The kidneys are responsible for filtering the blood and excreting waste products. When your kidneys fail, it can be catastrophic for your body. Exercise can help your physical and mental states and diet can help the kidneys balance fluids and electrolytes. While, stage two kidney disease is still considered moderate, taking an active part in your treatment can get you feeling stronger and healthier.
Function
The main function of the kidneys is to maintain water, electrolytes and solute balance around the body. It does so by controlling the volume of extracellular fluid around the body by increasing or decreasing urine output. When the kidneys begin to fail, almost every part of the body becomes affected. And, while diet and exercise can't cure renal disease, it can slow the process and make you feel better.
Exercise Benefits
If you have stage two renal disease, you should participate in mild to moderate aerobic and resistive training. When you have a kidney disorder, your body can feel weak. This weakness is only worsened when you are sedentary. Exercise can help your body feel stronger and increase your sense of well being. One main physiological benefit is the effect on blood pressure from physical activity. Fluid imbalance that can come from renal disease, can cause your blood pressure to elevate. Exercise can help control elevated blood pressure and increase muscle tone.
Exercise Prescription
The right exercise program should consist of an aerobic and resistive portion. People with stage two renal disease should participate in about 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week. The program should involve aerobic exercise, like walking, swimming or bicycling and resistive exercises, like weight lifting. Resistance training should work the large muscle groups of the body and you should be able to perform 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise.
Proteins
Monitoring your protein intake is crucial if you have renal disease. When protein is metabolized, urea, a waste product, is produced. The kidneys are responsible for removing urea from the blood and excreting it in the urine. If the kidneys cannot perform this function, urea begins to accumulate in the blood, causing high levels of nitrogen in the blood. Limiting your protein intake to the recommended levels, can help decrease accumulating urea in your blood. You should try to eat 10 to 12 percent of your total calories from protein.
Sodium
A diet high in sodium can cause water retention and increase blood pressure, putting a toll on your kidneys. It is best to eat a diet low in sodium. Since most processed foods contain large amounts of sodium, try to eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Preparing meals yourself, can also help control the amount of sodium you are eating.
References
- "Cecil Essentials of Medicine"; Thomas Andreoli, Charles Carpenter, Robert Griggs, Joseph Loscalzo, eds.; 2004
- Ingenta Connect.com: Exercise and Chronic Kidney Disease: Current Recommendations
- "Diet, Nutrition and Health"; Kenneth Kirchner Carroll; 1998
- Davita.com: Kidney Disease
