How Exercise and Diet Can Help You Recover from Hepatitis C Treatment

Treatment side effects can come and go throughout treatment, but the side effect of fatigue often lingers into recovery. When you experience fatigue, it seems like the last thing you want to do is exercise and focus on your diet, but exercise and diet can help you as you recover from treatment and hepatitis C.

My experience with hep C fatigue

When I was recovering from my hepatitis C treatment, fatigue hovered over me like a cloud. I experienced muscle weakness, stiffness, low energy, and poor appetite. My doctor recommended some physical therapy to help my muscle weakness and stiffness. I experienced far more than I expected: Not only did muscle strength and stiffness improve greatly but I developed increased stamina and energy.

I focused my diet to include liver-healthy foods that reduce inflammation. It was not long before I noticed a huge improvement in my energy, clarity of mind, and improved overall health. My liver was healing as my body was being restored. I experienced the benefits of developing my hepatitis C treatment recovery program to help my liver and body heal.

Benefits of exercise

Exercise, even mild cardio, has great benefits. Start slow and build up. Even 15 minutes of walking per day reaps great benefits. You can increase your time as your energy increases.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)/U.S. National Library of Medicine says that the benefits of exercise can include reducing depression, anxiety, and negative mood. Exercise can also help improve self-esteem and cognitive function.¹

The NCBI also states that exercise can offer these additional benefits: "Improved sleep, increased interest in sex, better endurance, stress relief, improvement in mood, increased energy and stamina, reduced tiredness that can increase mental alertness, weight reduction, reduced cholesterol and improved cardiovascular fitness."¹

Benefits of liver-healthy diet

Always consult with your doctor before starting any diet plan. If you have cirrhosis or another associated condition, a special diet for your liver condition can be tailored for your specific needs.

A liver-friendly diet can:

• Help reduce fluid build-up and reduce inflammation
• Provide the essential nutrients your liver and body need as it regenerates healthy liver tissue
• Boost your immune system
• Improve mental clarity
• Improve energy
• Improve and balance blood sugar
• Lower cholesterol (which can also help reduce fatty liver)
• Improve hypertension
• Reduce weight gain

Work with your medical team to develop your recovery plan and see what a difference it makes!