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Does anyone know about keeping active while dealing with crohns. I am a nurse who used to be a competitve dancer/ runner . However while  I have been on medication for crohns . I am on remicade and canasa right now. I just feel worn out. I work 3 12 hour days per week and find going to work is just enough  for me. I am constantly worn out.  My  Md is wonderful bu the does not understand I want my life back. I talked to a trainer at the gym but he was useless. He is telling me  to work my abs. Isn't  that one thing I should not be doing? Any suggestions as to safe exercises getting more of an energy level etc would be appreiciated . thankyou ps I feel guilty asking this when some people are barely managing  basic adls

 Reply posted for dmd108.

Hi

My name is Laura. I haven't posted here for a long time. I was diagnosed in 2007 with Crohns. My doctor said I have a mild to moderate case and they caught it in the early stages, although it had been building up for several years. My main presenting symptoms when I am not feeling well are fatigue, frequent BMs, although not exactly diarrea, and a feeling in my stomache like I'm full of squishy jello. Sometimes I feel like I have a belly full of hot coals.

Most of the time I feel ok, although I have a few bad days now and then. I can walk and dance (slowly) and I managed to put a garden in this summer. I also qualify housework as exercise, because if it makes me sweaty or tired, well, that's exercise, right? My biggest problem is finding time to exercise. I don't work, I have an eight year old that is mostly self sufficient now, but trying to manage my home and other activities I like to do takes up most of my time. Some days I just don't feel like exercising. I may just try yoga. It sounds like I might be able to handle that. I tried Circuit training, but couldn't keep it up; it made me too dizzy and weak. I can't keep up with excercise videos. I have no stamina anymore. If I had to run to save my life, I wouldn't make it, I'm sure!

Just remember, don't overdo, or you may end up feeling worse. I would like to have my old levels of energy back also, but I have learned to accept the fact that this is the new me, and all I can do is all I can do. I am lucky to have a husband who understands that I can only do so much. He picks up the slack if I'm really in a bad way.

Hope you feel better

Laura

 Reply posted for dmd108.

I started exercising slowly.  Working all day is challanging when you are not feeling good and on these medications.  I've been on them all.  Had to stop Remicade after a bad reaction now on Cimzia with only partial relief (was just released from the hospital with a partial blockage!)  Guess it has not started working yet, so i am on a no exercise regimen right now.  I got  a WII for christmas last year.  I love my WII fit.  It is great.  The yoga is perfect because you can modify it for how your feeling and the step programs are awesome too.  I also have a treadmill and elipticle in my basement.  When i feel good I try to do 15 min on either of them 3x a week.  Its not a lot but when i'm feeling better i've been able to get up to as much as a 45 min workout....15 on the elipticle, 10 on the treadmill, and then 20 on my step program.  Can't wait to get back to it.  It did help me feel better and less fatigued.  IF there is a day that you feel overly fatigued just skip the exercise.  Build up to want you want tto do slowly., Good luck

 Reply posted for Pensail.

Sometimes working out helps combat my fatigue ; sometimes it makes it worse.

The key for me is to push myself a little harder than I want to be pushed (as long as I'm not cramping or getting really nauseated). If I have a little more energy afterwards, I know how hard to work out next time. If I feel worse afterwards (just want to sleep, persistant nausea), then I know I pushed too hard and I'll go a bit easier next time.

If this seems really vague it's because it is... IBD really frustrates me sometimes - I have to figure out "everything" myself (what to eat, when/how to exercise, etc, etc) and I can do the same thing at two different times and I'll react differently

 Reply posted for Aaroneet.

Those sound like good workouts - a lot of variety! I'm going to have to look for some of these to keep me from getting tired of the ones I have...

That's another key to exercise in general and with IBD in particular: variety. It's hard enough to work out when I'm fatigued... if I'm fatigued and bored I'm not likely to exercise at all!

 Reply posted for SabrinaMarie.

I'm sorry to be double posting here, but I do DVDs as well. I would highly recommend any in the 10 Minute Pilates series as well. I'll also add a couple:

New Yoga Basics-Kathy Smith
If you can find it, it's a thorough Yoga routine for beginners.

Stretch Max-Cathe Friedrich
One of my favorite instructors. Fit TV airs 30 minutes
of this workout regularly (with commercials) every Monday
at 7:00 A.M and 11:00 A.M.

X Stretch-Tony Horton
This is part of the P90X series, but you can probably
get the individual one off of Amazon. It's 57 minutes,
but always work at your own pace.

If anyone's feeling audacious or well enough to start on cardio
or weights, I have a few recommendations:
Kenpo X-Tony Horton
Another in the P90X series, this mostly is a low impact
workout comprised of different punches and kicks. It is
not, however, to be underestimated.

Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps-Cathe Friedrich
This workout clocks in at approximately 45 minutes.
Relying on classic moves like traditional pushups, chest flies,
and tricep extensions, this is the starter for anyone getting into
or getting back into weight work.

 Reply posted for SabrinaMarie.

SabrinaMarie, a little off topic, but I accidentally clicked 'Report Abuse' on one of your posts. I am so sorry.

 Reply posted for dmd108.

If you're feeling cramped, abs ARE NOT the part to be working. Instead, try gentle stretching that relieves the pain. Yoga and tai chi are supposed to be wonderful for Crohn's and colitis patients. Walking and swimming, if you have the energy, are also helpful. This site gives a tip: Try walking around the block. If you feel you can do more, walk around twice. If you're starting from scratch, it might seem hard, especially if you've been active for several years, but you'll get back to where you were. It's about exercising smarter-not harder. I find that the endorphins released during exercise actually relieve my pain. I sometimes only feel well during flare ups when I'm exercising. Activities that are gentle on the abs and joints and relieve stress are usually the best.

 Reply posted for SabrinaMarie.

I also have difficulty exercising on a regular basis and reading your story makes me feel much better, that I'm doing what I can when I feel I can exercise.  Does exercising make you feel better and have more energy or are you drained?  Most of the time I feel drained but am learning when I'm having symptoms that things are very hard for me energywise. 

Pensail

 Reply posted for dmd108.

Hi! I'm in the midst of a Crohn's flare. The prednisone has stopped the diarrhea, so now my worst symptoms are fatigue and bloating/gas.

It's really hard to work out when you're too fatigued to want to do anything at all. Here are two things that are helping me stay active:

1. BodyFlex breathing exercises from Greer Childers' book "Be a Loser!" A friend loaned me this book and even though the exercisers involve deep breathing/"abdominal lift" and then a stretching pose, these exercises don't cause me any gut pain. I do these exercises every morning and they combat my fatigue, at least short-term.

2. Work-out DVDs. If someone else is picking the work-out and setting the pace, I find that I have an easier time just doing it. I started out with a slow-paced ballet conditioning program ("slow-paced" doesn't mean "easy!!!): "Ballet Conditioning", Elise Gulan. I'm now adding in some faster-paced work-outs a few times a week. I usually don't have time or energy to make it through a whole video, so I do the warm up/about 10min of work-out/cool down. I also have a Pilates DVD that is broken into 10 min segments that's really helpful for time/energy constraints.

Fatigue has always been constant and severe with my Crohn's, I don't think its a minor issue at all!