Why bother exercising?
Regular Exercise heals and maintains the health of blood vessels and this can prevent strokes, heart attacks and kidney failure. It also helps to reduce blood pressure, a major cause of kidney failure, even for those whose kidneys are failing for other reasons as well.
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"Cleans" blood vessels and keeps them clean
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Makes blood vessels more stretchy, which lowers blood pressure - better for vessel walls (and good for fistulas!)
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Gets more nutrients and oxygen to all your organs for healthier organs
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Gets rid of the waste in your blood more efficiently
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Gets your heart pumping and blood circulating more efficiently
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"Grows" your blood circulatory system by increasing capillaries (small blood vessels) as exercise demands more oxygen
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Raises blood count as the demand for oxygen is regularly required
Photo by Marcus Aurelius
What is meant by exercise or activity?
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Walking - one of the easiest ways to get fit. You don't have to walk a great distance but incorporating a gentle walk into your routine will benefit you. Why not see if you can find a walking group in your area?
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Cycling - can save you money on petrol or public transport costs whilst also getting fit at the same time
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Stair Climbing - an easy way to add more activity into your day. A safe, low-impact exercise that does not require any equipment
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Park Games - if you have children, playing hide-and-seek or tag are fun ways to incorporate exercise in to your day
These are just a few examples of exercises/activities that can help keep you fit and healthy.
Feeling a bit frail and haven’t exercised for a while? Thinking you’re not strong enough to regularly exercise? Thinking you're too old? (nobody is!)
Try these more gentle exercises (NHS website):
Kidney Beam is a FREE online service helping kidney patients take care of their physical and mental health.
It offers you a way to improve your physical activity in your own home. The online platform is hosted by specialist kidney professionals - from renal physiotherapists to renal counsellors - from a number of different NHS trusts and backgrounds, as well as people living with kidney disease.
Kidney Beam is aimed at anyone over 16, with any ability, any kidney condition, and at any stage of kidney disease.
All classes have a fitness rating so you can choose the right one for you. At the beginning and end of the classes you can chat to each other and the instructors, and building new friendships might help you to stay motivated.
Interested? Sign up HERE