I'm allergic to exercising! :(

Millomoi

Hi there!
I was diagnosed some years back with something called cholinergic urticaria, which basically means that any slight raise in my body temperature brings me out in unbearable heat-hives. I cannot sweat. It's been the bane of my life for years now, and whilst I've sat waiting and hoping it'd go away, I'm worried I've let myself go too much. I'm still a pretty good weight, but my muscles have fizzled to nothing and I'm about as flexible as a fence post.

I'm aiming to lose about 15-20kg overall (don't worry, that keeps me in the healthy bracket!), but I'm not pushed for time. The quicker the better though, obviously! I think my weight might be a contributing factor to the hives!

My main problem is that on average, 7 minutes of jogging breaks me out in the rash. It's about 10 minutes for things like weight training, and I can sometimes push to 20 minutes of Pilates. It's really de-motivational, and going to fitness classes is a little embarrassing since I have to stop so frequently.

I was wondering if anyone has had similar problems? Can anyone recommend some really low-intensity ways I can try to bring my weight down and get fitter? Or does anyone have some ways to keep really cool during exercising? I'm starting to run out of ideas!

Thanks in advance! :-)

AliceDark

Can you walk comfortably? You really don't need to exercise to lose weight -- weight loss is all about your food intake -- and you definitely don't need to jog! If you can walk for a half hour, that would be a great place to start.

queenliz99

Is swimming an option?

Kalikel

Swimming will burn tons of calories and you'll stay very cool in the pool.

Walking around is great, too.

Millomoi

Hello!
Swimming is possibly an option - but unfortunately the humid air in my nearby pool tends to get to me before I've even got in the pool. I have been working out ways to get in and out as fast as possible.
- There's an outdoor lake/water park nearby which is fine in the summer months, but I'm not taking my chances in winter..! Also comes the problem of what to do during the dreaded 'time of the month'. :-P
Walking can be alright - but more often than not, it flares up from the friction of my clothes! It really does find every way possible to make exercise impossible!

Liftng4Lis

Caloric deficit = weight loss.

missiontofitness

Perhaps focus on super accurate calorie counting for the time being, until you can find an exercise that works for you. Do you own a food scale, and what is your current activity level/calorie goal per day?

ValerieMartini2Olives

What do you do when it's hot outside?

Millomoi

ValerieMartini2Olives wrote: »

What do you do when it's hot outside?

Stay inside crying and lying near the aircon usually. If I have to go out then it's 3-4 cans of cooling mist in the handbag and gritting my teeth through it.

I'm eager to keep swimming, I'll check to see if there's anything else nearby other than the tropical waters of my local pool. Has anyone had any experience with water aerobics or anything? Building up my muscles is something else I'm interested in!

socalkay

Have you tried Benedryl (Diphenhydramine) before walking? Have you seen a doctor about prescription medications you could try to relieve symptoms?

As others have mentioned, the good news is that you can lose weight just by cutting calories. Best of luck!

defauIt

Have you tried taking an antihistamine? Something like Benedryl or Reactine or even a prescription antihistamine should be able to shut down your body from breaking out in hives every time you go for a jog.

Millomoi

Yep! I take Atarax right now and I sometimes take whatever over-the-counter antihistamines I can find. It seems to have elevated the problem more than anything - if I go even two days without them now, even leaving my own bed is impossible because everything sets it off. I've been trying to see a specialist about it for months but getting cooperation is hard.. I might call and see if they have anything stronger...

dakotababy

Millomoi wrote: »

Hello!
Swimming is possibly an option - but unfortunately the humid air in my nearby pool tends to get to me before I've even got in the pool. I have been working out ways to get in and out as fast as possible.
- There's an outdoor lake/water park nearby which is fine in the summer months, but I'm not taking my chances in winter..! Also comes the problem of what to do during the dreaded 'time of the month'. :-P
Walking can be alright - but more often than not, it flares up from the friction of my clothes! It really does find every way possible to make exercise impossible!

...there are so many things wrong with this, I dont really know where to begin
1 - obviously with your condition, your going to have issues with exercise. You can choose to nit-pick, but I mean really?
2 - I dont really understand what your problem is with swimming around the "time of your month"...but just a FYI...that is why tampons are created.
3 - walk naked at home with Leslie Sansone if you have to!

Sounds like you dont really want to exercise. Tons of excuses here!

RicaFit

I do hope you find the benefits of cardio and weight bearing exercises WITHOUT hives soon. Your post reminded me of an exercise program that does only one set of exercise throughout the day. It was designed for other purposes, but not work for you. It is basically light weights and low level cardio throughout the day. Your battle has many twists and turns. The pool idea sounded promising too, but the humidity shot that down. The idea of this program was to spread the workout throughout the day. They said 5 minutes of cardio once every hour could provide major benefits - it came to 35 minutes per day just cardio. If I find the article, I will post it!

LoneWolfRunner

I get wicked hives if I sweat too much in 40-55 degree temps and the cool air gets through my clothes... I have had to go to the ER a couple of times because they were so bad...going down my throat, swelling my lips and eyelids, etc.... the itch is so maddening I want to hurt people and yell out obscenities like I have Turettes. I have learned to over-dress a bit and carry Benadryl (tabs and liquid) with me at all times, year round. On days when I sense the weather is especially at risk, I take a pre-emptive Benadryl before my run. I know it's like the opposite of your problem (and yours sounds a lot worse), but maybe the Benadryl can help you too...

socalkay

Millomoi wrote: »

Yep! I take Atarax right now and I sometimes take whatever over-the-counter antihistamines I can find. It seems to have elevated the problem more than anything - if I go even two days without them now, even leaving my own bed is impossible because everything sets it off. I've been trying to see a specialist about it for months but getting cooperation is hard.. I might call and see if they have anything stronger...

From what I just read about it, good old Benedryl is better than newer OTC antihistamines: "Some research suggests that first-generation antihistamines with anticholinergic properties such as diphenhydramine are most successful at treating CU."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholinergic_urticaria

Good luck on getting to a specialist! I know how frustrating that can be but keep trying.

FatFreeFrolicking

Do you have a severe case of cholinergic urticaria? If not, a heat rash/hives isn't a reason to not exercise. I have serious heart conditions (supraventricular tachycardia, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, and exercise-induced syncope) and I still manage to exercise……

Millomoi

Thanks guys, I'm gonna try looking up Benadryl, and I've also been looking through Google for anything to do with water sports, it seems like the best bet I have and it's what you're all suggesting! It seems there's a special hydrotherapy pool near me that has recently started doing public classes... not sure whether there's limitations but they mention the pool temperature is strictly controlled!