Exercise Help Your Celiacs ?

[NorthernElf]

I'm an avid exerciser - runner, lifter, and group exercise instructor. I do pretty much something daily, eat healthy and usually feel pretty good.

Then sometimes I accidentally get glutened.

Do you find that exercise helps you when you get glutened ? It seems to me that if I have symptoms (note: mine are not usually very digestively focused!), working out HELPS. It seems to clear my head and almost "burn off" my reaction. Not totally, of course, but it helps with my sinuses and headaches somewhat.

Anyone else ? Or is exercise the furthest thing from your mind when glutened ?

[Viola 1]

Heavy excercise isn't possible as I spend too much time in the bathroom and nausiated (sp)

How ever if I can get out for a walk, it certainly does help. The fresh air, birds, plants etc. takes your mind off it. The dog playing in the snow makes you laugh and lifts the spirits, and I think the walk makes everything pass through quicker.

Staying in and babying myself makes me depressed on top of it all.

So ... to certain degrees I say Yes ... it does help

[Sophiekins]

I get OCD when I get glutened - I become so disoriented and uncoordinated when I am glutened that exercise isn't really safe when I get glutened (I should really be supervised or tucked up in bed), but I do sit there and shake my hand or foot rhythmically and incessantly. . .I'm not really aware I'm doing it (in fact, it's one of the most reliable early indicators of a glutening) but if someone makes me stop, I feel worse, so I guess it helps in a way. My sister did take me running once during the early stages of a glutening because the fidgeting weirded her out, and it helped much the way the fidgeting does, but I got too clumsy for running to be safe after about 15-20 minutes (seen the Friends episode where Phoebe and Rachel go running? I was Phoebe.) so she took me home and tried not to watch while I sat there and did my thing.

[elonwy]

My lethargy and muscle pain get so bad that nothing but curling up in bed really helps. I get horrific muscle cramps, so working out just makes it hurt worse, since its not a "normal" cramp. Wish it helped.

Elonwy

[luvkin]

I find exercise and meditation helps me. It lifts my spirits.

[moonlight]

Hi all,

My husband has gluten intolerance.. some days he feels good some days not...He can walk a little when he feels good, but if he gets tired the next day, or even the night of the same day becomes a nightmare for both of us...He has been gluten free/processed food free/nightshades free/soy, yeast, cessain free for 9months..Do you have any idea about when his body can handle even light exercise again? How long after being gluten free did you start working out again?

[4getgluten]

I get very tired when I've been glutened, but I try to get out for a walk. It always helps me feel better.

[marciab]

Moonlite - If his problem is gluten ataxia, meaning he can hardly walk and loses his balance, there is hope. I started walking normally after being off gluten for 1 year. It just happened. I had been using a motorized cart in the grocery store for the past 16 years ... I walk normal all the time now ..

I still can't do any aerobics without getting fatigued 24 hours later, but I understand healing completely takes time ... marcia

[nmw]

Elf - I also have more neuro symptoms that gastro, and exercise helps me to "burn it off" as well. It takes some effort, but always pays off in the end. Whatever works, you know?

[NorthernElf]

NMW, are you diagnosed Celiac ? I'm undiagnosed because my doc tested me after I was gluten-free...lots of screw ups, certainly would have done things differently had I known more about celiacs. I even had a scope but, again, I was gluten-free for a few months and no one took any biopsies (the scope was more for GERD...which started suspiciously at the same time as my other symptoms...). I've since read that microscopic study of a biopsy, even at that stage, could have diagnosed me.

Anyway, exercise has also helped my IBS (yeah, probably really celiacs too!). Sometimes we start patterns for a reason, you know ? Before my issues really flared up (after a bad virus) I exercised regularly because it helped digestion and made me feel good, and helped with joint pain. For years I've avoided a lot of processed foods - sauces, soups, etc. - making things from scratch. Who knew - most of these things are contaminated with gluten.

Still, I would have liked to have a diagnosis because there are days where I know I have glutened myself and don't feel too bad (though the next day it can hit me a bit) and I question thing all over again...and then there are days where I feel glutened within 1/2 a hour of eating something and that's how I find yet another product I need to avoid.

Exercise also helps me to eat regularly - can't do a lot of activity without fuel. That helps digestion as well, as does drinking lots of water.

FWIW, I figure I'm either gluten intolerant or celiac. After last Thanksgiving I made a turkey barley soup and had stomach cramps while on a walk with my daughter afterwards, so I know it's not just wheat.

[Robix]

I too am a fitness instructor and presenter - I teach as many as 15 classes per week. When I get glutened and my belly swells up and I feel exhausted - I find it very difficult to strap on my microphone belt (my poor swollen belly), let alone teach a class. I also found that my bladder is ultra-sensitive when I get glutened, I have trouble doing any running or jumping because I feel as though I can't hold in my pee! The worst for me though is the humiliation of teaching a class in my skimpy uniform, with a disgusting bloated and tender belly.

My solution has been to teach dehydrated and not eat for a day after gluttening to ease the belly - but I haven't stopped teaching. Because even though exercise doesn't feel good when am glutened, not exercising makes me feel infinitely worse. Like I am an invalid. Exercise keeps me in the land of the living!

