Ulcerative Colitis Exercises for Your Legs

When one has ulcerative colitis it is important to keep the rest of your body in tune. What often happens with an ulcerative colitis sufferer is that they stop functioning altogether because they don't feel well so they begin to maintain a sedentary life style. One part of the body that can be a major problem is the legs. Legs atrophy from lack of use and the best way to get them back in shape and keep them there is to exercise.

The first exercise for the legs of ulcerative colitis sufferers is walking. Walking is free and now that we are getting into good weather it is also pleasant. If one drinks water along with walking that is a double benefit for the person with ulcerative colitis. A side benefit of exercising by walking is that if an ulcerative colitis sufferer has a mild flare, or flare of any severity for that matter, they are near home. Also this is an exercise that can be done alone if you don't feel like company. The main reason to exercise is that it is body activity that aids the body in battling ulcerative colitis both mentally and physically.

In speaking with my doctor, I was discouraged from using weights as part of the exercising of my legs. One reason for this was that when using weights, it is easy to create a stress on the body which can actually affect the bowel; this puts one at risk for a flare. The other reason that my doctor discouraged me from using weights in exercises was that when legs get in an atrophied state, placing undue stress can cause problems from muscle pulls to tendon injuries to severe joint damage because the needed muscle support is not there.

My doctor also gave me specific leg exercises to do. She encouraged me to do them in water but they can be done in any way. The medical group that I go to for ulcerative colitis treatment also has a physical therapist and she gives me additional ideas for exercises for my legs.

The first leg exercise I was given was very safe. Safety was stressed over and over because one's legs are at risk since they are, in fact, not in good shape. I was told to simply tighten each thigh 50 times per day and then do the calf. As the muscle tone in my legs began to come back, I was able to increase the number of times I "clenched" the muscles. The nice thing about this exercise is that it can be done anywhere.

When exercising the leg, it is very important to first slowly stretch the leg. This can be done by pushing up against a wall and placing your leg out behind you at a near horizontal position one leg behind the other.

Since the emphasis is on safety, another easy exercise was to sit in a chair and simply extend my legs straight out. It would pull (and hurt a little) but I could quickly see some improvement. Also, in that same vein, I was simply told to raise my heels off the ground which strengthened the entire leg. When you have ulcerative colitis, any exercise you do for your leg is going to help a little and that is what you must remember.

Finally, a more challenging exercise was to stand on one leg and lift the other leg as high as I could. I was also able to do this sitting if I had too much of a problem with balance which I did. Also while holding on to something I was told to lift my leg out in front of me (straight) as far as I could; then to pull it behind me and pull it up as far as I could with my arm.

Ulcerative colitis has changed my life and it is easy to get discouraged. When you are a little older, it doesn't take long for muscles, especially legs to begin to lose their tone and strength. Leg exercises work. The other major benefit they provide is you know you're doing something to fight ulcerative colitis rather than being a passive victim.