Exercise- resting vs staying active

[Trischolar]

I love being active especially road cycling. However, I am in currently in a flare state of one of my maladies (Dx of Celiac and history of Crohn's that has been in remission). I am awaiting test results and not on any IBD meds. Given that whatever is going on is chronic and getting in to see my GI, scheduling tests, awaiting results (and repeat) takes so long...how do others decide how much to push themselves? If I had hope I was going to be better soon I would be more OK with taking it easy and letting my body rest. But I am already several months into this flare and it is spring and beautiful outside I and I really want to go out and play

I have already given up planning on organized/sponsored rides because I never know how i am going to feel that day. I am battling abdominal pain and D (and therefore hydration). My body is simply not digesting food and I am dropping pounds. The hydration and a window between active D is most concerning for cycling (now carry toilet paper in my saddle bag, just in case!)

As you can imagine I am weak and am am not able to do anywhere close to what I am used to on a bike (healthy me= 100 miles a week, with one being a long 50+ ride). It helps my psyche so much to get out, but I don't know how foolish it is to push my already depleted body.

Any advice on finding that balance between taking care of yourself and enjoying physical activity?

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Personally, I'm in remission and I work out fairly strenuously daily, and my body responds well to that. In a flare, though, I can't do much - light yoga or short walks are about it. And certain things bother me no matter what, like jogging - I have arthritis in both hips, and jogging is apparently just too high-impact for my bad joints to handle, it causes too much pain. So even in remission, I'm somewhat limited by things like pain and energy levels as to what I can & cannot do exercise-wise. You'll have to figure out what your limits are too and work around them.

I would say start small & slowly, and if that goes well then work your way up to more intense exercise. Start with something like gentle yoga, a walk or a short bike ride. (Make sure you walk/ride somewhere that there are bathrooms along the route, just in case you need one.) Or you may want to try walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike if you're not brave enough to venture out. If that goes well, try a longer walk/ride.

I hope you are able to do something active and get this flare under control. Good luck!

 

[AlliRuns]

I went through a bad flare last fall, cycling didn't cause me more pain, but I wasn't able to fuel myself. Running was torture though. I was just riding enough to maintain my morale, 30-40km a day. Long rides were out of the question. D on the bike is my biggest nightmare.. A lot harder to get out of bike kit fast than running shorts, though I do own one pair of Castelli bibs that have clips.

 

[Trischolar]

Fueling and hydration are definitely my biggest challenges. I feel pretty good on the ride itself, maybe its endorphins or just the freedom of being outside. Afterwards the joint pain flares and dehydration no matter how much i tried to hydrate pre/during/post ride.

Maybe I need to plan more short rides. Just getting out for a bit does help morale (though its hard to not want to ride further). This is a three day holiday weekend in the US and it is killing me to be inside. Where I live it is 70 degrees and sunny.

 

[PVail]

Well im a keen cyclist and do everything from road to off road. It normally helps my digestion and even when flareing I try to do just flat runs , more spinning really . Lately im haveing real problems with energy and bowel movements have slowed right down . Feel like someone pulled my plug out and legs are just knackered all the time. So i guess im not getting all the stuff out of my food that I should be . I need to go the loo all the time and its really interfereing with trying to stay fit . I would go back to the doctor but they really dont help at all. As long as Im managing and still at work they are not interested. But anyway for me exercise has been my saving grace and I dred to think how I would be now if I had let this thing take over .

 

[Trischolar]

I opted to go ahead and get out on my bike today for a shorter ride. Here was my strategy: eat light breakfast wait for the D to pass, hydrate, ride, recover with nutritional shake and lots of sports drink. I did well on the ride (22 miles), focused on spinning, especially on the hills (flat is not an option)- even turned my cycling monitor off so I wouldn't push myself on speed. Got back safely (by that I mean no D) feeling good about my ride and started drinking. Several hours later I still haven't been able to even out on the liquids- have a nasty headache, wrinkly finger tips which are my signs of dehydration. Trying to eat dinner started the D back up which isn't helping.

The summary seems to be it feels great to get out, I do well on the bike, but it does set me back on hydration/calories. No regrets though.