Fitness & Exercise Support Group

Crohn's Disease Forum

Help Support Crohn's Disease Forum:

Cat-a-Tonic

Cat-a-Tonic

Super Moderator
Joined
May 5, 2010
Messages
12,845
Let's all support each other in our quests to get healthier and fitter! We can fight this thing one workout at a time. :) Let's share information and advice in here about stretching and strengthening our bodies to be as healthy as they can be. Let's get strong! Who's with me?
 
I've decided that as part of my comeback into running, I am streaking for 60 days. I'm on day 3.

The only rule to streaking is you must run every day during your intended streak. It can be as little a a km, but you have to run.
 
Hello
This is a good idea. :pika:

I have recently started exercising again. I had to stop last year when I was ill, the ten minute walk to work used to leave me exhausted - and a few times I had to stop to rest or even be sick on the way ( so embarrassing).

But now I am feeling relatively normal and have put all my weight back on so it seems like a good plan to get fit again.

I have been jogging, rowing and doing circuit training (sit-ups, squats ect) for four weeks now. Definitely feeling the benefit already, but I do worry about doing too much, draining my resources or even hurting my insides by stretching/ pulling them too much while they are still trying to heal - is that possible ?

Anyway bug hugs to anyone who is getting back on the treadmill so to speak
 
Beach Bum, I would think you probably could do some damage if you overdo it or do too much too quickly. Build yourself back up slowly, push yourself if you feel able to but don't ignore pain. I'm sure it all depends on your specific illness and variables such as whether you've had surgery, etc - personally I cannot jog due to hip arthritis and sometimes even walking is problematic, but I find that I can lift weights just fine and I can ride the bike and do the elliptical without any pain. Generally speaking, just listen to your body and take things slowly at first, and if a specific exercise hurts or causes trouble then try something else instead. I would think that if you've been doing those exercises for 4 weeks now and you haven't had any problems, it should be fine to continue on. I'm not a doctor or fitness expert, just a fitness enthusiast, so this is just my experience and opinion of course. If you have concerns about doing damage, I would say check with your doc to be sure.

Alli, best of luck on the streak! You can do it! :)
 
AlliRuns said:
I've decided that as part of my comeback into running, I am streaking for 60 days. I'm on day 3.

The only rule to streaking is you must run every day during your intended streak. It can be as little a a km, but you have to run.
Click to expand...

Just FYI , in the U.S., streaking is normally defined as running through crowds of people buck naked, for the shock effect.

I am assuming the Canadian definition is somewhat different.

On the bike forums I belong to,cyclists post pictures of their bicycles posed in various positions and they call it "bike porn".
 
Two questions:

(1) What is the current status of everyone's IBS/IBD condition (mildly active, severely active, in remission, sketchy...)?

(2) How many days a week are you all exercising and for how long each day?...

I'm always curious to know how much effort/energy folks are putting into their routine especially at the beginning.

Mine was severely active a few weeks ago...slowly becoming mildly active. New meds. And I am trying to incorporate at least 15 - 20 min of exercise every other day in hopes of increasing that in the coming weeks. This flare wiped me out so right now I get worn out very easily. Starting small....

Stretching
Body Resistance weight training and light weights
Walking more where possible
Being more active around the house instead of just sitting on my sofa all day.

I want to put 15min of the elliptical somewhere in there at least once or twice a week. But I'm working up to that.
 
Chicago, I'd be happy to oblige. :)

1. IBD is in remission! GERD and arthritis not so well controlled though so I'm still having to work around health issues in the gym.

2. I've been working out regularly for about 2 years now, ever since I've been in remission. I started out at 2 days per week, lifting very light weights. I would go to the gym on my lunch hour, so subtracting the time it took me to change into my workout clothes and then back into my work clothes, I was working out for probably about 40 mins a day 2x per week in the beginning. I slowly & gradually ramped up the intensity and the frequency of my workouts. Now, I'm up to working out 5 or 6 days every week, fairly intense and alternating weights & cardio for about an hour each session. I probably still spend about 40 mins on the actual intense exercise and another 20 mins total on other things like warming up, stretching, and cooling down.
 
Ya noy said:
Just FYI , in the U.S., streaking is normally defined as running through crowds of people buck naked, for the shock effect.

I am assuming the Canadian definition is somewhat different.

On the bike forums I belong to,cyclists post pictures of their bicycles posed in various positions and they call it "bike porn".
Click to expand...

Ya Noy, Streaking to runners is entirely different.

I also bike, know all about Bike Porn :)
 
1 : I would say I am in remission. My inflammation markers are back to normal and I have no pain or problems day to day. I have occasional days when I feel bloated or sick with some discomfort and even more rarely days when I have mild D. (D was never really one of my problems though luckily.) :)

2 : Until recently my exercise was the walk (usually fast as I am late) to work everyday and then walking the dogs in the evenings.

I have added a light jog (15-20 mins) on Tuesday nights - usually with the dogs which is fun. On Thursday I jog down to the rowing club and do circuit training (30 seconds each of about 7 different exercises 2 or 3 times through) followed by 20 mins on the rowing machine and a jog home. Sundays we jog down and go out on the water for 45 mins to an hour then jog back.
 
CrohnsChicago said:
Two questions:

(1) What is the current status of everyone's IBS/IBD condition (mildly active, severely active, in remission, sketchy...)?

(2) How many days a week are you all exercising and for how long each day?...

I'm always curious to know how much effort/energy folks are putting into their routine especially at the beginning.

Mine was severely active a few weeks ago...slowly becoming mildly active. New meds. And I am trying to incorporate at least 15 - 20 min of exercise every other day in hopes of increasing that in the coming weeks. This flare wiped me out so right now I get worn out very easily. Starting small....

Stretching
Body Resistance weight training and light weights
Walking more where possible
Being more active around the house instead of just sitting on my sofa all day.

I want to put 15min of the elliptical somewhere in there at least once or twice a week. But I'm working up to that.
Click to expand...

My issues have mostly been fistulas until the past 6 months when I started having other intestinal symptoms that put me out of running for a few months. I've been doing better, but I still have bad days. Also my abdomen is so swollen right now that I'm calling it Igor :ywow:

Like I said above, I'm going to attempt a run streak, so I will be running every day, even if it's only 1km for the next 60 days. But I'm still obeying the rules of base building, so I will only be increasing by 10km per week. Last week was my first week back to running, and I only ran a total of 25km, the shortest day was 2km, and the longest day was 10km. No intensity yet.

I also cycle 3-4 times a week and do weights twice per week.. just legs and core, runner specific stuff. We still have snow, so riding has been indoors, though there was a day a few weeks ago where all the snow had melted and it was 5 degrees so I managed to sneak in a ride outside (didn't like having to clean all the grit out of my drivetrain afterwards though).
 
(1) I'd say I'm in the middle range of being mildly active to being in remission. I'm hoping in the near future that I'll be able to graduate from the SCD/paleo diet school and move on into the wider world of normal bowel people activities.

(2) I'm often tired and fatigued when I exercise - and even when I rest for that matter. I make it a point though to do my best to push through the discomfort and exercise some each day. My weekly workout routine is:

Weight lift twice a week for around an hour each time
Place tennis twice a week @ 90 minutes a time
Go for a walk around the block most days. The walk typically takes 40 minutes.
 
I'm at the beginning of a flare and trying to nip it in the bud using the SCD. I'm not exercising at all right now, but I would like to get back into doing something gentle like maybe yoga. With the nausea, joint pain, and abdominal pain, I haven't felt up to doing much.


& autocorrect...
 
AlliRuns said:
Ya Noy, Streaking to runners is entirely different.

I also bike, know all about Bike Porn :)
Click to expand...

Cool! What type of riding do you do? With all the weather and snow, right now I've just been riding my old commuter bike--a Schwinn Supersport I bought at a rummage sale many years ago, but it's cro-moly, and for an old bike, fairly light weight and rides in ice and snow rather well.

