Exercising after thyroid disease

Just below her chin right at the intersection of her neck and chest, Elizabeth Mbaisi spots a deep scar.

“Is it that big? I got it in December last year from a minor surgery when I had my thyroid gland removed,” Liz chuckles as she sits on the leg extension machine.

Most people who have thyroid disorders such as cancer, goitre, or overactive thyroid, a condition called hyperthyroidism, experience many challenges. They may find it challenging to exercise regularly due to symptoms such as fatigue, joint and muscle pain, and weight gain.

After surgery to remove the gland as part of treatment, some struggle with anxiety, low energy levels, and insomnia, among other symptoms.

However, regular exercise helps ease these symptoms.

Ms Mbaisi says working out has helped a great deal.

Since the surgery, she says, she has never been better. Her energy reservoirs have drastically increased by leaps and bounds.

So much so that her workouts have become intense in the last few months and now the 28-year-old can smile over her gains describing her aesthetic physique as ‘slim thick’.

“Yes, what you see is slim and thick. In the last couple of months, I have been pushing hard, especially with my lower-body workouts. I think the thyroid disorder affected my energy because once it was removed, I feel more rejuvenated,” she says.

The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland in the front of the neck. It produces hormones that control the way the body uses energy.

Thyroid hormones affect nearly every organ in the body and control several important functions such as breathing, heart rate, weight gain and loss, digestion and even moods.

When there occurs a dysfunction in this gland, it causes the thyroid to produce either too much or too little of the hormones and could lead to conditions such as goitre (enlargement of the thyroid gland), thyroiditis (swelling of the thyroid) or thyroid nodules (lumps in the thyroid gland) and if not detected early enough, it may develop to thyroid cancer.

Ms Mbaisi is not sure which one of those she had but she is certain it was not goiter.

“Honestly, I wasn’t paying much attention to the doctor’s explanation because sometimes they can scare the hell out of you. I just wanted whatever it was to be removed so I consented,” she says.

The soft-tongued chef believes her decision to begin exercising was the reason the condition was detected much earlier.

“I didn’t know I was developing a thyroid dysfunction until one of my friends noticed some type of swelling on the side of my neck and advised I go for a checkup. It wasn’t painful but I used to be tired most times. When I began exercising in April last year, I felt more tired than before, I was always out of energy," she says.

But that is not why Elizabeth joined BornFit gym in the first place.

“My ex-boyfriend was a fitness junkie and tried to convince me to join him on this journey but I was never motivated. I never felt the need. But in January of 2022, I noticed I had this chubby face, I felt old at 27 and got a little bit worried and that’s how I knew I had to do something about it. So I joined the gym and just fell in love with it,” she says.

Eating clean

As she exercises, she also strives to eat clean.

“My meals have changed even though not near perfect but I try as much as I can to eat clean although I still struggle with stopping eating chapatis. When I get cravings I eat two a day until the cravings go,” she says, adding the longest she has stayed without chapatis is a month.

Detoxing using a juices-only diet has also helped her.

“But my favourite meal at the moment is ugali, a lot of greens, with fish or chicken,” she says.

The only reason you do not see rims of subcutaneous fat rounding Ms Mbaisi's snatched waistline despite eating chapatis daily is because she does portion control.

“Portion control of your meals is key. I eat only three meals a day but they could be split. I also think juicing and doing a lot of greens has helped me clean up my gut off the junk I take. Also other than my struggle with chapos (chapatis), my carbohydrate intake is usually very low,” Ms Mbaisi says.

For her workouts, Ms Mbaisi trains five times a week. Her routine is mainly strength training with one or two sessions of cardio within the week like a spin class.

“I work out from Monday to Friday. Of the five days I strength-train twice in my lower body which is my glutes (butt) because those are my favourite body parts, you know they bring out the body's aesthetic appeal. My second favourite exercise is back exercising because depending on how you train it, it directly impacts on your waistline. What do you think of my waistline? Is it not snatched?” she asks.

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