Posted by Nikhil Thirumalai on September 29, 2021
In my first post I said that I wanted to write about my experience with foods that I eat as a vegetarian living with ulcerative colitis. For this post I felt like writing about something that's not food-related, but that I think goes hand-in-hand with a healthy, balanced diet. Today, I'm writing about exercise.
*Disclaimer* I am not giving any medical or dietary advice. I am only saying what has worked for me.
Especially after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, exercising has always made me feel more energized as opposed to the sluggish feeling I have when I don't do anything. Now, I'm not someone who likes to run, so I prefer not to do that form of exercise. I love to get my exercise either through playing sports, like tennis, or by going on long bike rides. I like to try to do something active every day - even if it's just going for a walk.
I know that exercise isn't always the most appealing thing, especially if you're not feeling well, and I definitely struggle with getting started sometimes. However, after I finish, I usually feel great. Especially when the weather is hot and I'm sweating, exercising helps me feel like I've done something to make me sweat rather than just sweating due to heat. Keeping these little positive things in mind helps me choose to exercise.
Overall, regular exercise has been an important part of my IBD journey.
How do you like to get your exercise?
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Nikhil is a regular contributor to LOOP and shares his experiences with food & lifestyle as a vegetarian eater with ulcerative colitis. Get #InTheLOOP with more posts by Nikhil >>
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