4 Ways to Workout with IBS

By Elizabeth Alvarez

2 min read

The more I've been consistent with exercising, the more I realize how essential it is for my health and IBS symptoms. Working out must be a priority for us all! I can't stress this enough. It is not only beneficial to your physical body; it is just as beneficial to your mental health.

However, I do understand that working out with IBS can be complicated. We have so many anxieties when it comes to physical movement, as it usually increases the urgency. So what are the best ways to incorporate exercise when you have IBS? Here is what I have found to work the best:

Workout out at home

This is the best way to get in your sweat time when dealing with IBS. Staying home means zero anxiety. You are close to your bathroom, and you have nothing to worry about when having an accident. Even better is the beauty of technology these days allows you to have a personal trainer for free and at any time you like! How? It's called YouTube.

I do all my workouts from home, and I don't have a home gym or any fancy equipment like a Peloton. I bought a yoga mat for $16.99 and had some old dumbbells lying around that I dusted off. I pop open my computer. Pick a free workout video and enjoy my time moving my body.

For me, I can't do intense workouts or cardio. I stick to yoga/pilates and light weight training. I follow "Move with Nicole" and "Caroline Girvan" on YouTube. They both have excellent videos! I pick what I want to do and viola! It's so easy.

Do not be discouraged if you have to stop

Sometimes, at least with me, even if I am not doing intense cardio, just moving my body can cause the urge to go. The beauty of working out from home is that you just have to pause your video and resume whenever you are ready to start again. The key is not to get discouraged. I know it isn't very pleasant to have to stop in the middle of your workout but just take deep breaths. Use the restroom and calmly return back to your exercise routine. There are times when I take zero bathroom breaks, and there are times when I have to take up to three. The key is to just relax, not get frustrated and keep going.

Allow time for food to digest

Don't eat right before you exercise. I find that this never works out well when you have IBS. I think it's best to have a meal about an hour or two before you work out. You are full of energy yet you don't have to worry about dealing with a full belly, bloating, gas, etc.

Be consistent with workouts

Stay consistent with your workouts! I have seen improvement in my IBS symptoms since I have been consistently doing yoga. What an amazing journey to experience. I absolutely love how my body has been feeling lately, and I find the more I practice yoga, the less urgency I feel while taking a class. It's so empowering!

How about you? Are you consistent with working out? Any tips for someone with IBS? Share below.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The IrritableBowelSyndrome.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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hateibs Member
 Once I had a flare up. I had been to the loo 3 times that morning. Sometimes a flare can leave me exhausted, but this one had a lot of nervous restlessness in it. Horrible restlessness where the worst thoughts can be, and where you start to get shaky and feel really unwell generally. I live a simple rural life alone since my husband died some time ago now, and in order to get by I have to do a lot of physical work. I have to process firewood for each winter, and have to spend most of the summer doing that. So in the days before my flare I had been trimming any dead wood from tree growth near to my house. That's a bit of a safety issue as well as providing firewood for the winter collection, and summertime is the best time to see the dead saplings and branches. I actually love that work although it's tough. It's a beautiful setting and nature is all around. So that bad day I walked restlessly on my land, just feeling terrible because my gut was in a mess. As I looked up, I spotted a really good dead bit of wood. Wood always looks smaller from the ground than it actually is. I got all my equipment: ropes, carabiners, saw, and a small ladder. Yes, it's dangerous when you are alone. You need complete conscious awareness on what you're doing. So I climbed up, and set to getting that branch. I thought I'd just do a bit until I was forced back down by feeling bad. Oh my gosh, it took so long and I was covered with midges and sweat and had leaves and grit in my hair. My gut stopped complaining. I forgot about it, while suspended 20ft in the air! No chance for an IBS attack up there. I had to struggle with that branch and work out ways to get it down safely without killing myself. My muscles ached and I was dripping. And you know what? I started to feel healthy and good. I let out a big cheer when it finally was lowered to the ground. Then I had to cut it up and take it to the storage area. I was pooped (pun in there somewhere) But happy in an earthy way. Ravenously hungry too, even though all I dare eat was rice, eggs and green beans with a sprinkle of salt. But that tasted like nectar. My tummy behaved itself all evening, and was pretty normal the next day. It may have been the exercise that helped, or it may have been psychological, because I was doing something that took all my attention and that I enjoyed. I don't know. Usually in a flare, a gentle 2mph walk is all I can manage, never more that 1/4 mile from home and the toilet! I don't recommend what I did to other IBS sufferers though. It was very odd.
1. Elizabeth Alvarez Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="hateibs" user-id="4146293"/> You know, I can relate greatly to this. When I used to dance professionally in NYC as a classical dancer. I could be having a bad stomach day but once I got in rehearsal and the music started and I was dancing, the pain would go away. I would enter a sort of trance and for the time in rehearsal everything was fine. I think this happens whenever we are caught up in doing something we love and are passionate about. -Elizabeth (team member)
explodingguts Member
Had to stop workouts b/c of explosions but nowhere to walk nearby b/c few sidewalks and no restrooms. Moved away for a year to a place where I could walk, and I did, and the fx were dramatic, as you say. I felt SO MUCH better. Helped to recondition the battered old body improving my confidence to try again with the elliptical trainer, a machine we bought after watching a DVD of seniors - former stars of the legendary Ballets Russes - keeping fit at an LA gym. We got a fitness pro $$ model just like theirs and it's about 20 yrs old now so a good investment. I also do liftees with a 10 lb weight to manage inherited calcific tendinitis, which made it painful to dress, a dreadful humiliation. My success managing shoulder pain inspired me to persevere with both the liftees and the trainer despite occasional bathroom interruptions. I enjoy the musical interlude with first-rate headphones recommended by a musician pal. I hope to avoid becoming an annuity for the makers of BP pills. Most MDs here must get a kickback for them they're so popular. I'm glad if they help people but they typically mean more trips to the toilet and enough of that already. Workouts give me confidence that life may return to normal while offsetting the slings and arrows of gravity no one avoids. It's a relief to note small improvements in distance covered and calories burned (however accurate that metric might be) - a reminder that improvement at something is still within the realm of possible. 
1. Elizabeth Alvarez Moderator & Contributor
 It really is so impressive how even slight exercise can make you feel so much better. We think we have to do high intensity workouts to yield results and literally just a simple 20 minute walk is all you need. And the fact you do weights is even better. I do light weights as well. -Elizabeth (team member)