Health Benefits of Cardiovascular Exercise When You Have an Underactive Thyroid

Are there any benefits that a person with hypothyroidism gets from adding cardiovascular exercise to their daily routine? Absolutely, there are many benefits. They are the same health benefits that everybody gets when they include cardiovascular exercise to their daily routine. Let’s take a look at those health benefits so we can see exactly where this makes sense.
• Cardiovascular Exercise is extremely beneficial to first and foremost your heart because it strengthens your heart muscle. A stronger heart muscle means that your heart pumps blood better and lowers your risk for heart disease. This is a huge benefit to people who are hypothyroid. Think about Hypothyroidism symptoms. When you have an underactive thyroid everything slows down including the way that your heart pumps blood. It only makes sense to improve your heart functionality if you want better quality in your daily living.
• Cardiovascular exercise also improves lung function for batter oxygen flow. A better oxygen flow through your body helps to strengthen your immune system.
• Cardio exercise will strengthen muscles. Stronger, larger muscles burn more calories aiding in weight control.
• Cardio exercise improves circulation and promotes better muscle function which helps to ease up on or eliminate some of the stiffness that we experience with hypothyroidism.
• Cardiovascular exercise lowers stress levels and improves sleep quality. This is something that can help to eliminate depression which is yet another symptom of hypothyroidism.

Notice that cardiovascular exercise on a normal level will improve many areas of your body and well being that are affected by the symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Thyroid Medication Regulation Before Cardiovascular Exercise

Again I have to stress here the importance of making sure that you have your thyroid medication regulated. The thyroid medication is where you will first get your body and metabolism into a position where it is going to function in a normal manner. Once your doctor has your medication regulated and your body is functioning at a normal level then it’s time to start reaping the same rewards of cardiovascular exercise that everybody else is capable of reaping.
So where do you start?

How do I Start my Cardiovascular Exercise Routine?

Well, once your thyroid meds are regulated, there are many ways to get your daily dose of cardio exercise. You don’t even have to join a gym to accomplish this. In my opinion the best place to start is walking. You can start by walking a little each day especially if you’ve been experiencing stiffness. In this case I recommend starting with a simple walk around the block and then taking it from there. If you are able to you should try to push for at least 15 minutes on your first day, adding an extra 5 minutes per day until you can put in at least a 60 minute walk per day. Before you even realize it, this routine will become second nature and you won’t have to think about motivating yourself to get out and walk. You might even find yourself pushing beyond those 60 minutes.

Now what happens when the weather starts to get too hot, too cold, wet, snowy or just plain icky? You don’t have to avoid your daily dose of cardiovascular exercise. You can use something as simples as the steps in your house, your dvd player, television and any open space that’s available in your home. Do laps up and down your steps from one floor to the next. If you don’t have multiple floors then you can do laps up and down a hallway or from room to room inside of your house. If you have a dvd player then get a low impact aerobic dvd and use it. If you don’t want to do those things then turn on the stereo and start dancing to your favorite upbeat music. Music can be extremely motivational when it comes down to motivating yourself to move. There are so many simple answers to getting up and moving that we don’t even take the time to consider when we really do need to. This is especially true when you live with an underactive thyroid because you need to be able to counteract the effects and symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Whether or not you choose to do this for yourself, is going to be about how you handle your attitude which I will discuss in another post.

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1. Hypothyroidism and Constipation Constipation a Hypothyroidism Symptom Constipation, one of the many symptoms...

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Constipation a Hypothyroidism Symptom

Constipation, one of the many symptoms of Hypothyroidism is never a pleasant topic of conversation but as with the other symptoms of Hypothyroidism, it’s definitely a necessary topic of discussion.

Before we get into why people who live with Hypothyroidism get constipated we should have a basic idea of how the upper and lower intestines function during the digestive process. This post will focus more on the lower intestines then on the upper intestine because that’s where constipation takes place.

Constipation, Digestion and the Need for Fiber and Water

Both the initial and majority of the break down of the foods that we eat begins in the upper or small intestine. During digestion the upper intestine is responsible for breaking down foods enough to pass through the intestinal track while absorbing nutrients necessary for our bodies to function.

By the time digestions reaches the end of the small intestine, known as the ileum, what remains of the food that we have eaten is sodium and chloride, water and waste (unused portions of food, fiber and dead cells from inside of your stomach) The ileum absorbs water, sodium and chloride back into the body before passing the waste on for elimination.

