Exercise Help for Someone with Anemia

ckclontz

Hi all! I hope someone out there can help a woman along.

I have been diagnosed with low hemoglobin. Hgb is the main component of red blood cells, and it is the protein in the blood that carries oxygen to the body. Mine should be at least 12, but it's now down to 10.7 and consistently dropping every time I have a recheck.

Because of this, I am very restricted in what I can do aerobically and, to a lesser extent, in my strength training. Just 6-7 minutes of aerobics and I'm already into lactic acid buildup in muscles, which as I'm sure you already know, HURTS! I'm also very tired all the time. My doctor put me on iron, but it doesn't appear to be doing a whole lot at this point. I'm a walking, talking pincushion while my medical folks try to figure out, since I have a beautiful iron count and a top-notch ability to bind iron, why my actual saturation is only 14% - and dropping.

I was working out regularly in my gym for 1-1½ hours three days a week, but that's an absolute no-go now, as it isn't helping if I'm in tears from the pain ten minutes into my routine. I walk my dog every evening, but even then, I have to take mini-breaks along the way. I use my weights and bands at home for resistance training, and I'm getting some toning done, but I'm really at a loss aerobically.

Do you know of any exercises that I might be able to do? All ideas are GREATLY appreciated!

Klyn65

I have a similar problem with low iron that I discovered when I went to donate blood. Taking an iron supplement doesn't seem to help. The nurse at the blood bank suggested that I eat Cream of Wheat every day for breakfast because it has a ton of iron in it. I was skeptical but tried it anyway. My body seems to absorb the iron in the cereal much more efficiently than in supplement form. I have a ton of energy now, I heal faster, and my iron level stays in an acceptable range. With more energy I'm more motivated to exercise and with more iron carrying oxygen to my muscles I can work out harder and recover quicker. I know it sounds like a commercial, but try it for a couple of weeks and see how you feel.