I bought my road/tri bike at a rummage sale too, but it's an Airborne W.A.S.P., designed for shorter women, like myself. Basically looks like this:
ix4dxu.jpg


You can't tell from the photo, but it's so tiny it looks like more like a toy. Mine is somewhat modified though for long distance trail riding. I changed the wheel set to accommodate slightly wider tires, along with swapping the ultegra triple chainset for 105 double. Shifts smoother, rides better on trails with less flats, while still only weighing in at under 18 lbs. It's older and a little beat up, but titanium frames are virtually bulletproof and not subject to the fatigue of aluminum and carbon frames.

Could race with it, but mostly, it enables me to keep pace with other riders, and my husband. He's 6'2" and has a lot more strength and power than I do. To even us out, he rides a mountain bike, and can still keep pace with other road bikers.
 
Ya noy said:
Cool! What type of riding do you do? With all the weather and snow, right now I've just been riding my old commuter bike--a Schwinn Supersport I bought at a rummage sale many years ago, but it's cro-moly, and for an old bike, fairly light weight and rides in ice and snow rather well.

I bought my road/tri bike at a rummage sale too, but it's an Airborne W.A.S.P., designed for shorter women, like myself. Basically looks like this:
ix4dxu.jpg


You can't tell from the photo, but it's so tiny it looks like more like a toy. Mine is somewhat modified though for long distance trail riding. I changed the wheel set to accommodate slightly wider tires, along with swapping the ultegra triple chainset for 105 double. Shifts smoother, rides better on trails with less flats, while still only weighing in at under 18 lbs. It's older and a little beat up, but titanium frames are virtually bulletproof and not subject to the fatigue of aluminum and carbon frames.

Could race with it, but mostly, it enables me to keep pace with other riders, and my husband. He's 6'2" and has a lot more strength and power than I do. To even us out, he rides a mountain bike, and can still keep pace with other road bikers.
Click to expand...

I ride road now, I use to mtn bike when I was younger, but when I joined the military, I didn't want to get hurt, so I bought a road bike. Now that I'm going to be released, I guess I could get back into Mtn biking again.. haha.

My current ride is a 2012 Cannondale Supersix Ultegra. My previous bike was an aluminum/carbon mix, and I much prefer the full carbon frame on rides over 100km.:ybiggrin:
 
AlliRuns said:
I ride road now, I use to mtn bike when I was younger, but when I joined the military, I didn't want to get hurt, so I bought a road bike. Now that I'm going to be released, I guess I could get back into Mtn biking again.. haha.

My current ride is a 2012 Cannondale Supersix Ultegra. My previous bike was an aluminum/carbon mix, and I much prefer the full carbon frame on rides over 100km.:ybiggrin:
Click to expand...

Nice! Oh, don't they make those now with electronic shifting? I haven't been able to find any bikes equipped with the Ultegra Di2 at the local bike shops, and have been dying to try it out. Of course, even if they did, none of the bikes would fit me properly anyway, but still...

I've always had a sizing problem, and I'm not about to order an expensive bike, because they normally can't be returned. Even if they could, don't think I'd be able to bring myself to put a bike shop through the expense, and I'd end up stuck with a ride I didn't enjoy. So I've never had the opportunity to even test ride a full carbon frame.

Wasn't that I didn't like the Ultegra, but it was the wrong crank length, and here in the great flat Midwest, there's no real need for a triple anyway. I went with 105s because they're kind of the bare minimum for acceptance with some of the riding clubs. For some reason, they don't give my husband a hard time about his mountain bike though. Maybe they're still trying to figure out how he can keep pace on a 50 lb. bike with those gigantic nubby tires. I wonder that myself.

I had a carbon wheelset, Zipp 404s, but the balance just wasn't right, so I had to return them. bike shops don't stock much variety for 650 wheelsets, so I haven't even been able to go that route. When and if I ever find another bike, I Think I would much prefer 700s.
 
I am a totally casual biker so I have nothing fancy. The coolest feature about my bike is that it's, um, blue. And it has a bell and a basket. :p I have a Schwinn Prestige which looks like this:
schwinn-prestige-womens-cruiser-bike.jpg

It's nice for just riding around the city. I haven't ridden it for more than about 5 or 6 miles at a time. I just ride it to the farmer's market, zoo, by the lake, etc. It's not fancy at all but it does the job and it's pretty cute. And clearly I know nothing about biking because "cute" and "blue" are the only descriptive words I can say about my bike. :p But I like to ride it, it's fun and it's definitely good exercise!
 
cat,

That's one sweet little cruiser :) and they've become rather popular, unfortunately, that makes them stealable as well--especially in a college town like Madison. So I hope you carry a good lock.

I've always been partial to Schwinns, but my old 10 speed is virtually theft proof by the simple virtue that no self-respecting bike thief would be caught dead on it. It's what I like the best about it. Mine has a back rack with attaching bag, but I feel the front baskets are more practical, especially for grocery shopping.

Cruisers are really nice and comfy for riding around town, and taking in some scenery, especially since you're not all bent over. The steel frame, front suspension and wider tires, is heavier, but that also makes it easier on your joints and bottom - the ride is a lot less jarring. If only traveling a couple of miles, this type of bicycle actually provides a more strenuous workout. I understand the stock seat is not the best, but you can always add a gel cover. I believe it's a 7 speed with SRAM shifting, which is more than sufficient for Wisconsin terrain.

So as long as you're not trying to looking to compete in the Tour de France, or ride up Pike's Peak, cruisers have a lot of really great features, including their price, because they're also very affordable. Plus, of course, they're cute! :)
 
I'm a gym rat. I quit drinking in 2002 after drinking heavily for 5-6 years straight and decided I needed to change my habbits. I traded in happy hour for the gym.

I enjoy lifting weights, pushing myself to see what I can do. I lift 4 days a week, about 40-45min.

I was out for about 6 weeks because I was just too shot to go. My elbows were so bad I could barely pick up my 25lb daughter and then I flared pretty bad.
That is by far the longest I've gone out of the gym in the past 11 years. I'm about 3 weeks back now, trying to get back to where I was before AND THEN SOME!
 
Ya noy said:
Nice! Oh, don't they make those now with electronic shifting? I haven't been able to find any bikes equipped with the Ultegra Di2 at the local bike shops, and have been dying to try it out. Of course, even if they did, none of the bikes would fit me properly anyway, but still...

I've always had a sizing problem, and I'm not about to order an expensive bike, because they normally can't be returned. Even if they could, don't think I'd be able to bring myself to put a bike shop through the expense, and I'd end up stuck with a ride I didn't enjoy. So I've never had the opportunity to even test ride a full carbon frame.

Wasn't that I didn't like the Ultegra, but it was the wrong crank length, and here in the great flat Midwest, there's no real need for a triple anyway. I went with 105s because they're kind of the bare minimum for acceptance with some of the riding clubs. For some reason, they don't give my husband a hard time about his mountain bike though. Maybe they're still trying to figure out how he can keep pace on a 50 lb. bike with those gigantic nubby tires. I wonder that myself.

I had a carbon wheelset, Zipp 404s, but the balance just wasn't right, so I had to return them. bike shops don't stock much variety for 650 wheelsets, so I haven't even been able to go that route. When and if I ever find another bike, I Think I would much prefer 700s.
Click to expand...

I don't have the electronic shift version, just the regular ultegra, it's still pretty sweet. I have a 48cm frame, so no 650 wheelset. I did have to get a little stem though so it would fit properly. The only thing I don't like about my bike is the wheels, the stock wheels are Krysiums. This summer I am going to get Fulcrum racing zeros :)
 
Ya noy, I do have a decent lock (I have a "u" type lock that got good reviews on amazon). I also did replace the original seat with a cushy gel one and that's made a lot of difference, it's so much nicer. I'm definitely not trying to ride the Tour de France or anything, I'm lucky if I can ride all the way through the arboretum. :p And yeah, I specifically chose that style of bike because you're not all hunched over on it, I wanted to be able to sit more upright to take some strain off of my back. And it was definitely affordable, I got it on amazon last year. I don't see it on there anymore but I know I paid less than $200 for it. And yes, it's got a 7 speed shifter thingy where you twist the left handle to shift, kind of like on a motorcycle. I like that a lot! For the price, it's a good bike for me. And yeah, it is totally cute. :)

Jer, I really like lifting weights too, it's my favorite form of exercise. I hope you can get back into fighting form soon - good for you for getting right back to it so soon after flaring! And that's great that you quit drinking and replaced it with a healthier alternative, I'm sure your body thanks you for that.
 
