Hemorrhoids and Exercise: My Personal Experience

Hemorrhoids and Exercise: My Personal Experience

First, let's address the facts about hemorrhoids. You have veins that are supplied by arteries all around your body. Frequent exercise helps transfer oxygen and nutrients to all of these veins. In general, your circulation is always pumping when you exercise! By exercising, you allow the parts around your butt to become healthier and stronger. That must be good for piles, right?

So if exercise is great for hemorrhoids, do we always need to do as much of every type of exercise wherever possible? No, that's not necessarily true. In my experience (and keep in mind that this may be very different for you), it's better to focus on exercises that don't force you to push yourself too hard. This simply means that exercises like swimming, cycling, or possibly even jogging are great for preventing hemorrhoids from increasing.

So this suggests there are no dumbbells in the gym? I'm just sharing my own experiences here, but that doesn't automatically mean no weight lifting. After being examined by my doctor (prior to a colonoscopy), I was told that my stacks were somewhat prominent. He asked about my diet and lifestyle and I told her that I lead a generally healthy life (with a sensible diet) and that I really like lifting weights. That last part raised some eyebrows. I was told to immediately stop lifting large dumbbells as they could potentially further deteriorate the stacks.

This was a dilemma. I really like weightlifting. And as I mentioned before, the extra blood flow comes with a number of benefits. So I thought I would seek the help and advice of a trainer at my nearest gym. After discussing the problem with him, we realized that we needed to get rid of the exercise routines that were putting the most pressure on my body. Namely: squat presses and some other leg exercises. (Note: A deadlift press is one of the most important leg exercises in strength training, where you place the barbell on your shoulders and literally squat.)

But when we stop weight-based lower body exercises, what do we replace them with? (I like a full body workout routine). The best solution for me personally: kettlebells. Kettlebell exercises still allow me to work my thighs and legs, but considering it consists of slightly more endurance-dependent exercise, it doesn't add to the pressure that aggravates the hemorrhoids. Better yet, they offer an excellent combination of aerobics, strength and flexibility. All good for hemorrhoids!

Visit the doctor again

I returned to meet the doctor. And I'm glad I thought about it, he checked that the new exercises really helped. Of the piles he had noticed earlier, one had shrunk significantly. The others were much smaller!

Basic tips on exercise and hemorrhoids

The most important thing is that you should try to stay active even when you don't feel like it. I don't mean you have to go to the gym seven days a week or run marathons. However, you should really make an effort to walk, run, bike, or do something just because it helps.

Also, you probably don't want to hear this advice, but you should also try walking for the duration of a hemorrhoid episode too. Despite the fact that staying quiet seems the wisest thing to do. Normally it's not like that. Getting this cycle going will help you get over it quicker!

Inspired by David D Payne