise tends to be limited to taking the dogs for a walk). However, every time my mind tells me to increase my exercise levels, I find that my IBS plays up and tells me otherwise. You may find it easier to make a list of the things you want to do, but 'head it' as to the things you intend doing when your IBS makes it physically possible. Also, you may want to 'score' each type of exercise according to how much it is adversely affected by your IBS. Hope this all makes sense!Baz.


----------



## Cherrie (Sep 1, 2006)

Hi AjI find light exercise helpful -- for me going to the gym is usually too much, cos those stuff makes my stomach cramp up, but i find that some of the office exercises are helpful (if you search you tube you can probably find some examples of office exercise). And the good thing about it is that it's really flexible both in terms of time and in terms of how intense/light you want it to be.


----------



## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

For me, I would have been too uncomfortable and too prone to gas and D to have done much. The hour's dog walk was about all I could accomplish and sometimes that was 15 minutes too long (if you know what I mean). I tried Tai Chi for a year, but constantly fighting the gas through all of those bends was just too much. It took years of no D for me to venture back with any kind of confidence into the gym. Even though I now spend an hour and a half to two hours a day walking and climbing the local mountain park with my dog (retirement is wonderful!) and enjoy the rewards of that, my bowels still need their supplement or none of this would be possible.Mark


----------



## Guest (Dec 15, 2008)

Hi there - I don't really have severe symptoms and I'm supremely unfit - but I'd have thought a good vigorous walk would do you just as much good without all the bending - or hows about swimming?I play badminton once a week and I'm terrible but we have such a laff and by heck thats a pretty good workout and I'm 46, built for comfort rather than speed and have the athletic prowess of Brian the snail.Good luck anyroad up.Sue (Manchester, UK)


----------



## amanda8 (Jan 21, 2008)

Working out plays a huge role in helping to control my IBS!! I have pretty bad D and gas, but find that while I am working out, my symptoms don't interfere much with my exercising...though I agree with Mark, some of those yoga stretches will make your ability to hold in a fart awfully precarious! But, I have heard many a person let rip whilst in a downward dog position The benefits of exercising for me are many: it helps reduce my stress and anxiety tremendously, it seems to help my bowels move if they're sluggish, it enhances my immune system, it gives me mental clarity and improves my mood, it increases my overall engery level and it eases mucle aches and pain brought on by tension.If you haven't been exercising much, start out slow and do a little each day. You will quickly find that the more regularly you work out, the more energy you will have. Most days, I work about 9-10 hours and am mentally exhausted. I could just curl up and sleep. But, after about 10 minutes of increasing my heart rate, I am rejuvenated. It's amazing!I like a mixture of activities, keeps me from getting bored. I lift weights about 2-3 times per week and do some form of aerobic cardio about 4-5 times per week (e.g. running, cycling, kickboxing). I love vigorous, long workouts but that may not be it for you. The key is to find a level of activity and an activity that you enjoy. That way you'll keep doing it


----------



## rockingirl (Jan 10, 2008)

A lot of times I find exercising actually brings on D! And I don't mean vigorous exercise. Like 30 minutes power walking will do it. So annoying. But my New Years resolution was to get in better shape, so I guess I'll just deal.


----------



## drcurie (Dec 14, 2008)

hi all!I am a ibs sufferer from 4 years- initially it used to be plain nausea- now progressed to d +flatulence-i work out 6 days in gym - coz eating fibre less foods made me fat -though my general level of fitness has improved - ibs remains to be there- is there any evidence u shud'nt exercise -??? when i ws into yoga i had zero ibs - im trying alpha meditation+ reiki -







also- lets hope that works!!! its the big d that works me up---cant find any specific food allergies except i cant have green veggies and soya.


----------



## baz22p (Dec 1, 2008)

I'm like Sue for exercise but without the badminton (same age too). I have a step-pace contraption thingy in my garage that I keep telling myself 'I must try', but good intentons are about as far as I've got. Like Mark, I get my exercise from dog walking - but nowhere near as long. I watched my ex-wife do Tai Chi (it was before I had IBS) and it looked quite boring to me (orange kagool brigade on speed(?)). Anyway, I could envisage too much gas for comfort. I seem to get by with the exerise that being a house-husband provides ----- shocking I know, but I don't seem to get out of this inactive stage.Baz


----------



## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

One of the benefits I have most appreciated from exercise is that by staying at the lower end of the 15 pound range that I inhabit, my blood pressure goes from the 140s + down to the 120s. For me, hypertension, or it's lack, is a choice I make every day. (And it is just one other problem that I can eliminate without a prescription...) Whether it is a box and a "Step" DVD in the living room, or something more organized at the gym, Do It, Do It, Do It. "A half hour a day keeps the undertaker away."







Mark


----------



## softness (Jan 17, 2009)

Hello!From my experience, I took a boxing class from September to December and have never felt better. I stopped for the holidays, my class starts again in a few weeks, and since I have stopped my IBS symptoms have gotten a bit worse. For sure being active made my body run smoother and I felt great. Not 100% perfect but pretty good







I highly suggest it! Exercise is also great for releasing endorphins and mood-enhancing hormones, which are closely related to the gut apparently. Really, do it.M. xx


----------