AlliRuns said:
I don't have the electronic shift version, just the regular ultegra, it's still pretty sweet. I have a 48cm frame, so no 650 wheelset. I did have to get a little stem though so it would fit properly. The only thing I don't like about my bike is the wheels, the stock wheels are Krysiums. This summer I am going to get Fulcrum racing zeros :)
Click to expand...

Krysium wheels are pretty sweet wheels, but I understand the desire to upgrade. Unfortunately with 650 wheels, my options are limited. They're no longer as popular and many manufacturers have dropped them completely. My bike came with Bontrager XX Racing Lite Wheels, but they didn't properly accommodate the slightly wider Terry Tellus tires, so I had a wheelset built. It's still fairly light weight, but rides better, with less flats on the limestone trails. The Bontragers were already well used when I bought the bike, so a wheelset for the road would be great. I'd love 700s, but with smaller bikes, there's also the toe overhang issue, so...

Cat,

I put an adjustable stem on my old Schwinn Super sport that enables me to ride in more of an upright position for cruising around town, but no nearly as well as you can on a Cruiser bike. I don't even own a lock for my Schwinn. I figure anyone desperate enough to steal it obviously needs it more than I do. I bought a nice thick gel seat for my Schwinn too. Makes a world of difference, doesn't it?

Cruiser bikes also enable you to ride almost any terrain, while road bikes are very limited. My sister lives in Florida and has these huge balloon type tires on her Cruiser bike that rides in sand on the beach.

I have a set of strapless toe clips I often use for my commuter bike. They don't work as well, but they're a lot cheaper and you can wear your regular shoes. They're also easier to slip in and out of, more practical for leisure riding. The plastic ones have too much "give", so the metal ones work better. if you're thinking of trying clips, see link: http://www.bgcycles.com/stainless-toe-clips.html

They enable you to use more of your front leg muscles, and add just enough additional power for climbing hills. if you shop around, you can usually find them a whole lot cheaper, mine were under $10.
 
Thanks Ya Noy, I will look around for clips like those. I need to place an amazon order soon anyway (I'm almost out of Calmoseptine!) so I'll look there for sure. And yes, the gel seat absolutely makes a huge difference. I rode my bike once with the stock seat and my booty was pretty sore (and it's taken enough abuse for one lifetime already) so I went right to the store and bought the cushiest gel seat they had. My bike has a quick-release on the seat too, so I bring it with me when I lock my bike. I don't want anyone to steal my bike or my gel seat! Either one would be a tragedy!

What does everyone else do for music when you're working out? I used to use my old ipod classic, which is a bit big and heavy. It's really old though and started slowly dying (sometimes it gets weird error messages, like it'll say it can't detect the battery charge even though the battery is fully charged, etc). So a couple months ago I got an ipod shuffle as it's small and was well within in my price range. I like it, it's good for working out, but it bothers me that it can only hold 2 GB and therefore can't hold my entire music collection. I was thinking about maybe getting a 16 GB ipod nano as that would hold all my music, but I've read mixed reviews. Anybody have a nano? Or another mp3 player that you really like? Specifically one that is great for working out with? Or should I just stick with my shuffle and switch around my playlists frequently enough that it doesn't get stale?
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
Thanks Ya Noy, I will look around for clips like those. I need to place an amazon order soon anyway (I'm almost out of Calmoseptine!) so I'll look there for sure. And yes, the gel seat absolutely makes a huge difference. I rode my bike once with the stock seat and my booty was pretty sore (and it's taken enough abuse for one lifetime already) so I went right to the store and bought the cushiest gel seat they had. My bike has a quick-release on the seat too, so I bring it with me when I lock my bike. I don't want anyone to steal my bike or my gel seat! Either one would be a tragedy!

What does everyone else do for music when you're working out? I used to use my old ipod classic, which is a bit big and heavy. It's really old though and started slowly dying (sometimes it gets weird error messages, like it'll say it can't detect the battery charge even though the battery is fully charged, etc). So a couple months ago I got an ipod shuffle as it's small and was well within in my price range. I like it, it's good for working out, but it bothers me that it can only hold 2 GB and therefore can't hold my entire music collection. I was thinking about maybe getting a 16 GB ipod nano as that would hold all my music, but I've read mixed reviews. Anybody have a nano? Or another mp3 player that you really like? Specifically one that is great for working out with? Or should I just stick with my shuffle and switch around my playlists frequently enough that it doesn't get stale?
Click to expand...

I have an iPod shuffle, I only use it in the gym or on my bike trainer, never for running outside. I like it because it's small and I can clip it on.
 
CrohnsChicago said:
Two questions:

(1) What is the current status of everyone's IBS/IBD condition (mildly active, severely active, in remission, sketchy...)?

(2) How many days a week are you all exercising and for how long each day?...
Click to expand...

1. I'd take sketchy (or somewhere in between remission and somewhat mildly active). I was in remission until 2009 but then had a few flares that required prednisone, but haven't had a flare requiring pred in a year.

2. Right now trying to run evety second day or three times a week, following a learn to run program as found in the book "Running Start to Finish" (my wife's from a couple of marathons and a few halves) to get back into it. Just started Sunday so doing 10 sets of running 1 minute, walking for 1 minute followed by leg stretches.
 
CrohnsChicago said:
Two questions:

(1) What is the current status of everyone's IBS/IBD condition (mildly active, severely active, in remission, sketchy...)?

(2) How many days a week are you all exercising and for how long each day?...

I'm always curious to know how much effort/energy folks are putting into their routine especially at the beginning.
Click to expand...

Hi! I'm in remission, and I currently run 4-5 days a week, my shortest run being 3mi, and my longest 12mi (I'm doing a half marathon in a couple weeks!). And I do mat pilates at the gym once a week. Trying to incorporate more strength training into my routine -- just a matter of squeezing it in!

When my Crohn's was active, I stopped running altogether because I was afraid to be out on a run somewhere with no access to a toilet. And even after my symptoms were under control, it was about a year and a half before I got back into running -- fear can be a very powerful disincentive! I started back up very slowly in 2011 -- 3 days a week for 20 min doing the run-walk thing (run one minute, walk one minute), and slowly increased the overall length of the workout and duration of the run portion.

I now try to do a race every month -- 5K, 10K, 15K or half marathon. I've been thinking about training for a marathon, but not sure I'm ready to pull the trigger just yet... Has anyone here participated in Team Challenge through CCFA?
 
Thanks everyone for your replies so far. Looks like most of you are in a position to work out very consistently. I wish you all the best of luck! :)

Spoke to my GI yesterday, my blood work has gotten better and my inflammation (CRP) has gone down significantly. However I'm experiencing waves of fatigue through the days. We agreed to put 15-20min of exercise every other day into my routine to see if it helps any (although I suspect it's my new med, the 6MP causing this).

Yesterday I did 2 circuits of 50jumping jacks, 20 squats, 5 pushups, 20crunches and 30sec plank. About 15min total of work with a short rest in between. It felt good while I was doing it but my legs, especially my knees, felt weak for a little while after. Going to stretch or maybe try a few quick yoga poses today and rest up.
 
CrohnsChicago said:
Two questions:

(1) What is the current status of everyone's IBS/IBD condition (mildly active, severely active, in remission, sketchy...)?

(2) How many days a week are you all exercising and for how long each day?...
Click to expand...

1> remission
2> 3/4 times a week and usually an hour and a half each time

Although at the moment I have a cold, so when I do squats I feel like I'm going to get crushed :p Progressing on all my other lifts though so far
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
What does everyone else do for music when you're working out? I used to use my old ipod classic, which is a bit big and heavy.
Click to expand...

I have an ancient iPod mini that I bought at a rummage sale for fifty cents. needed a new battery--which was all of $1.99, with shipping! I'm cheap, but figure that if I break it or it gets stolen, I won't be upset either. It's not the latest and greatest, but does the job.

