Tips for Exercising with Eczema and TSW
My skin has been healing a lot but the process is not always linear. I know I have been showing my significant improvement and spreading positivity on my Instagram account because that’s the energy I would love to share with the world. At the same time, I would still love to show every part of my healing journey – which is not all sunshine and rainbows. I love exercising and I used to be a dancer. I had to completely stop being active one year ago when I started experiencing topical steroid withdrawal. A few months before that I experienced outbreaks of hives and breathing difficulties every time after high-intensity workouts. I switched to pole dancing which is slower and less vigorous but eventually forced to stop because my skin couldn’t handle any form of exercising. A month ago I decided to start exercising again since I could feel my cardiovascular health getting weaker and I was out of breath all the time. The first day I started working out again, my legs nearly passed out and I almost fell after doing 3 minutes of squatting. It is absolutely a miracle for me to be able to follow Chloe Ting’s 35 days booty challenge and workout 30-40 minutes daily.
Physical activity strengthens our immune system. Perspiration during exercise opens up your pores and helps to eliminate bacteria, toxins and impurities and detoxify our body. For people with eczema/TSW, sweat is also one of our biggest enemies. Sweat can trigger flare-ups and cause skin deep itch. I have had eczema for over 15 years and my body doesn’t really sweat much even with high-intensity workout. However, ever since I have been working out daily for 3 weeks, my body has been sweating a lot more and finally learn how to detox itself with the increase of exercises. Here are a few recommendations for exercising with eczema/TSW:
Listen to your body. Take your time if you feel like your body is not ready for the reintroduction of exercise
Take breaks to cool down your body if you need to
Don’t push it. Start with lower intensity workout (such as stretching and yoga) and slowly build it up
Stay hydrated
Be gentle to your skin. I know it’s hard not to scratch but be mindful to not scratch too hard and make your skin bleed
Keep cool. Make sure there is good air circulation
Keep your skin dry. Sweating purges the skin of dirt, impurities, oil and bacteria. As you cool down your skin begins to reabsorb them. Have a towel nearby to wipe off the sweat
Take a short shower right after if needed
No one activity fits all. Find the exercise that you enjoy and is right for you and your skin. Follow the FITT principle to slowly increase in (1) frequency, (2) intensity, (3) time (duration) and (4) type of activity. Most importantly, listen to your body and your skin.
Follow @kimcwarrior if you want to follow my fitness journey!
Happy Healing!
