Hi. I am a very active 61 year old male. I run, play tennis and do regular gym sessions. I push myself but would not say to excess. IBS commenced about 4 years ago.
I recently found that my IBS symptoms seem to improve when I don't exercise!
I've always understood that exercise is good for IBS sufferers so I just wondered if anyone else had found similar issues? Many thanks.
Exercise would probably improve IBS(C) (constipation) but it wreaks havoc with IBS(D) (diarrhoea)! Well it does for me anyway!
Thank you.
Sorry - I should have stipulated that it's IBS(D)
Umm, perhaps you should push yourself less! 😊
Sadly I'm coming to the same conclusion 😗
😥 How about long slow walks, would that be possible?!
I think I may have to try that. Thank you.
I have IBSC and believe me exercise don't help at all
The title of your post makes we wonder if your GP has given a diagnosis of IBS, has he/she? As Maureen1958 suggests if the constipation type then exercise should help. Yoga, speed walking, hola hoop is me, but I am careful when practising abdominal Yoga positions as after the session I can get stomach pain
IBS is confounding! I am 69, and a half. My lifestyle also includes a lot of exercise. Well, it always had done to be honest. But now I have to do quite heavy work most of the time, as I live alone and have the upkeep of my land, home repairs, and to work to get the winter wood supply in. There is no choice, as to get someone else to do it , or to buy in a couple of tons of kiln dried firewood would cost more than I could afford. I have no other form of heating through winter except what I work for.
I am up for it, and have the basic energy, and adore the outdoors. Working hard doesn't seem to do me a lot of harm. So the lifestyle fits me to a T.
There have been times I think I have pushed it too hard. I usually get a sign from my body re: strange shaking and trembling, when I know I must rest for a couple of days. That shakiness is usually my sign. But it doesn't seem connected to a flare up.
I am not sure if it affects my IBS or not. Physical tiredness might do, but at the same time I will do some work even if I am having a bad time with the IBS, and at least it cheers me up. I haven't noticed it makes me worse, but don't know.
I would say listen carefully to your body, and of you personally get clear signs that you need to rest, then obey that. Even resting up a bit for a couple of days might make a difference. You can still go for a nice daily walk, do stretching exercises or yoga etc just maybe cool down on the heavy stuff. When I'm resting, I will still go for at least one daily walk.
Thanks Luisa. Your story sounds just like mine. Although an excessive exerciser for many years caused alot of weight loss, disordered eating(too particular, not enough for amount of exercise...), daily extreme GI distress! Particularly with the running. Really hard on it & caused aggressive cramping but I was persistent despite. But now at 53 that cramping has ruled & ruined my life. I do still exercise, modestly, because it does help with pain & it too makes me happy. Natural antidepressant? However it wears me out & yes do need to rest alot to recover. My body tells me or just knocks me down. Yes not enough rest/sleep also causes flare to escalate. So it's all relative.
I think that physical activity increases intestinal motility so would expect things to move through more frequently...
Only gentle excercise is advised with ibsd as it makes gut hyperactive if u do fast
That's helpful. Thank you
I know for certain that exercise aggravates the main issue that I have which is bowel leakage of faecal material. I'm pretty certain it also speeds up motility through my guts. I know that if I'm anxious about an activity I will have explosive diahhroea.For exercise I do Tai Chi, road cycling, and have a large allotment.
I was diagnosed some years ago, but I'm waiting for a review because I've noticed changes in the last few months. I'm in my 60s.
Thank you
I had to stop going to aerobics class because it gave the pain worse. Can't even walk. It's a nightmare and we are all different.
Hi. I am 77 and have some limitations but I still try to stretch regularly and sometimes do light aerobics. I used to be quite fit, I have celiac and colitis which cause urgent chronic diarrhea. Lately, I have noticed that when I get down on the floor to do some leg stretches etc., as soon as I start moving my body parts around, I have to get up fast and get to the bathroom. I have never had that before. It also happens when I do the aerobics movements standing up. I Googled it and I guess that can happen to anybody, but most likely anyone with bowel problems is more prone to it. I am thinking that I might try strengthening my pelvic floor muscles with some exercises which might be of value as far as urgency goes. Good luck.
