The study involved 3 groups of people with the condition – one group carrying out High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), another group carrying out Moderate Intensity Continuous Training (MICT) and a final control group.
All the exercises were carried out on bikes, with those in the HIIT group interspersing intense bouts of exercise with slower bouts of exercise for 20 minutes, and those in the MICT group cycling at a steady pace for 30 minutes.
Lindsay’s first paper provided good news for people with Crohn’s Disease as it showed exercising didn’t lead to a worsening of symptoms. Her second paper, published recently in the journal Plos one, looked in more detail at how much the participants enjoyed exercising.
Often a major barrier for participation in physical activity is lack of enjoyment in particular in relation to high intensity exercise, but Lindsay found that people in the study enjoyed both HIIT and MICT and attendance rates were high.
On top of this, participants felt ‘fairly good’ towards the end of the exercise sessions, which is promising and could encourage more people with the condition to try out new forms of exercise.
We have completed a feasibility study to explore high intensity and moderate intensity exercise in adults with Crohn’s Disease. We found that participants enjoyed taking part in both types of exercise and adhered to the programme with no disease related adverse events. We are looking to do a larger scale study to explore the impact of exercise on quality of life.
Dr Lindsay Bottoms,
Research Lead for Sport, Health and Exercise, University of Hertfordshire
Find out more about Lindsay's research project, Exercise and IBD.
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