Ready to start exercising....what first?

[cattlekid]

So thanks to today's Groupon deal, I now have a shiny new fitness membership to the gym that is literally across the street from my house.  I'm not new to the gym thing, in my younger days I was there 6x per week, lifting weights and doing cardio.  However, that was 20-ish years ago when I didn't have a single clue that I would ever have kidney disease and be on dialysis.

For those of you who are on dialysis and are gym members, what do you do?  Are there certain machines or exercises that I should avoid or those that are better?  I would like to be able to lose some fat weight and get some energy back.

[Cordelia]

The elliptical trainer is a good start, it's low impact on the joints, if you have joint problems like with your knees.

Maybe see what your doctor suggests?  I know with most everything when it comes to excercising, they say consut your doctor first.

[willowtreewren]

In addition to the elliptical, the treadmill is a good choice. Walking is by far the best exercise. 

Aleta

[noahvale]

*

[amanda100wilson]

If you have a fistula you should lift no more than 10lb with that arm.

[Rain]

Take it slow with the weights if yu have a fistula and don't strain your arms.

Other then that take it slow with cardio.  Your lungs are so out of shape, but find something you could stick with.  Keep in mind dialysis patients have to work 2x as hard as non dialysis patients to gain muscle.

[cattlekid]

Ugh, this is what I am afraid of.  I don't want to waste my time going to the gym and seeing absolutely no results because I can't or shouldn't do certain things.  I am trying to figure out how to maximize my exercise time for the best results.  I have no luck on the elliptical because I can't go fast enough to keep up with the machines even at the lowest level.  I think I'll have to stick with the treadmill or bike but that seems so pointless as you have to do so much to be able to see results with cardio only.

[Rain]

Don't give up. I started biking 4 weeks ago and I have finally increased my lung capacity for running and I ran for 2 km yesterday.  Just push yourself a little bit more each work out and keep to a schedule.  Include weights cause you will see results with weights. 

[Zach]

Keep in mind dialysis patients have to work 2x as hard as non dialysis patients to gain muscle.

Where did you read that?


Anyway, this has been my list of exercises when I'm not too busy with work:
      Exercise            Muscle worked
1)   Leg Extensions--quadriceps
2)   Leg Curls--hamstring
3)   Chest Machine Fly--middle pectorals
4)   Wide Grip Pulldowns-- latissimus dorsi
5)   Seated Cable Rows--biceps, latissimus dorsi, rhomboids
6)   Machine Leg Press—quadriceps, hamstring, gluteus
7)   Machine Incline Bench Press--upper pectorals
8   Hip Adductors
9)   Hip Abductors
10) Single Arm Dumbbell Rows--middle back
11) Dumbbell Lateral Raises--middle deltoid
12) Bent Over Lateral Raises--deltoids, rhomboids
13) One Arm Front Dumbbell Raises--anterior and medial deltoids
14) Dumbbell Concentration Curls--biceps
15) Rope Pushdowns--triceps
16) Two Arm Dumbbell Upright Rows--front deltoid & trapezius
17) Straight Arm Pulldowns
18) Dumbbell Shrugs—Trapezius
19) Back Extensions

Always remember:
Leave your ego at the gym door.

[cattlekid]

Zach, you can do all that stuff with a fistula?

[Zach]

Zach, you can do all that stuff with a fistula?

Yes.

My fistula was created at my wrist, so the enlarged vein where I cannulate the needles is in the forearm, not in the upper arm.
And I do use lighter weights when curling or otherwise bending my arm.

But certainly with leg exercises, I can go "for the gusto."

[jeannea]

Don't be hard on yourself about the elliptical. I can't even get the thing started! Try treadmill and bike. Some weightlifting is good. Most women like the results best with lower weights but more repetitions. Some gyms have a stair machine. You just keep climbing stairs. You may not lose weight right away because muscle weighs more than fat. But the benefits of being strong and healthy are worth it.

Now if I could only take my own advice...

[cattlekid]

I have a bicep fistula because my veins were too deep in my wrist. Since I do home hemo, I'm generally liking the bicep fistula for ease of use.  So can I do,any upper body machines, or just  very light dumbbells?

[Zach]

I have a bicep fistula because my veins were too deep in my wrist. Since I do home hemo, I'm generally liking the bicep fistula for ease of use.  So can I do,any upper body machines, or just  very light dumbbells?

You may want to consult with your nephrologist or better yet, your vascular surgeon.

[Willis]

If I had to depend on traditional exercising per se (calisthenics, running, weights, etc.) I couldn't keep it up. I had enough PT in the Army to last a lifetime. BORING.

A little over two years ago I started playing serious table tennis at a club and within a year I had lost 60 pounds. Competitive table tennis is not like playing in your basement! It's very demanding physically but it's fun and keeps me coming back even on those days when I don't feel like it. It's also a year-round sport and relatively inexpensive. Anyone new to table tennis as a sport won't believe how hard a game it can be even against club-level players. To get started, find a coach, take lessons, join a league, and be prepared to lose (and sweat) a lot! Oh, and BTW, even people in wheelchairs and seniors play the game so it's a sport anyone can play.