I have a couple of iPod touches that I bought broken at rummage sales and had to replace the glass and digitizer, which is surprisingly easy to do. iPads are far more challenging. Prefer iPod mini for working out, less fragile. I've dropped it in water, ran it over with my bike, and yet it still works, just fine :)

Cat, your iPod classic probably just needs a new battery. The batteries were designed to last approx. 1 1/2 years. Replacement battery plus tools on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/616-0230-61...er_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item337f1aa6f2

Go to youtube for an instruction tutorial.

Alternatively, you can just hook it up to an external battery/charger, like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1900mAh-Ext...er_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item3f161d7213
 
Last edited:
As an eBay Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Ya noy said:
I have an ancient iPod mini that I bought at a rummage sale for fifty cents. needed a new battery--which was all of $1.99, with shipping! I'm cheap, but figure that if I break it or it gets stolen, I won't be upset either. It's not the latest and greatest, but does the job.

I have a couple of iPod touches that I bought broken at rummage sales and had to replace the glass and digitizer, which is surprisingly easy to do. iPads are far more challenging. Prefer iPod mini for working out, less fragile. I've dropped it in water, ran it over with my bike, and yet it still works, just fine :)
Click to expand...

Sometimes I watch movies or tv shows on my iPad while on my bike trainer. It fell one day and hit the chain/front chain rings, now I have a scratch on the corner of my screen :-( luckily, I haven't broken it yet, That would make Remicade day dreadful.
 
AlliRuns said:
Sometimes I watch movies or tv shows on my iPad while on my bike trainer. It fell one day and hit the chain/front chain rings, now I have a scratch on the corner of my screen :-( luckily, I haven't broken it yet, That would make Remicade day dreadful.
Click to expand...

I'm wondering how long iPad batteries will last. Haven't had to replace one yet, but probably should have while I had it apart. Takes several hours to heat up the glue and carefully pry the glass off an ipad. It's expensive if you have to take them in for repairs, like $100 to take apart and repair iPods, while iPads run closer to $200 or more, but parts are cheap if you do it yourself. I break almost everything and would go broke if had to pay for repairs.
 
I have an iPod shuffle I turn to. However if I am lucky to get my apartment complex gym to myself, there is a stereo in there that I have full control over to blast whatever music I want loudly :p
 
Ya noy, you have to heat up an ipad to remove the glass?? That sounds tricky and dangerous - how do you heat the glue without melting or damaging the inner workings? Hair dryer?

Chicago, there's a little gym in the basement of my workplace that is like that too. I'm usually the only one in there, and there's not a stereo but there is a TV & DVD player, so I pop in a DVD with my workout music and crank it up when I'm alone in there. It's awesome to have a gym all to yourself and to be able to crank the music without headphones!

That little gym is my sanctuary. It's so little though (only 8 weight machines) and it's only open during work hours, so I can't use it on the weekends or anything, so I ended up joining a "real" gym too. I like the big gym I joined, it has a lot of equipment, but there's often a lot of people there and I have to rely on headphones. There are a lot of TVs in there too and sometimes really gross shows are on! There's a show called "Man vs. Food" which seems to be a reality show about a guy who goes around to different diners and eats gigantic amounts of disgusting food within a time limit. It's horrifying and it seems to be always on! I don't have cable at home, and going to the gym just reinforces that I don't need cable TV as the shows all seem to be dumb anyway. :p

Sounds like a lot of us have ipod shuffles! Okay, so super important question - what color is everyone's ipod? Mine is blue! With my blue ipod and blue bike, can you tell what my favorite color is? ;) (<--blue smiley!)
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
Ya noy, you have to heat up an ipad to remove the glass?? That sounds tricky and dangerous - how do you heat the glue without melting or damaging the inner workings? Hair dryer?

Chicago, there's a little gym in the basement of my workplace that is like that too. I'm usually the only one in there, and there's not a stereo but there is a TV & DVD player, so I pop in a DVD with my workout music and crank it up when I'm alone in there. It's awesome to have a gym all to yourself and to be able to crank the music without headphones!

That little gym is my sanctuary. It's so little though (only 8 weight machines) and it's only open during work hours, so I can't use it on the weekends or anything, so I ended up joining a "real" gym too. I like the big gym I joined, it has a lot of equipment, but there's often a lot of people there and I have to rely on headphones. There are a lot of TVs in there too and sometimes really gross shows are on! There's a show called "Man vs. Food" which seems to be a reality show about a guy who goes around to different diners and eats gigantic amounts of disgusting food within a time limit. It's horrifying and it seems to be always on! I don't have cable at home, and going to the gym just reinforces that I don't need cable TV as the shows all seem to be dumb anyway. :p

Sounds like a lot of us have ipod shuffles! Okay, so super important question - what color is everyone's ipod? Mine is blue! With my blue ipod and blue bike, can you tell what my favorite color is? ;) (<--blue smiley!)
Click to expand...

I have a blue shuffle too, but hot pink is my fav colour.
 
The gym near me used to have day time tv on, so it was either jeremy kyle or eastenders reruns :s
Luckily they have a small gym at work which I use now which has a running machine, rower etc and some free weights. They got rid of the punch bag which I was so gutted about as I find it the best all round exercise Ive ever used.

Oh yeh, I have an ipod nano (grey) :)
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
Ya noy, you have to heat up an ipad to remove the glass?? That sounds tricky and dangerous - how do you heat the glue without melting or damaging the inner workings? Hair dryer?
Click to expand...

Yes, hair dryer and as the glue melts, you gently pry up the glass using a guitar pic. You have to be very careful not to bend the metal casing or break any of the attaching wires while you're at it, so it's advisable to watch several youtube tutorials before attempting--so you know all the location s of the wiring. If possible, it's best to practice on a broken iPod touch first.
 
LMV, I don't know why they play that awful show but I swear it's on almost every time I'm at the gym. It's so disgusting. My hubby comes to the gym with me sometimes, and he said that one time, he noticed a very large woman who was just standing in front of the Man Vs. Food TV with her mouth open and she was practically drooling. She wasn't working out, just staring at the TV. So, I guess one person at my gym likes that show! :p It disgusts me though, I tend to reflux when I'm working out and sometimes I get close to vomiting, and that show really doesn't help!

My gym also does this weird thing, where on the first Monday of every month they have pizza night. They literally bring in dozens of pizzas into the gym, and gym members can just sit down and eat a slice or three for free. That also makes my nausea go wild, just the pizza smell alone is so wrong in a gym! So I avoid the gym on pizza night (it also seems to be the busiest time to go to my gym, apparently everyone but me feels that pizza in the gym is an excellent idea). At least with Man vs. Food I don't have to smell the nasty crap he's eating. :p Yuck.
 
Mine is orange! :) I also recently bought an electric orange yoga mat. That color makes me feel energized so I decided I need to stick to bright, lively colors for workout supplies/gear lol.

And Ya Noy, I have had my iPod for at least 4 years and never had to change the battery. So I'm guessing they last a long time lol.

And its funny our gym is tiny too but they fit a lot of stuff in there, 3 treadmills, 2 ellipticals, a full circuit weight machine thingy and a benchpress area. Sometimes people bring their laptop, plug it in, sit it on a chair and do DVD workouts in our cramped little space lol. Luckily I have 24hr access to it so I can go whenever and it's never really busy/packed.

Cat-a-Tonic said:
Ya noy, you have to heat up an ipad to remove the glass?? That sounds tricky and dangerous - how do you heat the glue without melting or damaging the inner workings? Hair dryer?

Chicago, there's a little gym in the basement of my workplace that is like that too. I'm usually the only one in there, and there's not a stereo but there is a TV & DVD player, so I pop in a DVD with my workout music and crank it up when I'm alone in there. It's awesome to have a gym all to yourself and to be able to crank the music without headphones!

That little gym is my sanctuary. It's so little though (only 8 weight machines) and it's only open during work hours, so I can't use it on the weekends or anything, so I ended up joining a "real" gym too. I like the big gym I joined, it has a lot of equipment, but there's often a lot of people there and I have to rely on headphones. There are a lot of TVs in there too and sometimes really gross shows are on! There's a show called "Man vs. Food" which seems to be a reality show about a guy who goes around to different diners and eats gigantic amounts of disgusting food within a time limit. It's horrifying and it seems to be always on! I don't have cable at home, and going to the gym just reinforces that I don't need cable TV as the shows all seem to be dumb anyway. :p

Sounds like a lot of us have ipod shuffles! Okay, so super important question - what color is everyone's ipod? Mine is blue! With my blue ipod and blue bike, can you tell what my favorite color is? ;) (<--blue smiley!)
Click to expand...
 
