Your thyroid produces a hormone that regulates your metabolism. If you have an underactive thyroid – a condition known as hypothyroidism – your metabolism can slow down, causing you to gain weight more easily and feel fatigued. Other common symptoms of an underactive thyroid include swelling, and joint and muscle pain. (Read more in-depth information on hypothyroidism)
Exercise is your friend
If you're tired and sore, it's hard to find the motivation to get off the couch, but your body might thank you for it. Dr Wayne May, a Cape Town-based endocrinologist, points out that exercise won't correct the actual problem with your thyroid. “If the ‘factory’ isn't working, you can't get it working through exercise,” he says. “However, exercise could help recondition the muscles that became abnormal when the thyroid was abnormal.”
Other benefits of exercise include:
- The release of endorphins, which will boost your mood.
- As long as you don't overdo it, exercise can actually increase your energy levels.
- Exercise can help you lose weight or keep weight gain in check.
Before you get started…
It's important that you get the okay from your doctor before you start exercising. Thyroid conditions need to be managed with medication, and if your thyroid hormone levels are off, exercise could be more difficult.
"Exercising only becomes difficult if thyroid levels are too high (dose too much) or too low (dose too little), as abnormal levels can cause tiredness," explains Dr May. "Low thyroid levels can cause weakness of the muscles around the hips and shoulders, and, in addition to that, high levels of muscle enzymes in the blood. One should therefore take exercise easier in the beginning soon after the diagnosis, so that the body can readjust and get back to normal."
The good news is that once your thyroid levels are under control with medication, you should be able to exercise as you did before.
So, how much exercise can you do?
If you exercised regularly before your diagnosis, you can resume your previous training routine once your condition is well managed. But, if you are new to this whole exercise thing, you should start off slowly.
You might want to try walking, water aerobics (the water takes the pressure off your joints), Yoga, or Tai chi. Strength training is also a good idea – strong muscles help ease the pressure on your joints and muscles burn more kilojoules than fat, which will help prevent weight gain.
Just a cautionary note: If you’re in the habit of drinking protein shakes, chat to your doctor about which ones might be suitable, as there is some evidence that soy protein interferes with the absorption of synthetic thyroid hormone.
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