But even if table tennis doesn't sound like your cup of tea, try to find an organized sport that will keep your interest up enough so you will keep exercising. I could never stick with "regular" exercising. It's too easy to tell myself I don't feel like it "just this once." But any competitive sport that involves a little effort will provide fun AND exercise. Sports leagues give the incentive (at least for me) to show up. If it all depends on my will power to just "do it" by myself I will fail (been there, done that). Whatever the activity, I think frequent competition or having to perform with or against others provides a better social incentive to keep practicing. Practice (or exercise) just for its own sake is in my experience a very difficult thing to keep doing for very long without some goal to go with it.

 

[cattlekid]

Well, since I do home hemo 5x per week the only time I am going to have for exercise is 0 dark thirty in the morning so I think leagues are not going to be an option right now.   

As far as the vascular surgeon, he didn't even want me to knit, so I highly doubt he will sign off on weightlifting.  I will probably have to resign myself to a lifetime of no upper body strength.

[Bill Peckham]

If you have a fistula you should lift no more than 10lb with that arm.

I wouldn't be able to do my job if this were true. I think the advise it to not put straps over your arm - like a hand bag or shopping bag - lifting shouldn't be a problem. I've known body builders who use hemodialysis. Like Aleta said there really is little better than walking - for just 30 minutes a day but if you go the gym route then I would wear a heart monitor, establish a target heart rate and then do aerobic lifting: low weight,  high repetitions, one after another rather than a lot of weight.

[MooseMom]

This is a very interesting thread, and I've been thinking about it for quite a while today.

I don't know if there is anything intrinsic to dialysis that makes certain kinds of exercise verboten or dangerous, although I certainly understand that unless you've been weightlifting for a while already, that's something one might want to steer clear of if you have a new fistula.

Cattlekid, I know you have limited time because of home hemo, but I also know you are on the tx list, so if it were me, I think I might use my time toward training for that.  I think I might seek to improve my cardiovascular health as this is an area where we are most vulnerable.  I assume you have a good idea of what your cardiovascular health actually is like since you have to have tests each year to stay on the list.

I think I'd also work on strengthening my core muscles so that after surgery, my abdominal muscles might heal more quickly and more movement might be restored within a shorter time period.

I think I also might work to improve my lung capacity (via cardio work) to reduce the risk of pulmonary problems after surgery.

[noahvale]

^

[cattlekid]

So I went to the gym this morning and got signed up.  The best thing that they have (other than the 40 (!) treadmills) is their online fitness tracker.  I had to do a short workout then record what I did (I did the lighest weights possible 10 lbs for the upper body), my goals and restrictions and then it will spit out a workout for each day.  This is included in the $25 per month cost.  I was able to get through 20 minutes on the treadmill as well, walked a little over a mile until Nadal vs. Djokovic went into rain delay LOL 

I think this will be doable.  I looked at their online tracker and there is a way that you can customize it to avoid certain exercises altogether so I will be able to cut out the ones that I can't/shouldn't do (right now I cut out all bicep exercises).

Now comes the motivation issue....it's literally right across the street from my house.  I told my husband that tomorrow morning at 5:30 AM, he is to apply his foot to my ass when the alarm clock goes off. I may bitch and I may moan all the way there, but at least I'll be there LOL

[Bill Peckham]

 
Don't forget to stretch.

[Willis]

So I went to the gym this morning and got signed up.  The best thing that they have (other than the 40 (!) treadmills) is their online fitness tracker.  I had to do a short workout then record what I did (I did the lighest weights possible 10 lbs for the upper body), my goals and restrictions and then it will spit out a workout for each day.  This is included in the $25 per month cost.  I was able to get through 20 minutes on the treadmill as well, walked a little over a mile until Nadal vs. Djokovic went into rain delay LOL 

I think this will be doable.  I looked at their online tracker and there is a way that you can customize it to avoid certain exercises altogether so I will be able to cut out the ones that I can't/shouldn't do (right now I cut out all bicep exercises).

Now comes the motivation issue....it's literally right across the street from my house.  I told my husband that tomorrow morning at 5:30 AM, he is to apply his foot to my ass when the alarm clock goes off. I may bitch and I may moan all the way there, but at least I'll be there LOL

 

The first step is the hardest! Try to set some goals to keep you motivated. I know for me there are many times I'd rather stay home and sleep!

 

[cattlekid]

My real goal is so vain.... For the women among us, I currently wear a size 18 women's which is hard to find in reasonably priced classic work attire. I would like to lose at least two dress sizes in order to fit into clothes easier.

Of course, that will take a while. My goal this week is to get to the gym at least three times.

[jeannea]

Good for you. It's better if your goals are realistic. Going 3 times a week is possible. Just don't think you failed because you don't lose 2 sizes in a month. You need to cut 3500 calories per week to lose a pound that week. The calories are either eating less or exercising more or a combo of each.

The real problem is all the weight loss advice starts with drink more water which is not ok on dialysis.

[cattlekid]

Yeah, I know this is going to be ten times harder than it was when my kidneys were working. I have no illusions that weight loss is going to be easy, especially because most "diets" start and end with water and whole grains lol