3 Types of Exercise to Protect Your Health

There are some side effects of renal disease that often show up, even before being diagnosed. Weakness, fatigue, loss of muscle mass. If you don’t do anything about it, you get more of the same. Your quality of life suffers, and so does your health. When you have renal disease, your risk goes up for heart disease and other health problems.

But you don’t have to take that sitting down. There’s three types of healthy exercise you can do to protect your wellness.

1. Cardio-based exercise

 You know...exercises that raise your heart rate and make you breathe heavier. Cardio-based exercise makes your heart and lungs stronger, and helps prevent heart disease. You burn extra calories this way to help you manage your weight, too. Here are some easy cardio-based exercises you can do:

• Go for a walk, hike, jog or run.
• Ride a bike through your neighborhood or a stationary bike indoors
• Try indoor rowing or walk/run on a treadmill
• Take a fitness class like yoga, zumba or dance

2. Strength training

No, you don’t have to lift weights or train like a bodybuilder. But you should do some form of strength training or resistance exercise at least two times a week. 

Strength training builds muscle and endurance, strengthens bones, and improves balance. Here are some easy ways to practice strength training:

• Try bodyweight exercises (push-ups, squats, jumping jacks, and lunges)
• Lift weights at the gym
• Take a class or get help from a personal trainer to help you learn how to use weights and machines

3. Stretching

There’s one more way to protect your health with exercise when you have renal disease. Regular stretching. Stretching helps improve mobility, balance, range of motion, and joint health. And it’s easy.

• Take a yoga class, and learn basic moves and stretching poses
• Find a yoga or stretching video and follow along
• Make stretching 5-10 minutes a day part of your daily routine. 

The Truth About Exercise…

It’s important. But no exercise program is complete without a healthy diet. Need a little help with meal prep and planning? Check out the complete Renal-Friendly menu of meals low in sodium, potassium, and phosphorus, and all made from fresh ingredients.