My wife is going through another bout of her colitis and she is part way through her training for a charity bike ride. Does anyone have any experience whether cycling makes it any worst ? Thanks

My mate does triathlon ironman and all that and has been on team GB for long distance tri. He suffers from it quite bad, but he doesn’t let it stop him. He has never been told to stop riding if that’s of any comfort? He clocks up 46 miles a day just commuting, plus he has his extra training miles.

I have Crohns, not the same I know, but similar. Cant imagine exercise can do any harm, assuming she is up to it. Can be tough getting the calories in though, and I get issues with low Hb levels.

I’ve occasionally found that some gentle riding can easy the cramps, maybe it’s a relaxation thing?

Good luck anyway.

Been diagnosed for about 15yrs now with flare ups roughly every 2yrs. It depends a lot on the severity for me but I don’t believe it could be harmful to excercise. It’s mostly just that I might be too tired to do anything serious, but often I find it good for relaxing and taking my mind off the symptoms.

don’t know bout cycling but i know my dad finds aloe vera (100% stuff) taken daily helps UC massively. Hasn’t seen the specialist for 10+ years.

Hi, have tried here http://www.ulcerativecolitis.org.uk/colitisforum/index.php lots of useful info? Personally diagnosed with UC about 26 yrs ago and had a ‘Total Colectomy’ about 23 yrs ago. Reduces the frequency, cramps etc but more importantly gives more control over when you need/have to go.

I’ve ridden through serious bouts with no adverse effects that I’m aware of..

try to keep completely hydrated though to avoid unpleasantness

Sorry to hear that Moda,not a UC sufferer but Crohns sufferer and in a flare its murder,especially if its a bad one and you constantly need the loo,i usually take imodium,3tablets before i go out,tend not to eat to much before hand either which eases the loo rushing but lack of fuel for riding is a bugger,
I asked the Gastric nurse about cycling and she said it should be fine,as exercise releases endorphins….i used to feel pretty done in after rides when i was sick,take a few days to recover but since i got an iron infusion i feel way way better during and after rides,
Hope she gets through it ok,

I have it too, and on the whole cycling helps- probably more to so with increasing fitness overall and reducing stress than anything else, I think.

Thanks for all the advice, i think the main issue will be the frequent toilet visits you mentioned above and finding food energy drink to fuel her that does not irritate it

I’ve suffered with it for about 5 years, and aside from serious attacks when I’ve been very anaemic and struggled to get out of bed (apart from when having to dash for shit, obviously 🙂 ), its got to help.

There’s nothing better than getting out for a spin to de-stress and work up a sweat. A bit of bog roll in the back pocket never goes a miss though 😉

staying away from any high fibre foods is a good start,i was also told not to eat to many bananas as they are hard to digest,which is a shame as they are good for energy,hopefully the people she is riding with know her illness and are understanding when she is out and needs to stop,Baby wipes are a must!!!!

hainman – those iron infusions are amazing aren’t they, like an EPO bullet. Makes me feel like superman for a couple of weeks.