Did you know that the wrong kind of exercise can make your hypothyroidism and Hashimotos symptoms worse and can even make you gain weight?
I was shocked when I learned this too but, I saw personal evidence of this.
When I first started packing on the thyroid pounds, before I knew I had a thyroid issue, I did what we are taught to do. I ate less (starved myself) and worked out more yet, I was MORE tired and gained MORE weight. I was so frustrated and confused. I just felt totally defeated.
When I dove into figuring out how to help myself with the awful hypothyroidism and Hashimotos symptoms I was having I quickly learned that we have think totally differently about how we eat and work out because we don’t have the metabolism of a healthy person.
That means that the things that work for a healthy person to feel good and lose weight won’t work for us.
When it comes to exercise…
intense cardio is not good
hiit workouts and tabatas won’t work either
working out for hours at a time will make things worse
cross fit isn’t a good fit
What to do instead..
gentle movement
walking
gentle yoga (like this bedtime yoga HERE)
weight lifting a few times a week AFTER YOU HEAL
BUT WHY?
When you have hypothyroidism and Hashimotos your body is already in an energy crisis and extremely stressed. When you do demanding exercises you further stress it, particularly your adrenal glands which produce cortisol.
Your adrenal glands directly impact your thyroid function so when they are struggling, so will your thyroid and you’ll have more symptoms.
By simply making an effort to move your body more with gentle exercise and increased daily movement, you take the stress off of your body and adrenal glands and thus, you can see a reduction in symptoms and weight (IF you are also following the right kind of anti inflammatory diet and addressing other underlying root causes). The goal should be to move more all day long and to incorporate the exercises listed above.
Walk more. Get your steps in but don’t push it. Stretch too.
Bonus tip: walk outside as much as you can, especially in the morning without sunglasses. Morning sunlight helps with hormone balance and improves sleep plus just being in nature is very healing!
Grab my favorite soft yoga mat HERE
Grab my favorite at home weights HERE
And HERE
Be sure to hydrate while working out as well, grab this water filtration system HERE and read about why the water you drink is important HERE.
I like to use these resistance bands HERE to build muscle without pushing it too hard as well.
A great treadmill like this one HERE is good to have for walking when the weather is bad. I use this brand at home.
I also invested in a Total Trainer/Gym like this one HERE to build muscle gently.
You can also always join a gym! I just like having equipment in my home to make things easier.
If you are still not losing the weight that means more things need to be addressed. Weight loss is not a simple thing with thyroid disease and many things need to be considered.
Apply for a one on one session with me and we can get it sorted out for you by taking a look at your history and then getting a plan together. Click HERE to do that but hurry, those spots always fill up fast since I only have time for one on ones one day a week.
You can also join my group coaching program when it is open for new members HERE. Be sure to get on the wait list if it is closed so you will get notified via email when it’s open. It is only open for a short time and you don’t want to miss that because I give you all of the steps to take to reverse your symptoms. Apply for a one on one and don’t wait if it is closed!
Your Thyroid Health Coach,
Melodye
