Donating Blood and working out

utes09
utes09 Posts: 561 Member
edited September 28 in Food and Nutrition
I'm donating blood later today and already had today set aside as a rest day for exercise. My question is would I be ok to workout tomorrow?? I was planning on a 4 mile run in the morning....or should I just do a workout video instead?

Replies

  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Ask at your blood bank - I'm pretty sure mine says wait 24 hours to work out.
    Make sure you drink plenty of water before and after you donate.
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
    I'd wait about 24 hours. Donating blood does affect everyone differently, though. If you're close to the weight cut off, you may feel more fatigued as your % bloss loss / body mass ratio is greater than a person with larger body mass.

    I always try to eat an iron-rich meal of red meat the evening after donating blood.
  • scouter318
    scouter318 Posts: 29 Member
    Like Barney says - donating affects everyone differently - but from my experience, I'd play tennis about 5 hours after donating and I'd feel fine. The only thing I wouldn't do is lift any weights. If you're not into eating too much meat, you can also make a vegetable broth with green leafy veggies like chard or kale, with some herbs or lemon and a little olive oil. I used to drink that the night before giving blood to make sure I passed that hemoglobin test!

    Great that you're donating!
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    I scuba dive and rock climb. Both are not recommended for 24 hours after donating blood.

    I suppose it depends on how intense your run is.
  • cathcakey
    cathcakey Posts: 288 Member
    More of the same, I wait at least 24 hours, becaue I normally have the occassional light headedness for the day afterwards. I have relatively low blood pressure, so I need at least a few hours to get my blood volume back up to normal (drink lots of water!)
  • utes09
    utes09 Posts: 561 Member
    The drinking water shouldn't be too much of a problem from me. I average between 15-20 glasses a day already.
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