Should I be careful with exercise: Hi everyone... - Thyroid UK

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Should I be careful with exercise

barb62 profile image
10 Replies

Hi everyone, I wonder if any of you here have advice on the amount of exercise I can do. I was diagnosed 10 weeks ago and have just had meds increased to 75 levo from 50. The question is if I start to exercise, particularly cardio, will that change the effectiveness of my treatment. I already do yoga once a week and was thinking of including gym work once a week.

Looking forward to your advice

Barb

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barb62
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10 Replies
Caesard profile image
Caesard

I can confirm that overdoing it may crash your available T3 levels. So is severe fasting, affects t4 to T3 conversion.

Yes, exercise, grow but be careful in recognising the red flags and do not push the limits too fast.

One more alternative path is to consider, if appropriate, to correlate/adjust dosing with physical effort and it's duration (exercising more, constantly, over a period of time might require a slight -5%/10%- hormone dose increase, confirmed with tests)

Also summer/winter seasonality is a factor to take into consideration when dosing. Personally I had 3 years with jan-march crashes (nothing obvious in the test results) until when I have increased the standard dosage somewhere in November and, while I still had a loss of speed, ive managed to avoid a crash.

All of the above are personal truths and only partially covered by studies or general conformation and, therefore, treat them as such and adjust through a personal filter.

barb62 profile image
barb62 in reply to Caesard

Thanks Caesard, I am aware that my fitness has completely gone and just need to get to a healthy level again and increase muscle tone. I found last night in the gym for the first time since September 2017 my body could do more than I thought but I held it back. I guess slowly slowly is the answer, not natural for me though.

Caesard profile image
Caesard in reply to barb62

That's the trap I've been into, as well. Once I've realised I could... I've hit it harder and harder until started to feel worse...and recovery is usually slow.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

You would be better to do 10-15 mins daily, on an exercise bike or rowing machine, than an hour once a week.

But even that may be too early in treatment.

Aurealis profile image
Aurealis in reply to SlowDragon

I feel there advantages in doing a small amount daily. This enables you to adjust dose to a standard exercise pattern so you don’t swing all over the place until your dose is stable.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Aurealis

Yes I find it necessary to do some exercise everyday, otherwise worse the next day. Just 15mins on exercise machine, or walk, gardening etc

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Has GP tested vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 levels

As you have Hashimoto's are you on strictly gluten free diet?

barb62 profile image
barb62

Yes, those levels are good at the moment. yes I am gluten free and yes I have hashimoto's.

barb62 profile image
barb62

Thanks reallyfedup, I think I may increase my yogo instead and leave the gym for a while

Caesard profile image
Caesard in reply to barb62

Just take it easy and make it sustainable :)

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