Ya noy said:
I'm wondering how long iPad batteries will last. Haven't had to replace one yet, but probably should have while I had it apart. Takes several hours to heat up the glue and carefully pry the glass off an ipad. It's expensive if you have to take them in for repairs, like $100 to take apart and repair iPods, while iPads run closer to $200 or more, but parts are cheap if you do it yourself. I break almost everything and would go broke if had to pay for repairs.
Click to expand...

Not sure, I haven't had mine very long. I bought it when I found out I was going on Remicade.
 
Ya noy, I think she means that it takes several hours for each Remi infusion, so she needed something portable that she could use to entertain herself while having the infusion.
 
I usually watch the Lang and O'Leary exchange (a Canadian nightly business show) when I am on the treadmill.
 
So I just downloaded this phone app called FIG that lets you set weekly health/fitness goals and tally each time you meet the goal on your phone. You can also connect with others you know through the app and offer each other support while you try and reach your goals.

http://fig.com/

I have set mine up and am looking forward to seeing how it works. Hopefully it turns out to be a good tracker because I need something like that to maintain an exercise routine.
 
I hope that works for you, Chicago! I got some similar type of app on my Kindle Fire, but it wasn't really good for me. I wanted to lose the Entocort flab when I put this app on, so I told it I wanted to lose 5 or 10 lbs, and it told me that in addition to working out intensely, I needed to eat only 1600 calories a day. I was like, no, that's a starvation diet and I need more than that because I don't absorb all the calories I eat! So I deleted that app and just do it on my own without an app. Anyway, my point is, apps like that are aimed at what healthy people can do, so not everything on there may apply to someone like us. Don't feel bad if you can't do what the app tells you to or if something on the app doesn't really apply to you.
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
Ya noy, I think she means that it takes several hours for each Remi infusion, so she needed something portable that she could use to entertain herself while having the infusion.
Click to expand...

Makes perfect sense, and I should have realized because I bought a Nintendo DS for my mom some years back for the same reason--gives her something to do while waiting in doctor's office and on lab tests. She has an iPad now, but still brings the DS to appointments, smaller and fits better in her purse.
 
What a great thread! I'm excited to join. Like a few others, I'm a runner. I've completed a bunch of halfs, and three marathons - looking forward hopefully to a 10K and a half at the end of March, and my next marathon in October...

Things for me have been a little touch-and-go this week, unfortunately. I've been really getting back into my running routine for the last month or so, but I've been in a bunch of pain this week, and unfortunately, running does not seem to be helping. I did a couple of tempo runs, but I'm on hiatus until at least tomorrow to see if I can manage a long run this week. I have my doubts. UGH.
 
theseithakas said:
What a great thread! I'm excited to join. Like a few others, I'm a runner. I've completed a bunch of halfs, and three marathons - looking forward hopefully to a 10K and a half at the end of March, and my next marathon in October...

Things for me have been a little touch-and-go this week, unfortunately. I've been really getting back into my running routine for the last month or so, but I've been in a bunch of pain this week, and unfortunately, running does not seem to be helping. I did a couple of tempo runs, but I'm on hiatus until at least tomorrow to see if I can manage a long run this week. I have my doubts. UGH.
Click to expand...

I am aiming for an October 26.2 as well :)
 
prettykitty said:
Hi! I'm in remission, and I currently run 4-5 days a week, my shortest run being 3mi, and my longest 12mi (I'm doing a half marathon in a couple weeks!). And I do mat pilates at the gym once a week. Trying to incorporate more strength training into my routine -- just a matter of squeezing it in!

When my Crohn's was active, I stopped running altogether because I was afraid to be out on a run somewhere with no access to a toilet. And even after my symptoms were under control, it was about a year and a half before I got back into running -- fear can be a very powerful disincentive! I started back up very slowly in 2011 -- 3 days a week for 20 min doing the run-walk thing (run one minute, walk one minute), and slowly increased the overall length of the workout and duration of the run portion.

I now try to do a race every month -- 5K, 10K, 15K or half marathon. I've been thinking about training for a marathon, but not sure I'm ready to pull the trigger just yet... Has anyone here participated in Team Challenge through CCFA?
Click to expand...

Hi! I just started training for a Team Challenge Marathon. I'm planning to run/walk the one in California in July. Yesterday was our first training session & I'm sore but really excited!

I've been in remission since I started Remicade 4 months ago. About 6 months ago I started exercising, and now I exercise 5-6 times per week. I do about 60-75 minutes of cardio - bike, cross trainer, or treadmill. I plan to add some strength training to the mix, and include my Team Challenge training miles. I'm taking advantage of this beautiful remission to get stronger & more active.
 
First of all I just wanna say thanks for a great thread. I´m totally new to this forum despite been diagnosed with Crohns -96.

I started training- particularly lifting weights, 2½ years ago and it has really changed my life, have been able to increase my bodyweight with 25% and have been a lot more healthy. When I´m under the iron I´m in my own world and all daily problems and issues just disappear and it gives me a higher sense of purpose doing something just for me and forget about the disease etc.
I have also noticed that it is a great way for me to take care of myself without having to focus on the Crohns. The benefits for the Crohns comes along with better meal plans, rest when possible, thinking a little bit more on myself than before and time for myself. It has got me to think over my life- in particular my career choices and for the first time I have stopped for a moment and asked myself if I really wanna do the things I do for a living.

What I have noticed though is a lack of understanding from people around me, just because I have changed my physique etc they don´t understand that I am still ill. I mean the classic "you don´t look ill". I am grateful for that-because I will never let this disease take over, but when I suddenly get a flare up (fever, stomach pain etc) it seems that it´s hard for people to tolerate and understand.
Hmm sorry, seems like got off the topic here a little bit, but to keep it short; training has changed my life and I am looking forward to read your posts.

Regards
//Daniel
 
Hi Daniel , yes I agree exercise is a great way to make you feel better and take back control of your own body.

It is funny but people used to compliment me all the time on how great I looked when I was ill ( 5 foot 5 at 8 and a half stone ) I looked quite good in clothes but actually hated what was underneath a thin weak body that seemed to want to self destruct.

Since starting treatment 6 months ago, I am back up to 10 stone but I am so much healthier. I guess all those people now think I have let myself go again hehe but nothing could be further from the truth. Now I run , row and do circuit training.
I have my curves back and even more importantly my health.
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
I hope that works for you, Chicago! I got some similar type of app on my Kindle Fire, but it wasn't really good for me. I wanted to lose the Entocort flab when I put this app on, so I told it I wanted to lose 5 or 10 lbs, and it told me that in addition to working out intensely, I needed to eat only 1600 calories a day. I was like, no, that's a starvation diet and I need more than that because I don't absorb all the calories I eat! So I deleted that app and just do it on my own without an app. Anyway, my point is, apps like that are aimed at what healthy people can do, so not everything on there may apply to someone like us. Don't feel bad if you can't do what the app tells you to or if something on the app doesn't really apply to you.
Click to expand...

I'm using the Daily Mile to track my run streak distance. I haven't quite figured it all yet though. But I am now at day 10 and feeling great.
 
Beach Bum, I love your attitude. :) I saw a saying online the other day, it said "Strong is the new skinny." That's pretty much how I feel too, I'd rather be strong than be a size xxs because I'm losing weight from being ill. Admittedly, when I was ill and flaring regularly, I would buy clothes (because I sure wasn't spending much money on food!). I don't fit into most of those clothes anymore - those size 4 skinny jeans aren't even close to zipping up! :p But I feel so much better inside and out now than I did when I wore those jeans. Yeah, I have a bit of Entocort flab left over, but I feel great and I look human instead of borderline skeletal - and I feel human again too. :)

Hi Daniel, welcome to the forum! I'm glad you found us, and I like your attitude too. I also find that I can forget about being ill for a little while when I'm working out, and that's possibly the best feeling in the world. Can I ask, what career choices/changes have you been thinking about?

