Exercise just might be the secret weapon in your arsenal for fighting thyroid disease. Exercise will boost your metabolism, burn calories and lift your mood. When you are feeling the effects of hypothyroidism the last thing you are going to want to do is get up and exercise. You will probably have to force yourself the first few times. So be firm with yourself and just get moving. After a few sessions, you will begin to feel better physically and mentally and actually start looking forward to getting your exercise.
You don't have to buy fancy equipment or join an exercise club either. All you really need is a good pair of walking shoes and the determination to feel better. Walking is the perfect exercise, especially for beginners. You need to get your heart pounding when you walk though. Leisurely strolls won't do you near as much good as a brisk power walk that works out your cardiovascular system. You should aim to walk for at least 40 minutes at a time, three days a week. Try to get some sort of exercise five days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes per session.
You do not have to walk at full speed the entire time. Instead, maintain your pace at about half of your full speed then alternate speeding up and slowing back down to half speed so you push yourself to the limit but alternate with easing up a bit. Don't stop all together unless you just have to. You heart rate needs to be elevated for an extended time to get full benefits from walking or any other aerobic exercise.
In addition to cardiovascular exercise, you should also add strength training to your routine. Strength training makes your muscles and bones stronger and when combined with aerobics helps to fight insulin resistance and enhance weight loss.
Strength training can be done with small barbells you hold in your hand, or canned vegetables or even bottled water. You don't really need to use those if you don't want to, you can perform exercises without them. Strength training means doing good old fashioned exercises like leg lunges, push ups and leg lifts.
In order to get the best results from your exercises you need to maintain control of your body and use slow deliberate movements. For example, when you are doing lunges and dip down on bended knees then return to standing, keep your movement slow so the muscles in your legs do all the work. Do not jump back up or rise up quickly. It is easier to do the exercise the quick way but it means your muscles are not getting a good workout.
Yoga is another excellent type of exercise for those who have thyroid disease. Yoga helps keep your body flexible, it strengthens your muscles and relaxes your body and mind. Yoga promotes proper posture and effective breathing which brings balance back to your body. Yoga is also a great stress reliever which is always needed if you have hyperthyroidism.
Qigong is a form of exercise that is similar to Yoga that is being used today to treat many types of chronic disease and age related discomforts. Qigong uses gentle, slow and deliberate movements to realign the flow of life energy throughout your body. You may not notice results immediately as this form of healing takes weeks or even months to have an effect. You will receive better benefits from Qigong or any other type of exercise if you eat a healthy diet and drink plenty of water so your body has what it needs to repair itself.
Andrew Long writes for a series of websites about Thyroid related issues. A main area for content covers thyroidtalk.com thyroid problems and feeling better with the disease. More information about Thyroid related problems can be found at thyroidtalk.com thyroidtalk.com
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