I Am My Own Personal Trainer for Liver Health

I Am My Own Personal Trainer for Liver Health

exercise train cirrhosis hepatitis ihelpc.com
This corner of the dining room is my gym.

 What I really need to do is to hire a professional. But – that’s way out of my price range –  for now… so I guess I’ll have to do. I am my own personal trainer for liver health. I’ve just been chatting with some Best Friends who have had transplants, Hepatitis C, or other liver treatments and we’re all alike. Many of us are in the worst shape of our lives. We have a lot of pain and fatigue. We also have all kinds of plans and goals. We simply need to get in there and whip ourselves into shape. It will be easier if done with a personal trainer. Even if it’s just ourselves.

What do personal trainers actually do? Let’s look at it together and maybe we can find some new motivation while we’re at it.

Trainers get to know you. By looking at your age, body type, weight, and fitness level, they can assess what routine works for you. They ask you questions about your past and current health history. So let’s do that. We’re our own personal trainer, right? So take some time to get a good look at ourselves – honestly.

Age – Can make a big difference in how you perform.

Weight – Will determine how and what exercises you can do safely.

Measurements Go ahead… write it down. Biceps, chest, waist, hips, and thighs.

Body TypeThis is an easy way to look at 3 types:

Ectomorph – Thin, small bone structure. Hard to gain weight. Thin and lean muscles. Needs less cardio and more intense muscle building.

Mesomorph –Medium, athletic build. Gains muscle mass quickly and is naturally strong. Fat comes easy, but weight loss does too. Use a balance of cardio and weight training.

Endomorph – Big boned and solid. Gains fat easily and is naturally strong. Needs more cardio than weight training, but both are important.

weight exercise train liver disease ihelpc.com
WHAAAAT is this? Not me bub.

Fitness Level Are you weak but fast? Slow but strong? Shaky but tough?

Beginners need to take it slow using stretches and short duration cardio. Gradually add weights as muscles gain strength.

Other Exercise Blogs Here and more Here  I’ve got examples of how I built back up after 43 weeks of a chemo type treatment for the Hepatitis C Virus. I used the same routine while training for a transplant. I always like cardio and amped it up during prep for transplant. Yoga is a great place to start, especially for beginners and you can check it out here. 

Health History Any old injuries to protect? High Blood Pressure? Varices? Surgeries? Medications? You’re probably smart enough to know your own limitations. But most of the people who read my blog are seeing a doctor on a regular basis. You need to talk to your health care provider about exercise. I Always Always tell my doctor what I’m doing every single time I go in.

Do not take chances. Don’t substitute a short term solution for a long term goal. When it comes to a workout: Take it slow. Give it some thought. 

trainer liver cirrhosis ihelpc.com
They’re not training. They’re … doing something else. (:O

Trainers choose your fitness routine. If you are a beginner, they will set up a short basic routine of cardio and strength training that will be an easy 30 minutes a few times a week. If you are stronger, they will add more weights and cardiovascular workouts time to your routine. Make sure you are working out easily at one level before you move up to the next. Protect your body.

Trainers instruct you about diet. Use a menu when training to gain muscle while losing fat. Good food helps our heart to stay strong too! I want to protect my new liver with a healthy diet. I am working on a Liver Loving Diet Menu Plan and you should see it online soon!

Trainers make appointments and meets us there. How many times have we told ourselves that tomorrow would be the day? Or said to a friend that we need to, ought to, or are going to…? Yup. If we’re our own personal trainer, we have to face ourselves. Dang.

Trainers have good equipment. You may have some stashed in the garage or being used as a clothes hanger. But it’s time to uncover that stuff. They found liver cancer, I took the entire dining room as my workout room. I have the yoga mat, bike, weights, a dvd player and tv on the table. I trained for my transplant. We need to see our work out equipment every day as a reminder.

Trainers show you how to work out safely. Less injuries mean you can work out longer! You can even get hurt by over stretching. Be sure and watch instructional videos on your computer, youtube or DVD. Find a workout that you like and watch them demonstrate proper positions and movement. Take it slow and do it right.