Welcome to all the other new members of this group as well. I'm so glad to see that so many of us are working hard to become more fit & healthy. With an illness like this, it sometimes seems easy to just give up, but I'm never giving up and I'm so glad that you guys aren't either! We rock! :D
 
Hi guys, I just wanted to know your opinions on resistance tubes.
I'm thinking of buying some to use at home. But I don't know much about them.
These came up on amazon, but they are only 45cm long! Is that long enough? I have seen diagrams where people stand on them and stretch them up to their ears and you can't do that with 45cm!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007X4MM98/ref=asc_df_B007X4MM9812223488?smid=A4G38P77ZU9PC&tag=hydra0b-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B007X4MM98&hvpos=1o1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=582056386619606727&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=
I think these ones look better: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fitness-Mad-Safety-Resistance-Trainer-Medium/dp/B002DSEIFA/ref=sr_1_7_m?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1362512820&sr=1-7 But how do you know which strength to get them in? I know I'm only just starting out but I don't want to have to buy new ones pretty quickly.
 
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
xX_LittleMissValentine_Xx said:
Hi guys, I just wanted to know your opinions on resistance tubes.
I'm thinking of buying some to use at home. But I don't know much about them.
These came up on amazon, but they are only 45cm long! Is that long enough? I have seen diagrams where people stand on them and stretch them up to their ears and you can't do that with 45cm!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007X4MM98/ref=asc_df_B007X4MM9812223488?smid=A4G38P77ZU9PC&tag=hydra0b-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B007X4MM98&hvpos=1o1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=582056386619606727&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=
I think these ones look better: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fitness-Mad-Safety-Resistance-Trainer-Medium/dp/B002DSEIFA/ref=sr_1_7_m?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1362512820&sr=1-7 But how do you know which strength to get them in? I know I'm only just starting out but I don't want to have to buy new ones pretty quickly.
Click to expand...

I have resistance bands, they came in a set of three, three different resistances. I used them a few times, but the novelty wore off quick for me, I prefer to go to the gym.
 
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Hello, I would like to be added to this thread. Before I got diagnosed with crohns, 2000, I was a fitness buff. I used to teach aerobics and worked out daily for 90 or more minutes. Then, all of a sudden, I got sick and my muscles and fatigue stopped letting me go through a workout. I really need to get back into exercising to decrease stress and increase my endophin levels. I used to love the "exercise" high. I could get so much more done each day. My crohns has been very hard to treat during the past 6 years and I am not able to work. I don't have much energy to do anything and even showers wear me out. But, I feel if I can make baby steps to the gym again and just make myself get there that the atmosphere will take over and I can do a little at a time. I used to care what others thought and couldn't bare going to the gym with the poor shape my body is in. I just don't care anymore. If I have to walk at 2.0 speed then that is better than sitting at home on the couch. What really got me thinking was when I couldn't even cut a spaghetti squash for the SCD last week. I am even to weak to carry our cast iron pot to the stove when it is filled with food to be cooked. I have to prepare this when my husband is home. How do you guys weight train if you are not getting proper nutrition from the foods you eat? This may only be a question for a few of you. I have had my ileum removed and have lost over 50 lbs in a year, not trying too. Most of this weight has come off over the past few months. I am not absorbing much food. Had to have iron transfusions, Vit B 12 therapy, etc. My albumin is still ok but he hasn't checked my prealbumin nor Mg, Zinc, etc. Just know Vit B 12 is very low and iron was really low but should be improving. Last Vit D level was ok but about yr ago. My MD's just want listen to me. I am staying hungry but cant eat with this stomach feeling (no appetitie) and D all the time. Any suggestions? I do stretching but have not tried yoga.
 
LMV - Hmm...I wish i was still seeing my gym trainer. He could me his experience working with different bands. Well, there were times when my trainer would have me work out with different resistant bands, whether with legs or on the arms. As a guy it was surprising at how well the bands could work at making me sore. I didn't expect that. They really hit the stabilizing muscles. The way most of us look at lifting and toning up at the gym is to use as heavy of weights as possible. What I found, using resistant bands seemed to be a good way to stress muscles well and avoid injury.

I don't have an opinion on length to purchase. With resistance weight to choose, I found with light bands, I would take my time with the exercise. Instead of going quickly, I would move slowly, up to a minute for each movement. Doing that did well at engaging all the muscles. Some refer to this as Slow Burn lifting. I suppose it was a good cardio workout also as it got the heart pumping. I probably got into shape quicker when I did slow burn workouts, compared to when I lifted regularly.

The heavier bands worked well for me also. I would use them at regular speed when going through the exercise, shaking the whole way through.
 
jppharmd - Sorry about the tough times you are experiencing! I hope that you are able to stabilize the gut in some manner, in the near future to regain some energy.

I think what started my journey back into the gym was basically learning to walk around the neighborhood. There for awhile I was so ill the idea of leaving the house, being far from a toilet, wasn't possible. Slowly I was able to stabilize the gut. When that happened I started out doing walking exercises and biking too around the neighborhood. Used to joke about knowing where friendly neighbors lived incase I need to pound on a door in a bath room emergency. Then after that I joined a gym and hired a trainer. The trainer was great in keeping me motive and encouraged on the ruff days. Now I suppose I'm probably ready for the next step, working out on my own.
 
jbpharmd, in your situation I would think something like yoga could help, but I wouldn't do anything more strenuous than that. As for gaining/maintaining your weight, have you tried supplement drinks like Ensure/Boost? I never have any appetite in the mornings so I usually have a supplement drink for breakfast. It's got calories and vitamins, although most of those drinks are full of sugar, but I do think it's done me some good. If you have a juicer, you could also try juicing - that will remove all the fiber from fruits/veggies but you'll still get all the vitamins. Smoothies might be a good idea too, I've heard some people say they add things like peanut butter to smoothies to get more calories. I hope that helps - hope you can get things under better control soon. Hang in there!
 
Total cumulative km's since I started the streak, 69km. Weekly totals still pretty low; base building, increasing a little more each week. This weeks total will be 40km, last week was 35.
 
AlliRuns said:
Total cumulative km's since I started the streak, 69km. Weekly totals still pretty low; base building, increasing a little more each week. This weeks total will be 40km, last week was 35.
Click to expand...

Sounds good. My treadmill doesn't track mileage - I think it needs batteries and I am running inside so I don't have the distance tracking of the garmin
 
Hawkeye, your treadmill has a battery powered display? My exercise bike has that too, and that seems so weird to me! I can plug my bike in or put batteries in it - I got it used on craigslist though so the previous owners had lost the cord, so batteries it is. It just seems silly to me - I am pedaling (or in your case walking) on the thing, can't they use that pedaling power to run the display & odometer?? Oh well, I've had the bike since the fall and haven't had to replace the batteries yet, so they last for awhile at least. It still seems really silly to me though.

Alli, that doesn't sound low to me! Well done, keep it up! How's the hip feeling, have you had any more pain or is that improving any?
 
Hi! I was moderately fit before I was diagnosed with Crohn's in late 2011, my biggest problem was motivation as I could be quite lazy sometimes. I pretty much stopped exercising for a year when I was diagnosed, not only was I very ill a lot but I was living abroad so I wasn't interested in paying gym fees. I also was a bit depressed and blamed the cold UK weather for refusing to do free exercises like jogging.

I got back to Australia in October last year and joined the gym; I've been going 2-3 times a week. My motivation is better because I want to have a strong, healthy body to fight this disease. I've been going to combat classes, cycling, swimming and doing weights with a personal trainer (I've had to stop seeing her as it's quite expensive on top of the weekly fees).

My Crohn's has been up and down, I'm currently on Imuran but I've become dependent on steroids and every time I finish a course of Pred the disease becomes active again - my Humira application is currently being approved.

I did a bone density test last week as I've been on and off Pred for a year - my hip scan showed osteopenia and my lower back scan is borderline osteoporosis - I'm only 28! My GP advised me to cut back on exercise until I get advice from an endocrinologist next week. Does anyone else have this issue?

