The Best Exercises To Do While Your Body Is Healing on the Bean Protocol
Most people can’t believe it when they read exercise isn’t recommended on the bean protocol. But today I want to clear that up.
Low impact exercise IS recommended, high impact exercises are NOT recommended. I'll share one of my favorite low-impact exercises to stay active and strong while on the bean protocol.
But before we get started, let’s talk about what type of movement hinders healing.
Table of Contents Show
Why exercise is not recommended on the bean protocol
High-Intensity
Simple. Most people who try the bean protocol are doing it because they’re exhausted. Extreme fatigue brought on by adrenal fatigue. This means that you’ve completely exasperated all your energy by simply doing too much, pushing through (even when you could barely stay awake), and not resting.
When you exert yourself, even when you’re tired, your body pumps a shit ton of adrenaline to keep you going. Adrenaline is the body’s fight or flight response that’s ready to fight against any immediate danger or run from immediate danger. When adrenaline is released, glucose (sugar) is also released to give you that extra bit of energy to help defend yourself.
Adrenaline can also be triggered by everyday life stress. When this happens, the body still releases glucose, leading to insomnia, jitteriness, anxiety, rapid heart rate, and other symptoms.
I’ve definitely experienced this. When I was at my corporate job, I was stressed, working long hours, and when it finally came to falling asleep at night, it was absolutely impossible.
too much exercise
What else causes stress? Too much physical exercise, which releases cortisol, a catabolic steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands.
What happens to these hormones? If we’re not eating soluble fiber, they are recirculated back into our body repeatedly until they become sludge and find a permanent home in our liver. When our bile becomes toxic, this begins to break down other body functions and may cause gut inflammation, food allergies, hair loss, acne, night sweats, arthritis, weight gain, weight loss, inability to lose or gain weight, and so many other symptoms.
Essentially, our bodies are tired, and High Impact exercising causes our heart rate to rise. Our bodies then have to push out more hormones to complete the physical activity that stresses our bodies out more, making us more tired and sicker.
When should you add exercise back into your life?
It’s important to remind ourselves that exercise doesn’t have to be intense to be considered exercise. However, physical activity can be slow and still produce results. Will it take longer to reach your desired goals? Yes, but is that so bad?
Working within our body's existing parameters will lead to long-lasting results instead of pushing our body to conform to an expectation that it just can’t do. The inability to meet high-intensity workouts often leads to distress and depression because we feel inadequate for not ‘keeping up.’ When in reality, your body simply can’t do it or is not in the state to perform exercises at those levels.
When introducing exercise, you need to have energy! If you wake up and are exhausted, it doesn’t make sense to walk five miles or complete a 30-minute Bootcamp circuit. Maybe walking around your home and cooking is enough for your body to handle. That’s okay.
Giving your adrenals enough time to rest will increase your energy and capacity to do more physical activity. But you absolutely must feel rested first! If you’re not rested and do not have the energy to complete your current life’s daily tasks, then adding exercise will cause more harm to your body.
What exercises are okay while on the bean protocol?
While you’re healing and as long as you have energy, (read that again), you can add exercises that don’t overexert your heart, like slow, low-impact exercises.
You may not be able to do all exercises. It really depends on what your body can handle. The goal would be to learn how to perfect your movements so you can strengthen slowly.
Whatever you choose, it’s up to you to monitor how much you can do. When I had a Peleton, I tried keeping up with the excellent classes, but they would leave me utterly exhausted for days. But if I went at my own pace, I could keep up with the exercise and still maintain energy levels for the rest of the day.
One day, I felt freaking amazing, I decided to run two miles on a local hiking trail. Every step felt incredible, and I could feel the energy surging through each breath. Approximately an hour after my run, I was on my couch watching tv, half asleep because I overexerted myself. You need to monitor your body, learn your signals, and be patient with slow progress.
Walking/hiking
We should be walking a minimum of 30-minutes a day. Preferably outside as the sun and the fresh air work wonders on anyone who is healing.
But if you need a little more oomph, Hiking is highly recommended. Be careful on any incline. While I was healing, I had to take several breaks while walking up a hill. At first, I felt self-conscious about taking so many breaks, but I realized no one really cared about what I was doing. In a few months, I was going up hills without breaks.
Swimming
If you have a pool, I’m envious!! Swimming would be my preferred method of moving my body (it’s probably because I currently live in Arizona). It’s great at strengthening small muscles in your body, particularly your back and shoulders.
Pilates
When I lived in Australia, I was constantly going to Pilates classes. I miss it terribly! Some classes were exhausting, but most focused on small movements that improved my posture and flexibility.
Yoga
Since the pandemic, this is one practice I always make room for because it centers me and helps stretch ALLLLL parts of my body. Goodbye, tight hips. Whether you choose a morning flow or afternoon or evening flow or break it up into mini-sessions throughout the day, you can really get an amazing workout from Yoga. Again, just feel for your heart rate. If it gets too high, go a bit slower or take a break.
Weights
I loved doing this workout at home with my 10-pound weights. The key to doing this exercise is… you guessed it! Going slow! You will build up your heart and your strength over time.
Biking
Like I mentioned before, I used to ride the Peleton a few times a week. When I first started, my mind really wanted to keep pushing harder to complete the beginner rides. But here’s the truth, my body couldn’t keep up with the beginner rides. Not only did I have to increase my stamina, but I had to ensure my posture and movements were supporting me and the exercise. Pushing myself through the beginners’ ride with the inclines, increased resistance was slowing down my healing. There were rides where I didn’t even meet the minimum of what the ride expected of me, but I didn’t care. My recovery was more important than setting a new personal record. Guess what? I still got a great workout!
Helpful tips while exercising
Don’t compare yourself to anyone else, especially not previous versions of your body.
We all know comparison is a thief of joy, and comparing your body to a healthier version of your body will not only kill joy but will also kill your progress. It’s okay that your current body can’t do all the things. If you create space for your body now, you’ll be amazed at what it can do in a year.
Train your heart to become stronger.
Um, how do I do that? Well, 10 years ago, I was introduced to Phil Maffeton and his 180-method. You can find out more about it here, but essentially, using his heart rate formula and a heart monitor, you can SLOWLY (and I mean sloth slow) begin to build your endurance and strengthen your heart.
you don’t have to sweat to have a good exercise.
Walking is one of my favorite ways to move my body. Do I sweat after a 2-mile walk? Not really, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t exercise. In fact, it not only invigorates my body but also clears my mind and improves my mood.
Stop tracking all the things.
Okay, so if you’re doing the 180-method, this doesn’t make sense. Still, when I was obsessed with weight loss and had terrible dieting habits, I became compulsive to track how fast or slow I ran and how many calories I burned. It really messed with my ability to enjoy the movements I was doing. Now, I only listen to music or podcasts on my walks, and it’s incredibly freeing.
Rest.
Give your body proper rest after any workout. For me, I highly recommend stretching all parts of the body. I believe you should stretch even after sitting all day in your chair. This helps the body relax and is just really freaking good for you.
There you have it! Great exercises you should include into your life while on the bean protocol once your body has the energy to do it!
Tell me below, what type of exercises will you add to your daily life?
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