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Can Strenuous Activities Cause Celiac To Act Up Or Is It All In My Head?

Liveenjoylife

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Liveenjoylife Apprentice
Liveenjoylife
Posted

For example, working out, biking, jogging or even mowing the lawn cause your celiac to go hay wire?

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JNBunnie1 Community Regular
JNBunnie1
Posted
For example, working out, biking, jogging or even mowing the lawn cause your celiac to go hay wire?

Do you mean that when you do those things, you feel the symptoms you get when glutened?

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Liveenjoylife Apprentice
Liveenjoylife
  • Author
Posted
Do you mean that when you do those things, you feel the symptoms you get when glutened?

Yes, for example I went back to working out three times out of the week for two weeks. Next thing I know I was sick just as if I was having a gluten reaction. I do know that stress can set off celiac to act up. So, I am wondering if from working out may have stressed my body and caused my celiac to act up or maybe I am just paranoid and wanted to know if any one else had experienced this.

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JNBunnie1 Community Regular
JNBunnie1
Posted
Yes, for example I went back to working out three times out of the week for two weeks. Next thing I know I was sick just as if I was having a gluten reaction. I do know that stress can set off celiac to act up. So, I am wondering if from working out may have stressed my body and caused my celiac to act up or maybe I am just paranoid and wanted to know if any one else had experienced this.

Can you tell me what kind of symptoms you're talking about?

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ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Many of us have other things in combination with celiac. Overstressing the body could perhaps cause a flareup of something else. For me over doing physical activity or getting overtired can cause my fibro and/or arthritis to flare but it doesn't cause the GI and neuro symptoms that I get with a glutening. Perhaps that is what is going on.

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Liveenjoylife Apprentice
Liveenjoylife
  • Author
Posted
Can you tell me what kind of symptoms you're talking about?

How can I put this with out it sounding gross. After the second week of working out, I had diarrhea for several days, my intestines seemed aggravated the pain was horrible, constant discomfort and bloating not to mention my abs hurt really bad. I finally stopped working out after that and it all went away. I am assuming no one else had this happen to them.

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Liveenjoylife Apprentice
Liveenjoylife
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Posted
Many of us have other things in combination with celiac. Overstressing the body could perhaps cause a flareup of something else. For me over doing physical activity or getting overtired can cause my fibro and/or arthritis to flare but it doesn't cause the GI and neuro symptoms that I get with a glutening. Perhaps that is what is going on.

I do know my body does not handle stress very well at all after I developed celiac. And it was stress that woke up my celiac to begin with.

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ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted
How can I put this with out it sounding gross. After the second week of working out, I had diarrhea for several days, my intestines seemed aggravated the pain was horrible, constant discomfort and bloating not to mention my abs hurt really bad. I finally stopped working out after that and it all went away. I am assuming no one else had this happen to them.

Could you be getting CC'd somehow? Did you add in any supplements or any new foods or 'energy' drinks when you started working out?

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Liveenjoylife Apprentice
Liveenjoylife
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Posted
Could you be getting CC'd somehow? Did you add in any supplements or any new foods or 'energy' drinks when you started working out?

What is CC? No I do not drink energy drinks.

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JNBunnie1 Community Regular
JNBunnie1
Posted
What is CC? No I do not drink energy drinks.

Cross contamination is CC.

It is entirely possible that the exertion of exercise combined with the toxins released when you do so is causing your symptoms. When you say 'makes my Celiac act up' that usually kind of means you got glutened. Anything else is NOT because of gluten, right, so not necessarily DUE to Celiac. I find myself that if I get stressed/anxious, I do get gastrointestinal symptoms. This has never happened because of overexerting myself, but it will happen if I get sick or injured or really nervous. It may be you just need to really start slow, take walks for a while, then pick up the pace a little at a time.

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Liveenjoylife Apprentice
Liveenjoylife
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Posted
Cross contamination is CC.

It is entirely possible that the exertion of exercise combined with the toxins released when you do so is causing your symptoms. When you say 'makes my Celiac act up' that usually kind of means you got glutened. Anything else is NOT because of gluten, right, so not necessarily DUE to Celiac. I find myself that if I get stressed/anxious, I do get gastrointestinal symptoms. This has never happened because of overexerting myself, but it will happen if I get sick or injured or really nervous. It may be you just need to really start slow, take walks for a while, then pick up the pace a little at a time.

I understand what you are trying to say, but in the end what ever it may be that is triggering it; I have just decided it is so not worth it in the end. BUT I do want to live my life and not have these symptoms hold me back so I will take baby steps in doing so. Thanks.

