Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBefore Getting StartedBenefitsWeight LossBest ExercisesGuidelinesMotivation
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Before Getting Started
Benefits
Weight Loss
Best Exercises
Guidelines
Motivation
Exercising with hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism has many benefits. It increases energy levels, improves sleep quality, and helps relieve other symptoms ofthyroid disease. However, if your thyroid levels are not under control, exercising could cause problems.
This article explains what you need to know about exercising with hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. It offers advice on how to get started, precautions to consider, and how exercise benefits your thyroid.
It also details how much exercise you should be getting every week and how to get out of an exercise rut.
If your thyroid condition isn’t well-controlled or hasn’t yet been diagnosed, exercise can actually be dangerous for you. Potential problems with exercise depend on the type of thyroid disease.
Once your thyroid symptoms are under control and your hormone levels are normal, incorporating exercise into your routine is not only safe, it’s encouraged.
Precautions for Exercising With Hyperthyroidism
An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) produces excess thyroid hormones, which significantly increases your metabolism and heart rate.
If your thyroid hormones aren’t being controlled, too much exercise, especially at a high intensity, can cause you to go into heart failure.
Precautions for Exercising With Hypothyroidism
Conversely, an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones, slowing down your metabolism and your heart rate.
Because of this, exercise can be hard on your heart if your thyroid hormones aren’t well-controlled.
It’s important to talk to your healthcare provider if your thyroid symptoms aren’t improving or getting worse, or if you think you have the symptoms of a thyroid disorder—especially before you start any sort of new exercise program.
Benefits of Exercise for Thyroid Disease
When you have a thyroid disorder, exercise has a whole host of benefits that impact not only your overall health, but that can help relieve some of yoursymptoms.
For example, exercising when you have a thyroid condition:
Exercise even lowers your risk for heart disease, which is important since having a thyroid disorder automatically increases your risk of developing a heart condition at some point.
However, it is important to note that while exercise can help to relieve symptoms of thyroid disease, it should not be used as a substitute for medication. If you have any questions, talk to your healthcare provider.
The Link Between Thyroid Disorders and Heart Conditions
Exercise and Weight Loss
If you’re dealing with an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), you may also be carrying some extra weight, a common outcomewhen your thyroid hormone levels are low.Exercising regularly can help you get back in shape and drop those extra pounds, as well as maintain a healthy weight.
Try using a weight loss calculator to help you come up with a goal weight, a target date for hitting your goal, and to see how many calories you’ll need to consume daily in order to meet your goal based on your activity level.
Even better for your weight loss goals, as well as your thyroid symptoms, you can combine a healthy meal plan with your exercise plan.
While there’s no special diet when you have thyroid disease, if you’re trying to lose weight, sticking within certain calorie limits can help you achieve your goals.
1500-Calorie Meal Plan for Thyroid Disease
When you have thyroid disease, the best exercise depends on your health status. If your thyroid hormones are well-controlled and you’re relatively healthy, you can generally participate in the same exercises anyone without a thyroid disorder would.
If you’re unsure about starting an exercise program, be sure to talk to your healthcare provider first.
Jiaqi Zhou / Verywell
No- or Low-Impact Activities
If you haven’t exercised in a long time, you may want to take it slow, choosing no- or low-impact exercises to start with in order to let your body gradually adjust. Pick one or more activities you enjoy, such as:
If you like, mix things up, choosing different activities on different days. Gradually work toward being able to increase the intensity of your workouts as your body becomes more used to the aerobic exercise.
No- and low-impact doesn’t mean these workouts don’t burn calories—it’s all about the intensity.
High-Impact Activities
If you’re already doing no- or low-impact exercises and/or you’re ready to go to the next level, consider adding some of these high-impact aerobic activities to your routine:
Exercise Guidelines for People With Thyroid Disease
If you’re a newbie when it comes to regular exercise, you may be wondering how much you should be getting on a daily basis.