There are a couple of things to take a look at here if your constipation is a result of having an underactive thyroid.

The first is the importance of high fiber combined with including plenty of water into your diet on a daily basis. This is important for all people and not just people who suffer from hypothyroidism. Although fiber is discarded as waste the reason why fiber and water are important to your digestion is that fiber acts like a sponge and absorbs water.

Sometimes the ileum can absorb too much water from what remains of your food causing your stools to become hard and difficult to pass. The fiber that passes through your digestive track holds on to the water that it absorbs and creates that balance that the body needs that helps to insure softer stools.

Exercise and Constipation

The next is exercise. Digestion requires healthy muscle movement throughout the digestive track. When you suffer from hypothyroidism muscles slow down, everything slows down, your blood pumps slower. The main reason for the need to exercise is for the purpose of keeping your blood pumping and maintaining strong healthy muscles. It’s pretty much common sense. It’s also as easy as getting up and going for a 30-40 minute walk each day especially after dinner. Keep moving no matter how fatigued you are.

Hemorrhoids and Constipation

Another issue is that hemorrhoids could be a result of constipation and in turn causing more constipation. Talk about one hand washing the other. Exercise, fiber and water are key to helping in this area. Softer stools eliminate hemorrhoids and constipation.

Constipation Points to Remember

• Remember always, always make sure that you are properly taking your thyroid medication as directed by your medical professional.
• Make sure that you see your doctor on a regular basis.
• Make sure that you are tracking your symptoms and discussing the things that you notice with your doctor at all appointments especially if your constipation is chronic.
• Treatment may be as simple as temporarily needing a stool softener or a hemorrhoid treatment combined with making simple adjustments to your diet and exercise routine.
• Consult a doctor if you start to become dependent on stool softeners and hemorrhoid treatment.
• If you are doing everything right and still suffer from constipation then it could be something unrelated to your hypothyroidism causing your issue.

Hormonal Changes

One last note or reason for the need to discuss the details of this symptom of hypothyroidism with your doctor is that hormonal changes brought about by an underactive thyroid can cause constipation. Your doctor will check your different thyroid hormone levels to make sure that you have proper T3, T4 and TSH levels in your system.

Remember keeping your digestion process healthy can eliminate unexplained fatigue.

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Have you been dieting and exercising but the weight isn’t coming off? Have you been faithful to your hypothyroidism diet but nothing is working? Are you thinking of giving up?

Before you quit read this post.

On the Today show this morning they had Mom, CEO and super model Kathy Ireland talking about her new book “Real Solutions for Busy Moms”. During the segment it came up that Kathy had gained 25 pounds over the course of time because of being too busy to take care of herself the right way.

Now, she didn’t go into detail as to how she lost the weight but something she said did resonate with me and it should be a good message for you to get. Especially if you’re thinking of quitting your diet.

What she said is that besides the way she looked, it had occurred to her, “What she was doing to herself on the inside?” What were her protein and triglyceride levels in her system? What was she doing to her body by not taking care of it?

You should be asking yourself not “is this worth it, I’m not losing any weight, why bother” but what the cost of not eating healthy and exercising is doing to your system on the inside. First of all, you can lose the weight. In all likelihood it’s just going to take you longer to achieve your goals. But, in addition to this, the goal for your hypothyroidism diet should also be to maintain a healthy system by keeping your triglycerides and cholesterol levels in the normal ranges, building muscle that’s going to burn fat and most of all by maintaining your thyroid levels.

Please don’t let hypothyroidism become a springboard for other diseases and conditions. Heart disease, various kinds of cancers and diabetes become real possibilities if you don’t take care of yourself. This is even more true if you lose your enthusiasm for being healthy because of hypothyroidism.

The problem stems from a society that promotes beauty in unhealthy way by rewarding us for when we look like or strive to look like super models and condemning us when we don’t. My sister-in-law knows about this first hand. She is overweight and she has heart trouble. She was the victim of depression eating but she’s on the mend both mentally and physically.