Trainers count your reps. I love to have someone counting for me. That is one reason that the videos work so well. Even if I don’t follow along exactly, it helps just to hear someone else talking and doing the work along side me. I worked at a health club through the 80’s and know that accountability comes when you are with someone – even if that person is on a tv or computer screen.

yoga beach body liver cirrhosis ihelpc.com
I lay on my yoga mat and roll around some days. haha

Trainers play the music you like. When walking or cycling having a beat is crucial! I’m sure you have some motivational music that gets you moving. I love to jump on the tramp with 70’s  Radio Hits Pandora. (thnx Linda Lou) Creedence makes me wanna walk in rhythm. Radiohead helps me on the bicycle. Some days I cycle with Nicki Minaj …. Acting all sexy. Other days I hit the trail with my Disney Pandora station.

After all this, do you feel like you just spent time with your own personal trainer? Well, you did! And it’s YOU! I’m always honest: Having beat cancer and receiving the gift of life from my donor, I am NEVER giving up. No NEVER. I hurt like hell every single morning. I have for years now. I’m a faker and just talk myself out of bed. Making me cry again. We are strong in spirit, and that forces us to be strong in our body.

Let’s do this together, xoxo Karen:)

You’re still forgiving my typos and messy brain blogs, right?

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15 thoughts on “I Am My Own Personal Trainer for Liver Health”

  1. Just a thought. Many of us with liver disease receive SSDI and along with that Medicare. If you have chosen certain insurance plans such as Humana, AKA SilverSneakers, it will pay for a gym membership. I work part time at the YMCA and people with SilverSneakers or Cigna’s Silver N’Fit insurance programs receive a free consultation with a personal trainer when an individual first joins the Y and at intervals throughout their training. I am one of those fortunate people and as you know have lost over 210 lbs. They YMCA is a major contributor to helping me achieve my weight goals. It was after that they asked me to tell my story and then offered me a part time job in January of this year in membership. I love the YMCA and while your recommendations are awesome it can be scary trying to exercise on your own. Be careful my dear friend. God bless you!

    1. Joel,
      I’m so dang proud of you! I didn’t know you were working at the YMCA. That is awesome! I’m going to call today and see what I can find out. When I was getting ready for treatment for HCV and accidentally let my cobra lapse, I went in to cancel my membership at the Y. I just couldn’t afford it. The director was so generous and insisted on keeping me on at a low cost. That is how I continued to prepare for treatment. What an amazing organization.

      Some will never go to the gym. I hope that this blog will give them some guidance. Bless you sweet friend.
      xoxo Karen:)

      1. I’m so glad to hear your YMCA Director insisted that you continue to use your membership even with low cost. That’s another thing most people don’t know about the YMCA, it is a 501C3 non profit and offers scholarships for those who can’t afford full price memberships! No one is turned away due to inability to pay… at least not in the Knoxville, TN YMCA’s! I’m so proud to be a part of this wonderful organization. These people truly care about the community members. I am so impressed with all they do! I could go on and on. If you’re traveling and wish to workout, simply show us your YMCA membership card and we welcome you at no cost. That isn’t true of all Y’s across the country though. 🙂 Stepping down from my happy podium for now! Hahaha

        1. Joel,
          You can jump up and grab the mike any time on this website. I didn’t make that call today. I’ve spent the whole day working on a liver loving diet recipe and menu plan. I’m going to put it on a sticky note for tomorrow.
          Thanks for promoting the YMCA for readers to see.
          xo Karen:)

  2. I am so thankful that I have your blog to read! It has given me encouragement so many times when I have felt like giving up. I am really looking forward to your liver loving meal plan. I struggle with this the most, as I am diabetic also. Thank you again for your inspiration. I pray that you continue doing well with your new liver!

    1. Tonya,
      Thank YOU! It’s so encouraging to hear stories of others who are working hard every day to live their best life. It’s a struggle to eat well with diabetes and liver disease. I’m keeping you in mind as I cook and eat.
      Much love,
      Karen:)

  3. I recently had my first TACE treatment and also learned that even though my Hepatologist felt I was a good candidate for a transplant, that I am not. So I am stuck trying to work exercise in, once I heal from this TACE. I sincerely like you approach to starting a better plan. I will be meeting my Hepatologist on the 13th of August and I will discuss the exercise delima with him. Thank you for making this seem so much easier than I was making it.
    I am ok with no transplant, I was going to say no anyway. The same reasons I would have said no, lead my doctor to the realization that it was not a viable option for me.
    Always looking ahead.

    1. Sheila,
      There’s some news I haven’t heard then. Gosh honey, I just hold my breath til I hear from you. Let me know what they say and just rest your head for now. Maybe you can get outside some? I took my time with the TACE. Your body is working hard to kill off that tumor. xoxo Karen:)

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