I think it's about finding our own personal body harmony. What is helpful to us and what is over the top, and sticking with what suits us. I have the D, yet don't find exercise generally makes it worse, I did extremely hard exercise over the summer, and had weeks feeling normal with normal bm's !! We are all so different.
But listen to your own body. Learn to do that and the signs that work for you
The right types of moderate exercise can help with the pain and fatigue of both IBS-C and IBS- D.Good muscle strength in the abdominal area , but most importantly, the bowel wall can reduce the urge to go and make going easier.
But too much exercise , and certain types of exercise can reek havoc with your IBS symptoms. Why ?
Because exercise and physical activity are some of the most common forms of positive Stress. Stress isn't always negative , it's good and fun , or bad and sad , physical or mental activity which is too much for the body and brain to cope with at its current health level.
And Stress , especially physical stress , can be very specific in its creation of pain to different body areas suffering from a chronic illness.
There really is too much of a good thing . And No pain , no gain is a myth , even for the healthy , and pushing beyond the comfort zone too quickly of a part of the bodies needs causes pain which reduces our ability to exercise consistently .
With the exercise types you have noted , and my experience of how my IBS gets worse with certain exercises , I would say you may be doing certain gym repetitions that trigger extra gas or internal pain.
Running too intensively, for too long a distance without regular hydration , or steep routes can all also trigger burning IBS pain.
Abdominal crunches , especially with weights , weight lifting , repetitive touching of toes or moves that work heavily on the abdominal area often bring more IBS pain.
More moderate stretching and flexing exercises , fewer repetitions and less jerks in your movement can prevent the blowback.
A good thing is that you have found improvement when you haven't been exercising so you are lucky to have found part of the cause of your IBS.
One way to work out which type of exercise was causing the problem is to start back doing each exercise type from a low level so walking to flat surface short distance running etc. Shorter tennis games with careful warm up and cool down and lots of water breaks . When you go back to the gym start with cycling , stretches , pilates repetition and see each time if a new exercise causes pain and symptoms in the 48 hours after doing it. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness ( D.O.M.S) in the hip and abdominal area can definitely trigger bouts of IBS pain , gas and bloating.
Walking , Swimming , walking exercises in water , pilates stretching and strengthening exercises , tai chi, gentle yoga warm ups, some cycling and racquet sports can be great in moderate doses for IBS. Intensive yoga , long distance running , abdominal sports and gym work , including rowing , horse riding and weight lifting can cause a stomach storm.
Try having a good snack including probiotic yoghurt and maybe a banana before a workout , and some yoghurt afterwards in case it is stomach acid that is adding to your symptoms. And hydrate , hydrate , hydrate.
One exercise that you could benefit in starting which helps the bowel muscles get stronger , which helps IBS but also reduces the effect of IBS on symptoms from physical activity is Kegle exercises. You do them through each day , anywhere , and there are specific Kegle exercises for Men or Women. You can look these up on the NHS Direct website that has downloadable PDFs , just write Kegle exercises in the search.
Hope that helps , Bee
Hi. That's really kind of you to take so much time to give good advice. Thank you.
Great advice, Bee. Yes, hard exercise is a form of stress on the body and when taken to an extreme could definitely make any illness worse I think. It is so important too, to realise when something is TOO stressful, and taken too far, and to stop straight away if there's any inkling that it's not great. If something feels good, I am sure it won't cause harm.
hi, is your diarrhoea bright yellow? If so you may have Mal Absorbition of Bile (MAB). IBS means the doctors have no idea what is causing problems. One has to figure it out for our selves. Good luck. Have you had your gall bladder removed? That can lead to MAB
Thank you. Not always diarrhoea- often just pain and flatulence. I still have my gall bladder.