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chasbari Apprentice
chasbari
Posted

I also got my diagnosis in February of this year. I used to work out regularly before first rheumatoid arthritis and then celiac sidetracked everything. I have been healing very rapidly but have noticed that I still don't have the endurance I once had..yet. It seems to be that when I get adequate rest and the right food my body is starving, active and healing all at the same time and that my RA is melting away as the gut heals. Several months ago I could easily send myself into a downward spiral by pushing too intensely in a workout... right over the edge and all the accompanying pain and irregularities from the good old days. I have a threshold I know not to cross now but have been finding I can go further and further with workouts as long as I eat very well, including tons of calories and protein, and get plenty of restful sleep. I used to be a self defined "human doing" and it is through this I have had to learn to become a "human being." Let the healing be your top priority for a while and let everything else be a glorious bonus as you get better. Listen to your "gut" instinct and you will do just fine.

CS

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Ms Jan Rookie
Ms Jan
Posted
I also got my diagnosis in February of this year. I used to work out regularly before first rheumatoid arthritis and then celiac sidetracked everything. I have been healing very rapidly but have noticed that I still don't have the endurance I once had..yet. It seems to be that when I get adequate rest and the right food my body is starving, active and healing all at the same time and that my RA is melting away as the gut heals. Several months ago I could easily send myself into a downward spiral by pushing too intensely in a workout... right over the edge and all the accompanying pain and irregularities from the good old days. I have a threshold I know not to cross now but have been finding I can go further and further with workouts as long as I eat very well, including tons of calories and protein, and get plenty of restful sleep. I used to be a self defined "human doing" and it is through this I have had to learn to become a "human being." Let the healing be your top priority for a while and let everything else be a glorious bonus as you get better. Listen to your "gut" instinct and you will do just fine.

CS

I totally mirror Chasbari's experience. For almost six months after I started the gluten free/SCD diet, I'd get sick from the sligthest stress or exertion on my system. But taking it very slow, I'm now able to do a little exercise every day, take long walks and work quite intensely again. I've learned - painstakingly - to sense my energy levels, so that I make sure to get in more energy every day than I use. That's the only way I've found to build myself up again, but it's working for me at least. And any day where I'm too pressured to take care of my energies, and let me use more than I get in, I pay for deerly with falling into a very weak state or even getting my 'glutening' symptoms.

So Liveenjoylife I don't think it's in your head. It's just your body telling you that you need to take it easy until it has healed. Do exercise, but at - yes, a babylevel increasing it carefully step by step only as much as you're sure to be able to handle.

Good luck! :)

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Gfresh404 Enthusiast
Gfresh404
Posted

You're definitely not alone and it's definitely not in your head. I stupidly took a landscaping job this summer and absolutely hate the work. It is not that I am lazy, it is just my energy is so valuable that all of it really should be going to healing and not working. On days when I work for too long or too hard, I usually get very loose BMs and sometimes D. I am so glad it is almost over and I can just go back to school and not have to do physical labor.

Just listen to your body and know when to stop. Light exercise > intense exercise.

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chiroptera Apprentice
chiroptera
Posted

Count me in on the "overexertion" may everything worse. If I do something "big" one day (like a hike or trip to the zoo) I am exhausting for two. Hoping as the time without gluten goes on this problem with lessen. It is no fun and is very frustrating with young children. Mom just shouldn't get worn out from some family fun involving activity.

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ang1e0251 Contributor
ang1e0251
Posted

I'm wimpy, too. Although much better than the "old days". I still have to conserve my energy and have given up formal exercise for now. I am grateful though that I can work and keep my small house. I'm also grateful my children are grown because I remember how hard that was.

About working out though, even after almost two years gluten-free, if I squat down or compress my abdomin, I get that familiar intestinal pain right away. I don't think I could be well while doing abdominals. I can do a program with deep breathing where you suck in your abdominals while holding your breath. These do strengthen the muscles without the pressure on my gut.

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Liveenjoylife Apprentice
Liveenjoylife
  • Author
Posted

I have never considered my system wimpy, my system is sensitive. As where I do work full time that has never been my problem. As I had said before only when trying to work out or do strenuous activities has led to problems. I have learned to not over do it on anything with my body. Thanks all for the rest of your input. As I may have mentioned earlier, I thought I may have been the only one. Glad I am not.

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JNBunnie1 Community Regular
JNBunnie1
Posted
I have never considered my system wimpy, my system is sensitive. As where I do work full time that has never been my problem. As I had said before only when trying to work out or do strenuous activities has led to problems. I have learned to not over do it on anything with my body. Thanks all for the rest of your input. As I may have mentioned earlier, I thought I may have been the only one. Glad I am not.

Definitely not alone, everybody has different quirks. It's really all about your body's stress level. I can run my body into the ground (physically) and be fine. But stress me out or make me nervous about something and you better move out of the way when I'm headed for the potty. Kind of annoying, actually, but hey. You're not alone!

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