Many of you suffering of hypothyroidism, either diagnosed or consequent to hyperthyroidism treatments, ask:
- Can I exercise? Is it bad for me?
- I do not feel much strength, how CAN I go to the gym if I can barely make it out of my bed?
The answer to those is: YES! Not only you can, but you MUST exercise in order to improve your symptoms (yes, even tiredness) and thyroid well being.
Studies show that physical exercise decreases you TSH via stimulating the activity of the thyroid. It means, you achieve what you want: Your thyroid gets finally more active.
What exercise though?
Starting from a simple long walk to strength exercise, they are all good. Of course, the goal is to strengthen your muscles.
Anyone who has a chronic disease will tend to suffer of bone weakness, for this reason working on your strength is crucial. But how if you feel tired?
Tiredness, for who suffers form it, is a form of pain. Physiologically, what's the purpose of pain? Is it a friend or enemy?
Surprisingly the answer is: It is YOUR friend.
Tiredness in hypothyroidism establishes a 'stop' point. You must take a break and start thinking... Apart form drugs, am I doing all to ensure the well being of my thyroid and body? Am I supplementing enough and appropriately?
One of the most common problem is Adrenal Exhaustion. Adrenal glands do not produce enough cortisol, you are tired and as a result you cannot exercise. But as for supplement, exercising is important to improve thyroid function and thus metabolic activity.
For this purpose, you may wanna check adrenal adaptogens which will help your adrenals working. Adaptogens do not work by increasing or decreasing the workload by rather by establishing equilibrium. Thus, they can be taken either if your adrenal work too much or too little.
Why is exercise good then?
1) Decrease your TSH by increasing the activity of your thyroid
2) Increase your metabolic activity, helping you decreasing weight
3) Once your thyroid works more you decrease insulin resistance and prevent liver diseases
4) Reduce inflammation, thus it is useful for Hashimoto's disease. Anything that reduces inflammation decrease the possibility of an Hashimoto's flare
Recapitulating: Take your mat, gym bag or simply just go for a walk... Start to exercise, Listen to your body, Heal your thyroid.