Anaemia: Here's How To Exercise Safely If You Have An Iron Deficiency

Haemoglobin, which transports oxygen throughout the body, is made by iron. There won't be enough oxygen available if your body isn't making a sufficient amount of haemoglobin. This can result in anaemia, a condition that makes exercise difficult.

Exercise becomes difficult for someone who is anaemic because there aren't enough healthy red blood cells to transport oxygen to the rest of the body. However, this does not imply that exercise and anaemia cannot coexist. Try these easy safety measures to continue exercising even if you have anaemia.

Follow these tips when working out, if you're anaemic:

1. Monitor body's response

By keeping an eye on your heartbeat during rest and exercise, you can tell when you are exerting yourself. A quickening, accelerating heartbeat may indicate that you need to take a break. Understand your degree of fitness, how atypical weariness feels to you, and when a break is necessary. An anaemic athlete should stop training if they begin to have chest aches, difficulty breathing, or an irregular heartbeat. Instead, they should see their doctor.

2. Start slow

If you have anaemia, vigorous exercise too quickly could make you feel exhausted because your body isn't getting enough oxygen. Start your workouts slowly and gradually up the intensity as you go. Stay away from high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and stick to lower-intensity exercises like yoga or walks.

3. Take breaks

Never disregard your body's signals. If you start to feel exhausted, take a break and decide if you can still go on. Do what you can, but no more. It's not necessary to push yourself to the maximum, so take a seat and rest if you're feeling worn out. The best course of action may be to wait it out.

4. Avoid HIIT

Since athletes who engage in intensive exercise are more likely to develop iron deficiency anaemia, it is advised to limit vigorous cardio as long as iron levels are low. Unless you want to make up for it by eating foods high in iron or taking iron supplements. Iron loss from perspiration is an important factor that leads to anaemia in athletes. Iron loss increases when you perspire more. The mechanical breakdown of red blood cells is another factor, as was previously indicated. You break down some iron-containing red blood cells with each step you take.

5. Eat right

If you have iron deficiency anaemia, changing your diet can help your fitness programme. Include foods like spinach, eggs, oysters, beef, pork, and lentils in your diet as they are good sources of iron and vitamin B12. When consumed alongside an iron-rich meal, vitamin C (present in many fruits) will aid in iron absorption. If you intend to include exercise in your lifestyle, you may also want to think about taking an iron supplement.

6. Talk to a doctor

Consult your primary care doctor to make sure your exercise routine is safe, and always follow the treatment plan that has been prescribed to you. You might need to adjust your routine because anaemia can take both moderate and severe forms.

These workout tips can help improve your experience of working out if you have an iron deficiency.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.