Let’s get better together: Benefits of Movement
Hi! I’m Caroline, a certified Health Coach and Yoga Instructor, living with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency and hEDS. Welcome to the space where I share what has helped me feel better. I’m glad you’re here and hope this helps you feel better too. In today’s post I’m discussing movement or exercise for people like us. Remember, any supplement info or experience I share is purely anecdotal and personal. Please talk to your doctor or healthcare professional before starting any new supplements or exercise program.
When you don’t feel great, it’s hard to imagine feeling motivated enough to exercise. That’s why I’m not here to encourage you to get out there and push yourself. EPI usually comes with chronic diarrhea(read dehydration and malnourishment) so I actually don’t recommend intense workouts unless that’s part of your current routine and feels good for you. I do encourage you to find ways to move your body throughout the day to help with joint pain and stiffness, improve constipation, and set your body up for better sleep.
Personal Story: When I was diagnosed with EPI my NP told me to stop intense workouts and stick to low impact, slower movement. I hadn’t been told about hEDS yet. Changing my workout routine ended up making me feel worse. I was in constant pain, felt more lethargic, and felt unhappy. I lost over ten pounds and felt the weakest I’d ever felt. I went from weight training, biking and doing power yoga to walking, doing restorative yoga and body weight workouts. I needed weight training and power yoga to strengthen the muscles supporting my hyper mobile joints and for stress management. I ended up needing physical therapy to get me back on track. I share this story as an example of one way isn’t the only way. If you feel unable to do anything more than walk, definitely get yourself out for a couple gentle walks daily. If you have been powering through not feeling well and pushing yourself to stay active, remember to take breaks and go slow when you don’t feel well but don’t stop doing what feels good.
Factual Motivation: Our bodies were made to move. Moving around is good for every system of our bodies. My favorite effects of movement are the deep sleep I enjoy at the end of the day, the decrease in joint pain I experience and the increase in energy when I feel myself falling into an afternoon slump. When we move, our joints get lubrication, we take in more oxygen that helps our hearts, brains and other muscles, our organs get stimulated and massaged and our bodies release chemicals that make us feel good.
Ways to Move: High intensity-Running, heavy resistance weight training, rowing, power or hot yoga, cardio dance, barre, cycling/spin and HIIT. Low intensity- hatha or yin yoga, pilates, walking, swimming, tai chi, qi gong, cruiser biking, house cleaning, gardening. If you can do any of these with friends or family, even better because research shows that exercising with others improves symptoms of stress and overall mental/emotional wellbeing.
I hope this was helpful and would love to hear from you: connect with me through email at cohelocoaching@gmail.com or on Instagram and TikTok @cohelocoaching