Uterine fibroids (aka leiomyomas or myomas) are noncancerous growths of the uterus that vary in size. They may be as small as a seed or they may consist or bulky masses that may enlarge or distort the uterus.
The existence of uterine fibroids is something you cannot control. However, there are certain factors that you can control, such as your weight. This is why it’s important to exercise regularly.
According to studies, overweight women are as much as three times more likely to experience uterine fibroids. The excess fat, especially abdominal fat, are more likely to overproduce estrogen.
Exercising to reduce fat may help decrease the risk of having uterine fibroids. But, losing weight does not guarantee that existing uterine fibroids will become smaller.
Moreover, not all types of exercise are beneficial. Therefore, you should choose the activities that you engage in wisely as some intense activities might end up worsening your condition.
Walking and Running
Cardiovascular exercises, such as walking and running, helps burns calories and fat—making it possible for you to lose weight. And as you know, getting rid of those flabs should result in a more balanced supply of estrogen. It’s ideal to exercise thrice daily for at least thirty minutes to better achieve a calorie deficit.
Cardio exercises are more than just a means to improve your weight and balance your hormones. They’re also an excellent means of keeping your heart muscle in tiptop shape. Improvements in stress levels, self-esteem, and even overall mood have also been linked to aerobic exercise. So, just by walking or running regularly, you get to become a lot healthier.
What about Bodybuilding?
Daily strength training exercises should help in reducing abdominal fat. After all, moderate to intense exercises promote weight loss and tone the stomach muscles, which in turn help shrink the waistline. This slows down the release of estrogen, limiting the growth of uterine fibroids. And so, simple strength exercises should be rather beneficial to those with myomas.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that high-impact strength exercises may cause pain and discomfort to women with existing uterine fibroids (although the size of such growths are a factor) and this makes exercising more difficult. Therefore, it is important to choose low-impact exercises, or better yet stick to basic cardio routines.
Will Kegel Exercises Help?
Although Kegel exercises are generally beneficial, they might not be the most worthwhile approach for women aiming to shrink their fibroids. Simply put, Kegels work specifically on the pelvic floor muscles—which support the uterus. The exercises eventually give you better control of those areas, but won’t really do much for uterine fibroids.
The Bottom Line
If you’re looking to improve your condition and overall health, go with the safest and most reliable option—light to moderate aerobic exercise done on a regular basis. By also keeping your diet in check (e.g. staying within caloric limits, aiming for nutritional balance), being sufficiently active should help you shed pounds and may eventually shrink your uterine fibroids.
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