The reason I mention her is that just a week or so ago when she was in the supermarket parking lot, she had used one of the motorized baskets to get her goods to the car. While she was packing her stuff into her car some “lovely human being” commented in a not too nice a fashion that “if she wasn’t so fat she wouldn’t need to use the cart to carry her groceries to the car”. Oh my God! I couldn’t believe it when I heard it. I couldn’t believe that there are such uncaring and insensitive people out there and who are brazen enough to act like this guy did. But they are out there. She took it in stride so don’t worry about her.

The point I’m trying to make is that you shouldn’t worry about what society thinks about you or how you look. You should only be concerned about how you feel and how healthy you are. The message that I’m trying to send is that you shouldn’t give up on your hypothyroidism diet. Your goal should be not only to lose some of the unwanted weight but also to become the healthiest person that you can be.

I know you can do it!

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How to measure you metabolism

This time were going to talk about getting your metabolism measured. Getting your metabolism measured could be one of the single most important aspects to getting started with a hypothyroidism diet. Reason being, if you’re trying to attain a goal, such as hypothyroid weight loss, it’s important to know how your body is consuming the calories that you’re taking in during the day. This is one way to make sure that you’re taking in the correct amount of calories, not too much or too little.

How metabolism measured?

Your metabolism can be measured a couple of different ways. The first method is called direct calorimetry. This method measures the energy expended in the form of heat. This test is not practical for our purposes. The other method is called “indirect calorimetry”, it measures the amount of oxygen consumed over a period of time. Traditionally this was only available in hospitals and research facilities due to the cost of the apparatus used and the need for trained technicians to run it. But, nowadays it’s possible to get the test done almost anywhere the machines are available. I know of some dietitians that now have these machines to aid them in properly gauging a client’s daily caloric needs when creating a diet for them.

What are the needed preparations for the test?

The aim of the test is to gauge the RMR or the Resting Metabolic Rate of an individual. Therefore, he or she needs to avoid eating anything for a while before the test, avoid exercising on the day of your test and avoid the use of stimulants such as caffeine on the day of the test. I had the procedure done and I was asked to fast for 4 hours prior to the test.

What happens during the test?

You will relax in a seated position. A mask or mouthpiece would be used and you have to breathe through there until the test concludes, usually ten to fifteen minutes. If a mouthpiece is used a clip will typically be place on your nose to reduce the infiltration of any oxygen that could ruin the test. If this is bothersome to you ask if they can get mask for you to use.

The only problem I had was when I swallowed the saliva that built up in my mouth during the test my ears would block up. After the test completes a report will either be printed out by the machine or displayed on its screen. The important part is that the dietitian will use the results in order to come up with the best plan for your hypothyroidism diet.

The bottom line is once you have a starting place or baseline to go by and a goal; your chances of reaching your desired weight will dramatically increase.

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Boosting Your Metabolism

But this natural process gets short-circuited when your thyroid isn’t working the way it should. Without your thyroid working correctly your metabolism slows causing you to gain weight or at the very least making if very difficult to lose the weight you have.

Metabolism, if increased, would result in weight loss that can be consistent and manageable. The suggested weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week can be possible and by maximizing your body’s metabolic process you’re giving yourself the best chance you have for losing weight.

Exercise can sure enough increase metabolism but the thing to remember is that you should perform exercises that are suitable and effective for your body. Some people respond better to short bursts of high intensity as would be the case in interval training. Still others respond to longer duration less intensive exercise such as walking. Needless to say increasing your metabolism should work in concert with trimming down your daily caloric intake. Starting and sticking to a proper hypothyroidism diet is key.

Also, don’t underestimate the necessity to add muscle. The more muscle you have the higher your metabolic rate will be since this additional muscle will require more calories as fuel.

Besides permanently reducing your weight, increasing your metabolism provides the additional benefit of increased vigor and mental alertness. Provided that you’re getting enough good sleep you’ll be able to remain more productive during your awake time.

Contrary to some other diets that hold promises of a quick fix, by just raising and maintaining your metabolism you’ll accomplish better long-term results. You’ll be much happier and healthier in the long run too.

With a well thought out hypothyroidism diet and weight loss plan, matched with a good exercise regimen there’s no reason why you couldn’t reach your dieting and weight maintenance goals. None of the bouncing up and down in weight that is associated with moving from one fad diet to another.

These concepts may be simple but they are important to understanding how your metabolism works as a person suffering from hypothyroidism and what you can do to take control of your weight. And as always, check with your doctor to verify that you are healthy enough to start any exercise program.

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