If you have been diagnosed withirritable bowel syndrome (IBS), exercise can be daunting.
Intense workouts may aggravate the condition, causing abdominal pain, cramps, and diarrhea.
This includes the psychosocial stress that comes with acute flares.
Hero Images/Getty Images
However, many people worry that intense exercise will set off IBS symptoms.
Moreover, high-intensity activity will almost invariably create excess body heat, contributing to the risk of diarrhea.
It is certainly why some people getrunners' diarrheawhen running too fast or too long.
The key to exercising effectively with IBS is to avoid suddenly increasing the intensity of your workouts.
More is not always better.
Practical Tips
Having IBS doesn’t mean that you have to avoid strenuous activity altogether.
After all, “strenuous” means different things to different people.
If you enjoy running, you shouldn’t necessarily stop running unless it causes you problems.
If it does, pull back a little, reducing either the time or intensity of your training.
Don’t be afraid to break a sweat.
This is especially important if you are trying to lose weight or build lean muscle.
If you keep at the same pace week after week, you’ll simply hit a plateau.
What you don’t want to do is suddenly train beyond your limits.
Preparing for a workout also helps.
