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Losing weight can be a huge struggle when you have a thyroid. Hypothyroidism slows the body's metabolism. People can even gain weight despite having a healthy and balanced diet. So, the best way to lose weight for thyroid patients is exercising, diet control, and medications.
The thyroid gland is important for regulating metabolism. And when people suffer from hypothyroidism, it causes them to gain weight, feel sluggish, and suffer joint pain.
Thyroid patients can also suffer from increased LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, affecting their mood. The negative impact of hypothyroidism reduces the individual's will to exercise. However, studies suggest that exercise and a healthy lifestyle are the only ways thyroid patients can shed the extra weight.
While cardio exercises for weight loss can be challenging for thyroid patients, they can help reduce symptoms like anxiety, fatigue, and insomnia.
Are you searching for effective weight loss exercises for thyroid patients? If yes, this blog is the ideal comprehensive overview!
In this blog, you'll get acquainted with multiple exercises that help thyroid patients lose weight.
Does exercise help lose weight with hypothyroidism?
According to a 2014 study, practising yoga helps improve thyroid function. While research is ongoing to get a better perspective, exercise showcases results for thyroid patients.
As one of the thyroid conditions, patients suffer from lower metabolism that increases body weight. Body movement via exercise is one of the best ways to shed extra weight and increase metabolism.
A regular workout plan makes the metabolism efficient and burns more fat and calories. It also lowers blood sugar levels and balances weight-loss-promoting hormones like leptin.
How long does it take to lose weight with hypothyroidism?
The perfect combination of thyroid medicines and exercise can help thyroid patients lose weight. Thyroid patients who exercise regularly can lose up to 2 pounds per week with a healthy diet and timely medications.
What are the best exercises for hypothyroidism?
Walking
The joy of the morning breeze hitting your face while you walk through your picturesque town makes walking one of the easiest exercises for thyroid patients. Walking is a low-impact exercise that people with thyroid can commence anywhere, even from their own homes.
In addition to being an efficient cardio exercise, walking improves cardiac well-being and has mood-uplifting benefits. A good pair of shoes and a brisk walking pace can help individuals burn up to 280 calories per hour. Moreover, you can swap cars and vehicles to cover short distances and your daily steps whenever possible.
Yoga
Yoga is the ideal combination of mind and body connection. It is also good exercise for thyroid patients. Yoga consists of multiple poses like the half lotus, camel, boat, cat-cow, and many more.
Almost every yoga pose helps improve thyroid function. The shoulder stand and fish pose (matsyasana) are the most effective for boosting thyroid function. Thyroid patients can either practice yoga at home or join a yoga studio for regularity. Moreover, yoga postures enhance cardiac health, help gain flexibility, and offer mind-to-body balance benefits.
Tai Chi
Tai Chi originated in China as a martial art form. An ancient exercise technique helps boost strength, balance, and mood. Tai Chi is a chain of slow, meditative exercises, which is also called moving meditation.
It works as a stress buster and is a low-impact exercise for thyroid patients, increasing flexibility and strength.
Strength Training
This is one of the most effective exercises for weight loss for thyroid patients. Strength training increases muscle mass and metabolic weight. It also leads to more calorie burn.
Strength training eliminates the chance of muscle loss and allows thyroid patients to stay fit. Apart from weight loss, it improves heart health and regulates glucose levels.
Push-ups
Push-ups can be done anywhere and don't require any equipment. As a main part of most home workouts, push-ups can help kickstart a thyroid patient's weight loss journey.
Push-ups target the triceps, shoulder muscles, chest muscles, and core muscles and reduce weight from those areas, leading to gaining muscle mass. You can practice high or low-intensity push-ups according to your capacity.
The Overhead Press
The overhead press helps reduce fat in the back portion and improves core strength. This exercise for thyroid patients is a part of resistance training. It targets the pelvic floor and abdomen. And the diaphragm.
Additionally, the overhead press increases the body's balance and stability. It also increases bone density for thyroid patients in the matured age group.
Rowing exercises
Row your boat down to the weight loss stream! Rowing is one of the result-oriented exercises for thyroid patients to lose weight. It burns extra calories and helps mobilize fat in the body, which can be used as energy to carry out tasks.
You can sit on the rowing machine's bench and grab the cable handles to practice rowing. Then, sit straight, lean back to 15 degrees, and pull the cable until it touches your mid-stomach. Lose control of the cable and then repeat the sets.
As compared to running, rowing is less pressurizing for the joints.
Squatting
Squats are a popular gym exercise and a good option for weight loss for thyroid patients. According to a study, squats help burn an average of 35 calories per minute. This indicates that squats not only reduce body fat but also increase muscle size and body strength.
Squats help build muscle and burn more calories than you can burn by running on a treadmill. This exercise also stimulates hormonal response, improves mental health, stimulates the metabolic rate, and tones the body. Doing a couple of squat sets as exercise can help thyroid patients lose weight.
Pilates
Pilates are not just a newfound Gen-Z Instagram obsession but an effective exercise variation. Pilates are a low-impact exercise that helps in the process of weight loss by burning significant calories.
The exercise usually targets the core and is also effective for other body parts. Thyroid patients can practice Pilates without equipment and exercise at home. Pilates focuses on breathing and consists of gentle movements. Pilates is the best option for thyroid patients to lose weight without intense workouts.
Swimming
Exercises like swimming or just walking in a pool are excellent options for thyroid patients to lose weight. Being in the water reduces pressure on the joints. Swimming also reduces depression. Depression is a common symptom of hypothyroidism.
Swimming is a fun way to exercise the entire body without putting pressure on the joints. You can beat the heat while exercising with swimming as a weight loss exercise.
Conclusion
Thyroid patients can include aerobics, dancing, and other low-impact exercises to help them lose weight. Exercise for thyroid patients helps lower fatigue. Fatigue is a common symptom of hypothyroidism.
Exercising also supports better sleep for thyroid patients as thyroid patients suffer from insomnia or broken sleep because of the hormones produced by the thyroid gland.
Hence, thyroid patients should practice low-impact exercises. Along with medications and a healthy lifestyle to lose weight.
