Top 7 Fitness Exercise Tips for Kidney Patients

[okarol]

Top 7 Fitness Exercise Tips for Kidney Patients

Regular exercise improves muscle function, helps control blood pressure, lowers cholesterol and increases quality of sleep.

Despite the multiple benefits, many chronic kidney disease patients do not exercise enough due to concerns regarding what type of exercise they can do, how often they should exercise and how to create a fitness schedule. This month, the National Kidney Foundation answers 7 common fitness questions from CKD patients.

   1. What types of exercise can I do?
      Choose continuous activity such as walking, swimming, bicycling (indoors or out), skiing, aerobic dancing or any other activities in which you need to move large muscle groups continuously.

      Low-level strengthening exercises may also be beneficial as part of your program. Design your program to use low weights and high repetitions, and avoid heavy lifting.

      One simple way to exercise and help many others with CKD is to join a local Kidney Walk
   2. . How often and for how long should I exercise for?
      Exercise at least three days a week. These should be non-consecutive days, for example, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Three days a week is the minimum requirement to achieve the benefits of your exercise. Work toward 30-minute sessions. Remember to build up gradually to this level.

   3. Can I take part in vigorous physical activity?
      Yes. In the past, it was thought that people with kidney disease would not be able to join in vigorous activity. We know now that patients who decide to follow an exercise program are stronger and have more energy.

   4. How hard should I work while exercising?
      This is the most difficult to talk about without knowing your own exercise capacity. Usually, the following ideas are helpful:
          * Your breathing should not be so hard that you cannot talk with someone exercising with you. Try to get an exercise partner such as a family member or a friend.
          * You should feel completely normal within one hour after exercising. If not, slow down next time.
          * You should not feel so much muscle soreness that it keeps you from exercising the next session.

      The intensity should be a "comfortable push" level. Start out slowly each session to warm up, then pick up your pace, then slow down again when you are about to finish. The most important thing is to start slowly and progress gradually, allowing your body to adapt to the increased levels of activity.
   5. When should I exercise?
      Try to schedule your exercise into your normal day. Here are some ideas about when to exercise:
          * Wait one hour after a large meal
          * Avoid the very hot times of the day
          * Morning or evening seems to be the best time for exercising
          * Do not exercise less than an hour before bedtime

   6. When should I stop exercising?
      You should stop exercising if you feel any of the following:
          * Very tired
          * Shortness of breath
          * Chest pain
          * Irregular or rapid heart beats
          * Sick to your stomach
          * Leg cramps
          * Dizzy or light-headed

   7. Are there any times when I should not exercise?
      Yes. You should not exercise without talking with your doctor if any of the following occurs:
          * You have a fever
          * You have changed your dialysis schedule
          * You have changed your medicine schedule
          * Your physical condition has changed
          * You have eaten too much
          * The weather is very hot and humid
          * You have joint or bone problems that become worse with exercise

      If you stop exercising for any of these reasons, speak to your doctor before beginning again.

From NKF Newsletter

[Bajanne]

Thanks, Karol!  I just cut and pasted this into my 'Health' folder.

[Rerun]

I like the part about "when should I NOT exercise".

                     

[jccarey09]

Thanks for those very helpful tips. Kidney patients should not exercise hard because it might it might affect their kidneys.

[greg10]

Thanks for those very helpful tips. Kidney patients should not exercise hard because it might it might affect their kidneys.

You mean like Dialysis Dan doing whitewater rafting? 



http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=19740.0

[Deanne]

At every visit, my neph tells me part of the reason I'm doing so well is likely because I've stayed fit and that she wants me to keep it up. I get tempted to slack off, but her encouragement helps. I think I'll skip the whitewater rafting, but kayaking might be fun, and I keep being tempted to buy a bike. The only reason I haven't is that I'm afraid to ride next to cars.

[The Lone IT from HM]

Have you all heard that light exercise DURING treatment is good for removal of fluid removal?  keeps your O2 up and makes the fluid move from the cells into the blood system.

[Rerun]

Have you all heard that light exercise DURING treatment is good for removal of fluid removal?  keeps your O2 up and makes the fluid move from the cells into the blood system.

Ears plugged..... la la la la la la la la la la la       

[MooseMom]

Have you all heard that light exercise DURING treatment is good for removal of fluid removal?  keeps your O2 up and makes the fluid move from the cells into the blood system.

Yes, actually, I have heard that.  I heard about one clinic that had a recumbent bike thingy.

[The Lone IT from HM]

I like Rerun's responce...I can just imagine FMC turning all thier clinics into Dialysis and Fitness centers   There are some really "interesting" YouTube videos on exercising during treatment.

[Aelred]

Hey okaral thanks for sharing this one info with all of us at the forum,
I hope that this will help much to all of the member's of the forum and
you will keep sharing this kind of the helpful and useful info with all of us at the
forum....

[Willis]

Thanks for those very helpful tips. Kidney patients should not exercise hard because it might it might affect their kidneys.

I exercise extremely hard 3-5 hours 3 days per week with lighter exercise including weights on my off-days. My nephrologists and every other doctor I've talked to credit this for why I made it so long without needing dialysis.

It wasn't always so for me...after getting out of the Army I gained 75 pounds. I've managed to lose 50 of that over the last few years after I decided I didn't want to die sitting on my couch eating chips and watching TV. Now that I am on PD they tell me the more exercise the better.

 

[CebuShan]

Having a dog, I walk several times per day. He's my little training buddy for the 3 mile Gift of Life Walk that is coming up in October. Me, my husband and the dog will be participating.

[mcclane]

where i work (and where my wife works) there is a gym (we both work at universities).  I go at least 5-6 times a week. 

I try to do at least 30-35 min of cardio, then weight traning.  I know the newsletter says to avoid heavy lifting, but I do it anyways.  On PD, that is a big no no (i got 2 hernias because of it), but on hemo, I'm pushing myself harder.  To develop my fistula, i did intense bicep curls, from light weight but high reps, to heavy weight but low reps.  I still continue to do curls to maintain the fistula and to keep it plump.

[rsudock]

 

[Rain]

I exercise every day, I walk for at least an hour a day, and then 3 days week I swim or hit the gym including weights. I find it makes me feel better between treatments.

[Big E]

I like doing step aerobics, but I definitely have a lot less energy when my hemoglobin level is low.