According to thecurrent guidelinesfor physical activity, in order to see noticeable health benefits, adults should aim for one of the following every week (each session should be 10-minutes or longer):Two and a half hours of moderate aerobic exercise, like playing doubles tennis, brisk walking (3 mph or more), water aerobics, bicycling (under 10 mph), or gardeningOne hour and 15 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise, such as swimming laps, playing singles tennis, jogging, running, bicycling (10 mph or more), jumping rope, or heavy gardeningAn equivalent combination of the two
According to thecurrent guidelinesfor physical activity, in order to see noticeable health benefits, adults should aim for one of the following every week (each session should be 10-minutes or longer):
You should also work on moderate- to high-intensity muscle-strengthening exercises that use all your major muscle groups, like lifting weights or using resistance bands, at least two days a week.
Strength training is particularly important when you have an underactive thyroid because muscle mass will help your slowed-down metabolism burn more calories. Make sure you’re getting enough protein to help you build that muscle, too.
For even bigger benefits, increase your moderate aerobic activity to five hours per week and your vigorous aerobic exercise to two hours and 30 minutes per week.
Be aware that when you have thyroid disease, particularly hypothyroidism, you’re probably going to have to work a little harder than someone without thyroid disease to get in shape and lose weight. The good news is that the results and the improvement in how you feel will be worth the extra effort.
Symptoms of Thyroid Disease
1:267 Quick Nutrition Tips for Thyroid Wellness
1:26
7 Quick Nutrition Tips for Thyroid Wellness
Staying Motivated
When you have a thyroid condition, you’re just as susceptible to exercise boredom as everyone else.
Here are some tips from fellow thyroid patients who have mastered the art of enjoying regular workouts:
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ertek S, Cicero AF.Hyperthyroidism and cardiovascular complications: a narrative review on the basis of pathophysiology.Arch Med Sci. 2013;9(5):944–952. doi:10.5114/aoms.2013.38685Cleveland Clinic.Uncontrolled Thyroid: Exercise, Diet Risks.Udovcic M, Pena RH, Patham B, Tabatabai L, Kansara A.Hypothyroidism and the Heart.Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J. 2017;13(2):55–59. doi:10.14797/mdcj-13-2-55American Thyroid Association.Thyroid and Weight.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ertek S, Cicero AF.Hyperthyroidism and cardiovascular complications: a narrative review on the basis of pathophysiology.Arch Med Sci. 2013;9(5):944–952. doi:10.5114/aoms.2013.38685Cleveland Clinic.Uncontrolled Thyroid: Exercise, Diet Risks.Udovcic M, Pena RH, Patham B, Tabatabai L, Kansara A.Hypothyroidism and the Heart.Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J. 2017;13(2):55–59. doi:10.14797/mdcj-13-2-55American Thyroid Association.Thyroid and Weight.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Ertek S, Cicero AF.Hyperthyroidism and cardiovascular complications: a narrative review on the basis of pathophysiology.Arch Med Sci. 2013;9(5):944–952. doi:10.5114/aoms.2013.38685Cleveland Clinic.Uncontrolled Thyroid: Exercise, Diet Risks.Udovcic M, Pena RH, Patham B, Tabatabai L, Kansara A.Hypothyroidism and the Heart.Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J. 2017;13(2):55–59. doi:10.14797/mdcj-13-2-55American Thyroid Association.Thyroid and Weight.
Ertek S, Cicero AF.Hyperthyroidism and cardiovascular complications: a narrative review on the basis of pathophysiology.Arch Med Sci. 2013;9(5):944–952. doi:10.5114/aoms.2013.38685
Cleveland Clinic.Uncontrolled Thyroid: Exercise, Diet Risks.
Udovcic M, Pena RH, Patham B, Tabatabai L, Kansara A.Hypothyroidism and the Heart.Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J. 2017;13(2):55–59. doi:10.14797/mdcj-13-2-55
American Thyroid Association.Thyroid and Weight.
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