I've been researching bone-strengthening exercises and it seems the good weight-bearing cardio workouts are walking, hiking, dancing and climbing. Lifting weights is very good. Swimming and cycling have little impact on bone strength, and situps or crunches are a straight-up no no for weak backs. Does this seem right? I'm keen to go and do some light exercise tomorrow, maybe the stair climbing machine at the gym.

Glad to have this support group to motivate me!
 
Lizzy, I have a bad hip too (some type of arthritis) and I'm only 33, so I feel for you. I was told to exercise it, though. My GP sent me to physical therapy for it, and from there I started working out on my own. Lifting weights is indeed great for bone-building and is my favorite type of exercise. :) The only forms of exercise that seem to hurt my hip are jogging and sometimes walking. I can do the bike and the elliptical without my hip giving me pain, so even though they're maybe not the best type of cardio for bone-building, they are low-impact and are helping me build up my cardio abilities, and aren't doing me any harm.

My GI actually advised me not to lift weights anymore, because I have severe GERD and lifting makes me reflux like crazy sometimes. But I told him how much better I'm feeling thanks to exercise and he relented and just told me to be careful. Hopefully the endocrinologist can give you some good advice. Personally, I don't see how any doctor can say "don't exercise", that just seems reckless to me. If you're not in any pain when you exercise, it's most likely doing you a lot more good than harm. Just my opinion though!
 
Spoke too soon about my hip, weighted march this morning with my squadron, hip sore again. :-( will still run again this evening though, the streak must live on.
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
Lizzy, I have a bad hip too (some type of arthritis) and I'm only 33, so I feel for you. I was told to exercise it, though. My GP sent me to physical therapy for it, and from there I started working out on my own. Lifting weights is indeed great for bone-building and is my favorite type of exercise. :) The only forms of exercise that seem to hurt my hip are jogging and sometimes walking. I can do the bike and the elliptical without my hip giving me pain, so even though they're maybe not the best type of cardio for bone-building, they are low-impact and are helping me build up my cardio abilities, and aren't doing me any harm.

My GI actually advised me not to lift weights anymore, because I have severe GERD and lifting makes me reflux like crazy sometimes. But I told him how much better I'm feeling thanks to exercise and he relented and just told me to be careful. Hopefully the endocrinologist can give you some good advice. Personally, I don't see how any doctor can say "don't exercise", that just seems reckless to me. If you're not in any pain when you exercise, it's most likely doing you a lot more good than harm. Just my opinion though!
Click to expand...

My GI is awesome, his wife is a personal trainer, and he cycles too, so he totally gets my need to exercise and never tells me not to. I see a NP rather than a GP, though she reports to a GP and consults with him if required, and she has given me a stern finger wagging about working out too much on occasion. She goes to the same gym as me, so I can't hide it from her.
 
That sucks about the hip, Alli. I hope it feels better soon. My bad hip seems to ache every time it has snowed this winter (with one exception, so I never really quite know what to expect!). It was supposed to snow this weekend but now it's warmed up a bit so they've changed the forecast to rain instead of snow. I honestly don't know if my hip will act up or not with the rain - it'll be intersting to see what it does!

That would be weird if my doctor went to the same gym as I do! I've never seen my GP outside of an appointment, and the only time I saw my GI outside of an appointment was when my hubby had kidney stone surgery. Apparently they put the kidney stone patients in the same recovery area as the colonoscopy people (there were farts all around, ha ha!) and my GI was in that area of the hospital that day. My hubby felt terrible after his surgery and looked awful, and my GI walked past us and saw me. Then he saw my husband and was like, "Wow, is he okay?" Now at every appointment, my GI asks about how my hubby is doing. (He's fine, just had a bit of a rough recovery from the surgery.)

I'm getting way off topic now, but I was going over our bills this morning, and next month we'll finally have hubby's kidney stone surgery fully paid off! It took almost 2 years but I'm so excited to have one less bill! :D

Okay, back on subject. Anybody have fun workout plans for the weekend? I was going to walk my dog (she loves snow) but now that it's going to rain instead, that's out the window. I'm hoping to lift weights tomorrow and do either cardio or yoga on Sunday.
 
We have had so much rain today! The roads were all wet and all the grass is waterlogged and muddy. - just continuing on from cat's rain thing!

Now for my question! :p

For those of you who ride bikes/exercise bikes - when does it start hurting in your muscles?

I was at the gym today and I did the bike first and my legs basically started hurting straight away! I could push on through for the full 10mins I wanted to do - it wasn't unbearable, but I just wondered what it is like for you guys who do it long distances/long time.
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
That sucks about the hip, Alli. I hope it feels better soon. My bad hip seems to ache every time it has snowed this winter (with one exception, so I never really quite know what to expect!). It was supposed to snow this weekend but now it's warmed up a bit so they've changed the forecast to rain instead of snow. I honestly don't know if my hip will act up or not with the rain - it'll be intersting to see what it does!

That would be weird if my doctor went to the same gym as I do! I've never seen my GP outside of an appointment, and the only time I saw my GI outside of an appointment was when my hubby had kidney stone surgery. Apparently they put the kidney stone patients in the same recovery area as the colonoscopy people (there were farts all around, ha ha!) and my GI was in that area of the hospital that day. My hubby felt terrible after his surgery and looked awful, and my GI walked past us and saw me. Then he saw my husband and was like, "Wow, is he okay?" Now at every appointment, my GI asks about how my hubby is doing. (He's fine, just had a bit of a rough recovery from the surgery.)

I'm getting way off topic now, but I was going over our bills this morning, and next month we'll finally have hubby's kidney stone surgery fully paid off! It took almost 2 years but I'm so excited to have one less bill! :D

Okay, back on subject. Anybody have fun workout plans for the weekend? I was going to walk my dog (she loves snow) but now that it's going to rain instead, that's out the window. I'm hoping to lift weights tomorrow and do either cardio or yoga on Sunday.
Click to expand...

I can't take B vitamins either. Never tried folic acid individually, but the B multis always make me feeling run down and I suppose nauseous. I did try NAD a few times, but it didn't seem to help my condition.

This weekend I'll be watching one of the most beautiful sights in all of the world, melting snow! For exercise excitement plan on playing tennis. It probably would be nice enough for outdoor hitting this weekend, but figure few courts will have nets up at this point, and they will be wet from all the melting white stuff - so indoor it is. Should be hot and muggy, with a Florida feel to it, at the University in door center. They don't have good air circulation there. Gut is doing very well, energy levels are up, so I'll undoubtably work some other workouts in the next couple of days. A friend has suggested I take up karate in the future. Figure if I stay healthy, might have to do that. Tough classes though, 90 minutes on the feet running around.
 
LMV, can you give more detail about your legs hurting? Like, is it just that the muscles are tired to the point of pain? Are the muscles sore because you worked out recently and maybe they haven't recovered yet? I wouldn't say my legs have ever actually hurt when I ride the bike - they get tired/fatigued sometimes, and sometimes if I ride too long (40 minutes +) then my left knee hurts - but the knee pain is the only actual pain I really get when riding. What kind of pain would you say it is - like a crampy pain, or sharp & stabby, or dull & achy? Do you get this pain frequently when you ride?

Beach, there are outdoor tennis courts near my house and I'm hoping to get over there in the springtime and play a bit too. I am sure I will be terrible though because I haven't played actual tennis in years! But the hubby and I sometimes play virtual tennis on the Wii :p and it's fun, so we got some second-hand tennis rackets. If we can just steal a tennis ball away from our dog for a bit, we could play. :) As for karate, I would love to learn some type of martial arts as well. I've always been a skinny un-coordinated girl and I would be totally useless if someone tried attacking me (please nobody attack me!), so I'd really like to learn some way of defending myself. Now that I'm in fairly good shape, I really should look into some martial arts classes. Thanks for the reminder! :)
 
Cat - I've always wanted to learn karate. Never had the energy to do so though. Maybe I'll get lucky, fingers crossed and I'll be able to take this up. It was a surreal moment I suppose, but cute story on how my friend became involved in martial arts. After work he met up with some buddies for a drink. While there a rodeo clown came up to him and tried to pick a fight! Must have been a ruff day with the bulls. He and friends were able to calm the guy down, but it was a close call I was told. So in the interest of roaming wild rodeo clowns, figure it might not be a bad idea if I learn some self protection. Additionally, my oldest nephew is getting big! I'm going to need to be nice to this young man. Without learning some self defense, I'm liable to be the one yelling uncle.

