Stay Active- Stay Fit With Kidney Disease
By Mrinal Pandit, Chief Dietician, NephroPlus
A study reveals that overall 392 million Indians are inactive in India. This huge number leaves us with an urgent need to enrol in some physical activity with specific reference to recreational physical activity. This may help curtail the twin epidemic of diabetics and obesity.
According to the report on physical activity patterns in India, most of the time spent in moderate to vigorous intensity activity was at the workplace and among those who reported recreational physical activity, the time spent in moderate to vigorous intensity activity was less than 20 mins/day.
According to METs (Metabolic Equivalent Task; i.e. the amount of energy consumed while sitting at rest), physical activities are classified as sedentary (<3.0 METs), moderate-(3.0 to 5.9 METs) or vigorous intensity (≥6.0 METs).
The table below gives some examples of the type of activity depending upon the calories spent per hour.
| Sedentary Activity | Moderated Activity | Vigorous Intensity Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | Housekeeping | walking – 5mph or faster |
| Watching TV | Bicycling 3 to 4.5 KM per hour | Bicycling more than 10 mph |
| Listening Music | Stationary bicycling—using moderate effort | Stationary bicycling—using vigorous effort |
| Working in Office | Walking 5-6 km per hour | Walking 2-3 km per hour |
| Working in Office | Walking 5-6 km per hour | Walking 2-3 km per hour |
| Driving | Gardening | Climbing Stars |
| Washing Dishes | Swimming | Skiing |
| Writing Cooking | Playing Golf | Playing Tennis |
| Playing Keyboard | Playing Volleyball | |
| Walking 2-3 KM per hour | Jogging |
People suffering from End Stage Kidney Disease are burdened with a high risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity and high blood pressure. Regular physical activity to some extent can help minimize the complications related to any such co-morbidities. Guidelines suggest that patients with chronic kidney disease can undertake physical activity of at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity five times per week. A moderate-intensity aerobic activity like brisk walking is generally safe for most people.
Some tips to ponder over before you start:
- Physical activity can be done at any time of the day. Just wait for about 2 hours after a heavy meal as rigorous activity immediately after this can lead to indigestion and bloating.
- Activity can gradually be extended from 30 min to 45 mins for better results. Start slowly and allow your body to adapt to the increased levels of activity.
- You have to train yourself at least 5 times a week to achieve the benefits of exercise.
- Stop exercising if your feel weak, have irregular or rapid heartbeats of if you get leg cramps.
- Avoid exercising if you
– have fever
– there is a change in the dialysis schedule,
– you have joint or bone problems that become worse with exercise.
If you stop exercising for any of these reasons, speak to your consultant before beginning again.