Every body part, from the smallest vein to the very complex human brain performs pivotal roles in keeping our lives functional. Kidneys, an organ that is responsible and is mainly known for removing waste products and excess fluids from our body would elude our attention as its functioning is latent. However, a malfunction may lead to a Chronic Kidney Disease which means lasting damage to the kidney which can last over time.
In spite of this condition, there are some standard recommendations, not just to maintain the health of the kidneys but for our overall well-being. Physical fitness is the key to an enriched quality of life.
It not only ensures physical well being and protects against cardio vascular diseases, but also keeps mental-health conditions like depression and anxiety at bay. As we venture ahead with this topic, it is important to know that the two key factors of physical fitness are: healthy diet, and physical exercise.
For a patient suffering from chronic kidney disease, here are some tips to ensure overall physical fitness:
- Consume high quality protein, as against low-quality protein, which needs to be restricted. Such high-quality protein can be found in meat, fish, poultry, fresh pork, or egg.
- Restrict the consumption of certain micronutrients in your diet– potassium, phosphorus, and sodium.
- Limit the intake of fluids. The fluids are retained in the body of the patients on dialysis, and excessive fluids in the body can cause fluid weight gain, discomfort during dialysis, puffiness in hand and feet, breathing difficulty amongst other complications. At the same time, it should be ensured that the patient is sufficiently hydrated.
- Keep a check of our blood pressure at specific intervals. If your blood pressure is higher than it should be, your general practitioner can suggest lifestyle changes or, if necessary, prescribe medication to reduce your blood pressure.
- Maintaining an ideal body weight reduces the chances of high blood pressure which in turn, can help maintain the health of the kidneys.
- Regular aerobic and resistance training exercise of an intensity and duration tailored to the patient should be considered as an integral treatment option in all patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). These types of exercises include walking, jogging, bicycling, stair climbing, swimming, water aerobics, dancing etc. An aim of at least 150 minutes of walking, jogging or brisk exercise can go a long way in maintaining the health of your body.
- Flexibility activities are also encouraged as they move your joints through full range of motion and lessen the risk of injury. These include yoga sessions, stretching etc.
- Low-level strengthening exercises may also be beneficial. You can use low weights and high repetitions, and avoid heavy lifting.
- Your schedule for physical exercise shall ideally spread over a session of 30 minutes, which can be gradually increased. Also, it is important to exercise for at least 3 non-consecutive days a week.
- You may need to replace lost fluid if you are exercising and perspiring heavily. You should inform your renal dietician of your exercise program, who should then monitor your urine output. Upon your dietitian’s recommendation, you may increase your fluid intake.
- As a chronic kidney disease patient who is more prone to physical discomfort than a healthy individual, you should stop or avoid exercising when you feel very fatigued, or short of breath, or irregular or rapid heart rate, or lightheaded, or chest pain etc.
- Do not exercise without talking to your kidney-doctor, when there is a change in the type of dialysis, or its schedule, or a change in medication etc.
- Avoid salty and fatty foods at all costs as it may lead to problems like inflammation and increased body weight. Regardless of the type of salt you use, quantity restriction will always be there, since most of the salt substitutes are potassium-rich.
- Avoid smoking at all costs and limit drinking. Both men and women should refrain from drinking more than 14 units of alcohol in a week. We should also avoid overeating
- Break the monotony. Monotonous lifestyles with similar routines and no activity result in stress and hence can affect cardiac health and blood pressure.
The body requires our attention as much as the chores we give due importance to, at all times. Paying a little heed to it can go a long way in making our lives easier and happier, especially if you are suffering from chronic kidney disease.
As we acknowledge the importance of the same, we take pride in extending our kidney-care services with a dedicated team of experts on board. Choosing a dialysis centre is an important decision as patients spend a lot of time at the dialysis facility.
As we strive for excellence as the best kidney-care hospital in Chandigarh, we’ve created a system which functions with co-existence and co-operation of all the elements, which are imperative to help you attain the best. To know more, visit: https://healinghospital.co.in/dialysis-center-chandigarh/