It wasn't always this way it seemed - if that makes any sense, but I've noticed a good many couples playing tennis of late, that seem to be into tennis for fun instead of being all that great and competitive at the sport. It is cute, the couple that has the court reserved before we play seem confused on what sport they are playing at times, badminton or tennis. They are all smiles when I see them.
 
It must just be like achy muscles. I'm wondering if I have the resistance too high if I pretty much feel it straight away, especially since I'm only really just starting. But all I have done to set the resistance is put in my weight. It then asks for a level between 1 and 20 and I always put in 1.
But I worked out today I was riding at about 10mph and I could still keep it going for the full 10mins.
Also- the bike I ride at the gym isn't as upright as an actual bike is. Because those ones I can't get the seat low enough for my little legs. This one is where your legs are more forward as if you were in a pedalo. I can usually feel it in my lower abdomen. Would that make any difference?
 
Beach, I giggled at the part about the rodeo clown. :p That sounds like as good a reason as any to learn self-defense! As for nephews, my oldest nephew is turning 7 this year so I think I can still take him in a fight, ha ha. I have 4 nieces and nephews though so if they all gang up on me, I might be in trouble!

Yeah, I'm sure hubby and I will be that clueless couple at the tennis court. Hopefully nobody else will be around to see us being silly and terrible at tennis. The tennis courts in our neighborhood don't seem to get much use, so with luck nobody else will be around when we attempt to play.
 
LMV, so it's like a recumbent bike (where you kind of sit back in the seat)? I have a stationary recumbent bike and I find it to be pretty comfortable, I think it's easier on me than a regular exercise bike.

If it's achy muscles, give yourself another day or so to recover before trying the bike again. Also, you probably already know this, but it helps your muscles recover faster if you eat right after working out, and I've read that protein is the best. I usually work out either just before lunch or just before dinner, and either way I eat right after. I have noticed that I feel worse if I put off eating for awhile after working out.
 
Yeah its one of those! I didn't know what it was called.
Before I did it today I hadn't done it since Monday! Yeah I usually go before lunch as well. Its also good to have some carbs too to restore the muscle glycogen.
 
Alli, you can do it! 2 weeks down already, you've got this! Go Alli go! :)

LMV, I pretty much live on carbs so that's good to know! If you do the bike regularly, I promise it will get a little easier each time. I try to ride the bike every other day (with weights on the non-bike days) so I'm building myself up pretty well. I can do an hour on a hill program on the bike now which is difficult but I can pedal the whole time! I sweat like crazy and I get so out of breath that I can barely speak (if I'm using my exercise bike at home, then sometimes I have to yell at my pets to stay out of the room because I don't want them to get bonked in the head with a pedal, but I get so out of breath that I can barely get the words out!). But I can do it even though it's not pretty, and it does get a little easier each time. I'm going to ride the bike tonight and am hoping I can do 12 miles in an hour! I did 11.75 last time so now I would love to do 12. :)
 
Hey thanks for the replies, I do think my GP was being a bit over-reactive when she said to stop exercising - she's a lovely doctor but very, very cautious (I guess this is better than a doc that doesn't care at all?? And I do have a fabulous GI specialist who gives me very practical advice).

After all, I've been working out 2-3 times a week for 4 months with no injuries, and this was before I started taking calcium/vit D supplements! So I'm still going to the gym but obviously I will be aware of my situation and take any advice the endocrinologist has. I don't have any pain, if it weren't for the scan I wouldn't know I had low bone density. So I'm going to keep it up, be cautious and try to be as healthy and strong as I can!
 
lizzy16 said:
Hey thanks for the replies, I do think my GP was being a bit over-reactive when she said to stop exercising - she's a lovely doctor but very, very cautious (I guess this is better than a doc that doesn't care at all?? And I do have a fabulous GI specialist who gives me very practical advice).

After all, I've been working out 2-3 times a week for 4 months with no injuries, and this was before I started taking calcium/vit D supplements! So I'm still going to the gym but obviously I will be aware of my situation and take any advice the endocrinologist has. I don't have any pain, if it weren't for the scan I wouldn't know I had low bone density. So I'm going to keep it up, be cautious and try to be as healthy and strong as I can!
Click to expand...

Exercise can help with your bone density, it stimulates the hormone signal to increase calcium uptake. Just be careful, obviously if you are at risk of fracturing a bone, you might want to take it easy, but not exercising at all is probably not going to help your bones.
 
I hit day 15 today and ran 12km. I woke up with a really sore lower back from the ruck march yesterday, but running actually made it feel better. My hip was sore this morning too, but it didn't hurt while I ran.
 
Day 16, total distance this week, 40km. Total streak distance, 87km. Third successful week back to running. Next week's goal, 45km.
 
That's awesome, Alli! Very well done!

I ordered a chin-up bar online. This might have been a silly purchase because I don't know if I can even do one chin-up. :p I wanted to have more exercise equipment around the house though and that sounded like a good one to try. Hopefully it wasn't a waste of money.
 
I have a very funny story involving an at-home chin-up bar. It resulted in me having a concussion, fractured fibula and a sprained wrist.
 
Ooh Alli do tell! :p

Also, I was going to ask you about your streak. How are you deciding how much to run each day? Do you have like a min for each day, or do you do more one day and then less the next and so forth?
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
Eek! Alli, methinks you are being sarcastic when you say it's a funny story! :eek2:
Click to expand...

I am never sarcastic! Haha

We have one of those chin up bars that hooks in the door frame, it came unhooked while I as on it and I went crashing to the floor. The first thing that hurt was my head, and then my wrist, I didn't even know there was something wrong with my leg until a few days later. I'm pretty sure everyone at the base hospital mocked me after I told them what happened. Needless to say I don't use it anymore.
 
xX_LittleMissValentine_Xx said:
Ooh Alli do tell! :p

Also, I was going to ask you about your streak. How are you deciding how much to run each day? Do you have like a min for each day, or do you do more one day and then less the next and so forth?
Click to expand...

Holly,

The objective of a run streak is to run every day. I am building by 5-10k each week, but for daily runs, the only one where I run a decided distance is my "long" run, which isn't that long this point. The other runs I just fit in and make sure I don't go over my weekly total. Each run has to be a min of 1km.
I am doing this for 60 days, until my first race of the year, and then I am going to get more specific about training and hopefully run a marathon in the fall.
 
The chin-up bar I ordered gets good reviews and I didn't see any horror stories like yours in the reviews, so hopefully I don't fall or break anything when using it! Maybe I'll set it kind of low and put some pillows on the floor beneath it though just in case...
 
You guys are really inspiring me!!

I'm not a runner so I'm trying to build up my stamina buy doing 30 minute sessions on the treadmill. Brisk walk for 4 minutes, jog/run for 1 minute and repeat. On the last set walk for 3 minutes and run for 2 minutes. Followed by 10 minutes of weights and 5 minutes stretching. All going okay so far, muscles are a little tired but I think this is a realistic combo for me right now with the room to increase the difficulty as I improve. Also did a balance class yesterday (I did everything but the crunches), felt a bit wobbly but I'm sure my poses will improve with time!
 
Ok everyone...I have started working out in group classes BUT I ALWAYS have GAS!! especially when Im moving around so much..its so embarassing. Just thought I would share :)
 

Similar threads

N
Exercise causing me to flare-like symptoms...help!
Replies
17
Views
4K
NeverBeenEasier
N
A
What would you do?
Replies
22
Views
2K
Delta_hippo
D
Papantoine
Neglect?
Replies
0
Views
217
Papantoine
Papantoine
thike1966
Hotel Crohn's Forever, The Return Of The Fistula
Replies
0
Views
566
thike1966
thike1966
W
Trauma-related IBD and ways to heal
Replies
8
Views
3K
Waldo
W

Latest posts

Back
Top