I saw someone else mention ataxia - being gluten free for almost a year now, my ataxia has never come back. I used to wake up every morning on 'stump feet' where I felt like my feet were amputated...it would last for the first hour of every morning (try teaching an aerobics class without feet! Lol!) but since going gluten-free it has never come back, even though I have gotten really badly glutened a few times. (okay, like many many times...but am getting better at avoiding the poison!)

I recomend doing a detox program when you first go gluten-fee, and following that with a three day fast. It seems to really clear and clean my whole body out and promote intestinal healing. I try doing this a few times a year now to give my whole system a break.

Cheers

[Run-4-Jesus]

I also found that my bladder is ultra-sensitive when I get glutened, I have trouble doing any running or jumping because I feel as though I can't hold in my pee!

this is going to sound INSANELY weird...but I think that may happen to me as well. I run track (long distance) and occasionally when I'm sprinting at the end of the race, my bladder won't hold it in! Normally it's just a tiny itty bit but this one time I totally wet myself! HOW EMBARASSING! anyways does anybody else have that happen to them? I would feel much better if that was a symptom of celiac instead of me just not being able to hold my bladder!

[NorthernElf]

Robix - I can so relate ! Do you have a celiac diagnosis ? I will always wonder if I have celiacs since my testing was all screwed up...

Anyway, my symptoms are similar. Sometimes I will swear I have to pee really bad during a workout/class and if I do stop to go (obviously not during a class), I find I didn't have to go too bad at all. Definitely sensitizes the bladder (explain that one!).

I also understand the bloat - if it's really bad I'll wear a running tank (drifit but looser than the bra tops!) with my bike shorts. Ugh. When I first met my husband I was well familiar with the bloat from certain foods. In fact, we used to call it the "giga-meister" (sort of warped form a first trimester look !). Ok, so we have a weird sense of humor here. It took my DH asking me why I ate things that bothered me if they made me feel like crap ! This was 10 years before my real problems started (the old IBS diagnosis).

I had to look up the word ataxia...again, I understand it ! I have occasional phases where I seem to have bruises everywhere - because I move around the kitchen and pretty much everywhere quickly. I'll have to see if I can connect glutening to my clumsiness ! Maybe I should go lie down today - I feel quite hung over and I didn't drink any alcohol yesterday. I had some Hershey kisses and some other valentine's candy at an event I went to...definitely got glutened somewhere along the line. I'm tired, achy, and trying to get rid of a headache. I feel like I'm wearing a tight Lone Ranger mask. I know, I should know better but this seems to be what I do - screw up and swear of all gluten and it works for awhile and then I throw caution to the wind and eat something I'm not sure of...and pay for it.

I still swear that working out helps me feel better - esp. when I am glutened...it can just be hard to get going, taking that first step. It's pretty rare for me to say a workout wasn't worth it. I have a water class later today - I'm sure it'll help me shake this off !

Thought about doing a detox but haven't tried yet...

[MinxyMandy]

I too am a fitness instructor and presenter - I teach as many as 15 classes per week. When I get glutened and my belly swells up and I feel exhausted - I find it very difficult to strap on my microphone belt (my poor swollen belly), let alone teach a class. I also found that my bladder is ultra-sensitive when I get glutened, I have trouble doing any running or jumping because I feel as though I can't hold in my pee! The worst for me though is the humiliation of teaching a class in my skimpy uniform, with a disgusting bloated and tender belly.

My solution has been to teach dehydrated and not eat for a day after gluttening to ease the belly - but I haven't stopped teaching. Because even though exercise doesn't feel good when am glutened, not exercising makes me feel infinitely worse. Like I am an invalid. Exercise keeps me in the land of the living!

I saw someone else mention ataxia - being gluten free for almost a year now, my ataxia has never come back. I used to wake up every morning on 'stump feet' where I felt like my feet were amputated...it would last for the first hour of every morning (try teaching an aerobics class without feet! Lol!) but since going gluten-free it has never come back, even though I have gotten really badly glutened a few times. (okay, like many many times...but am getting better at avoiding the poison!)

I recomend doing a detox program when you first go gluten-fee, and following that with a three day fast. It seems to really clear and clean my whole body out and promote intestinal healing. I try doing this a few times a year now to give my whole system a break.

Cheers

Hello there...

I hope you dont mind me asking as I am too a fitness Instructor and was supposed to be aompeting before this all happened. I get really bad destion too my belly gets so massive and hard I used to have a flat tum with a sick pack and just wondering if my tum will ever go back to normal??

I have just finished a five week gluten challenge so my tum is soooooo sore at the mo and I have decided to do just meat and veg for a while to give my tum a chance to recover. Before the challenge I had been gluten free without realising as I was on a candida diet for 7 months but homeopath said I could have rye...so when ever |I ate rye I got bad tum but other than that felt alot better.

When I had rice I seemed okay my belly went down a bit but not completley ...did your tum go down on the diet ???

Nice to speak to a felolow instructor I bet you understand the big belly bloat nightmare even more being into fitness...

Take care xxmand

[Julie-uk-nz]

I find pilates helps and i've heard that yoga helps too which i might try next. I also find that keeping up a regular exercise routine makes the gluten trip less intense and makes it easier to exercise if i have been gluttened!