Hi. I also am a regular female exerciser for many years, but to the excess. Many hours with weights, running with horrific GI distress afterwards (severe "runner's trot")Now at 53 my GI motility is completely ruined but I still try to be active in moderation. I find that if I can push myself when in discomfort & weakness, exercise seems to help with pain. I suppose it's the natural adrenaline it creates, however I suffer more the next day. Yes my IBS flares up but I'm persistent & in denial. Gastros don't acknowledge the fact that hard exercise for hours effects the blood flow to intestines. They don't have the time or patience or budget to explore. No meds help...conventional or herbal. I'm on my own...just have to live with the daily pain.
It's such a shame! Thank you for sharing and hope you eventually find a cure. I'm going to start L glutamine as I've read that it can help repair the breaks between interstitial cellc in the gut wall.
If you are considering taking L- Glutamine it is worth looking at your health profile / family medical history altogether, and getting blood tests to establish if you have a Glutamine deficiency.There are possible links to L- Glutamine deficiency or low levels effecting the health of the gut walk and causing IBS symptoms to increase , but if that's the case , it's better to know if you have a deficiency, so you can get supplemented at the appropriate level until the Deficiency is treated.
L - Glutamine intake , although recommended in an unguarded way within the exercise community, does actually require a bit of caution before taking it even though it can have good benefits for IBS if it is linked to that deficiency.
Side effects can include vomiting , increased stomach pain and itching or hives. It is possible to have too much L- Glutamine.
L- Glutamine is also being studied as an amino acid which is a " food source" for certain tumours and cancers .
People with a family history of liver and kidney diseases or abdominal cancers and tumours are recommended to choose natural food sources to increase it if they have a deficiency, and avoid it unless it is taken with medical advice.
I was quite surprised myself when I learnt more about this . It is often recommended on fitness sites but appears not to be in the same safety category as things like Q10 and other OTC amino acids. It could be a game changer if it is definitely a partial cause of your IBS but it can also cause its own problems if it isn't. Just thought you might like to know.
Wow- that sounds great advice thank you. Can glutamine levels be tested through the NHS or is it a case of seeing a nutritionist? Thanks again
I've never actually asked , but I would doubt that they would do this test on the NHS unless they were sure it was necessary for a specific health issue as it is not in the common tests recommended in guidelines.You could get it tested privately via one of the blood testing sites whose reliability is more recognised by NHS Clinician's like Thriva or Medichecks.
It may be possible to order the test via the NHS private blood test system too
I guess you found the natural endorphin "lift" from hard exercise. I too remember that, (from my better days!) I too used to love running. It was a real joy to break through a barrier and feel the endorphins coursing. Of course, then, I didn't have IBS. Fortunately age and my dodgy lower back did start to slow me down somewhat, before IBS came.
I still have to do some hard work as I have no help with house and land/wood supply etc since hubby died. There are handymen I could pay, but that would be beyond my finances. However, most of that harder work is during the summer, and I have a policy of always taking it steady and taking rests for cups of tea etc! lol I have to work hard, but have to be careful with my old body now. The worst case scenario would be if I was laid up and couldn't get the winter wood in so I bear that in mind.
I wonder if anything could help you with your pain? Have you tried acupuncture or acupressure? It can be very effective sometimes.
Have you tried Aquafit classes. I darent go for a long walk these days. Not unless I use loperamide. However a rigorous Aquafit class has no effect on my bowels whatsoever.
I'm the same, love exercising, the more active i am the more active my bowel movements are. My bowels are happiest if I'm lazy and don't eat too much fruit & veg. they just don't want me lead a healthy lifestyle!
I'm guessing because you take in more air working out. I teach 5 plus fitness classes a week and yell too muchLOL...much to my pain
Intestinal Motility Disorder is the underlying cause of IBS.
Pain in the lower right side? A common cause for IBS
Is trauma a cause of IBS?
IBS caused by hypermobility syndrome?
Best way to find out what's causing your IBS!
