Exercise

[robinj2]

Hi

I have been on dialysis for 4 1/2 years.  I have had 3 calls in the last month, so hopefully THE call will happen soon .  Anyway, I know that I have lost a lot of muscle mass during this time and I feel weak all the time.  I am not sure if this is just the way that I should feel because of the treatments or what.  I am a thirty something woman with no other health issues.  I want to start exercising so that my body can get stronger.  Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks

[amanda100wilson]

If you can afford it, Imhighly recommend joining a gym and workingmwith a fitness instructor.  I have been doing this for several years.  Doing it this way is a good motivator for getting you there, the instructor can tailor exercises to your specific needs and you also know that you are using the equipment correctly.  I have definately got stronger in that time.  I started going when I was getting really sick on PD and didn't make much headway but once I felt better after I started home hemo, I made good progress.

[Willis]

I'm a LOT older than you but face the same problem. After I got out of the Army I didn't want to run or exercise anymore...I'd had enough of that! But 3-5 mile runs at 6am every day will definitely keep you in shape. My problem (and I think for lots of veterans) is that we develop terrible eating habits. The standard ration packs are something like 3500 calories for just one meal! You can eat basically anything you want without worrying about your weight. But once I got out and quit burning the calories I gained about 5 lbs per year no matter what I tried to do (except exercise of course). My "Army weight" was about 165-170 lbs. but by a little over 3 years ago--just a few months before I went on dialysis--I was up to 260 lbs. The transplant center said I was right on the bubble and that if I didn't do something they wouldn't put me on the list.

The biggest problem I see with myself and most everyone who faces this problem is motivation. Running or walking or using a treadmill is so dreadfully boring for me and I could never stick with it for long. Before I got so fat I couldn't see my feet I'd always enjoyed sports but had done nothing remotely athletic in years. Somehow I met up with some table tennis players at a club here in my city. This is "real" table tennis and nothing like recreational ping pong. I was and still am amazed at how physically demanding it can be. It was fun and it's a year-round sport. I caught the competitive spirit and that gives me the emotion to stick with it. I signed up for fairly expensive lessons which is also a good motivator. Just paying dues at a gym is not the same as having a coach. With a coach taking my money whether I worked out or not was a good motivator. These coaches can't be fooled when you haven't done your "homework" and at least for me it's embarrassing to go to my lesson unprepared and then having to pay for the same training more than once. That was over 3 years ago and I took weekly lessons for about 9 months. Since then and helped a bit from just being sick and tired from dialysis I've lost about 85 lbs and this morning was down to 174.

Maybe table tennis is for you and maybe not. But my point is that starting a good exercise program requires some strategy for maintaining your motivation. I think indoor sports make more sense if one lives in an area where the weather will decide if you exercise or not. Whatever sport might seem interesting or fun for you is the way to go. But I think for it to work and to be able to stick with it requires a bit of self-made peer pressure. That is where joining a team, signing up for regular lessons, and getting into actual competition will make a huge difference. When you have team mates who are counting on you to at least show-up it does motivate. Some sports to consider besides table tennis would be regular tennis, "pickle" ball, competitive swimming, badminton, basketball, perhaps even something like mountain bikes or cycling. Find a club or a team and have fun. That way you get your exercise and can enjoy it rather than making it something you "have" to do.

 

[jeannea]

Anything that is exercise and you like to do is good. Walking, swimming, team sport, fitness machines. Don't overdo it at first. Rest if you need to. If it hurts (truly hurts) then stop. You can do it.

[noahvale]

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[Desert Dancer]

Bellydance! You can kick your own @ss just standing in one spot and it is fun, fun, FUN. Plus, you're actually learning to dance! Beats the hell out of a treadmill and you get to impress people with your belly rolls, too.

[Riki]

I've been walking and doing aqua zumba since February.  I haven't lost a whole lot of weight, but I've seen a change in my legs.  My upper legs have gone down in size considerably, so I think that might be where I am losing weight.  I've increased my stamina too.  There was a time when walking for just a few minutes would tire me out, but I now routinely walk a 3km route in about an hour and a half.  My problem now seems to be that I start to get dehydrated about half way along.

[robinj2]

Thanks for all the advice.  I have a lot of great things to consider now.  I am leaning toward Zumba and Bellydancing.    The treadmill or any machine like that bores me to tears.  After 20 minutes, I want to be somewhere else...anywhere else.  LOL

[Deanne]

Do you live in an area that offers community ed type of classes, maybe through a parks department or community college? If so, they usually offer a variety of classes, usually for 6-8 weeks at a time. It'd be a way to try a variety of things to see what activities you end up enjoying the most. Since they're only for a few weeks, there isn't a big time or cost committment if it ends up being an activity you don't like.

[Mr Pink]

I go to the gym usually twice or three times a week. I spend about half an hour on the exercise bike, then do a variety of weights, which I've been slowly increasing. I feel pretty good as a result.

[Zach]

Here are some interesting past IHD discussions about exercise:

Want to join me in exercise?
http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=3027.msg439939#msg439939

EXERCISE
http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=415.msg374142#msg374142

What about exercise?
http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=148.msg624#msg624

 

[Big E]

I like doing exercise videos. You don't have to leave home, and there are workouts for all fitness levels. I order from collagevideo.com, which specializes in exercise videos--it's a great company.

[Riki]

Yeah, the not leaving home thing is good for me. *L*

Through the winter, I bought Dance Dance Revolution and a couple versions of Just Dance for the Wii.  They are awesome workouts, and Just Dance actually keeps track of how long your sessions were, and how many calories you burn

[jennymathew]

I think you should do light exercise like simple walking, jogging, swimming etc. or should take recommendation from your doctor, they will recommend you exercise according to your current situation. The best exercise for the kidney problem is the one with continuous activity but these exercises should be performed with the proper instructions from personal fitness trainers. My brother is also suffering from the same problem, so we have hire a personal trainer from Fitmotion for him. This make him feel more energetic. The best designed training program should include:
1.   Strength training
2.   Aerobics
3.   Stretching and flexibility.