You need to exercise for optimal health, and when you’re managing hypothyroidism, a condition in which your thyroid gland doesn’t make enough thyroid hormone, regular workouts can do double duty as part of your overall treatment plan.
“Due to a slower metabolism, people with hypothyroidism are prone to gain weight,” says Betul Hatipoglu, MD, an endocrinologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Your cholesterol levels might also go up, you may sense changes in cognitive function, and even experience depression, she explains, but "exercise can help with all of these symptoms of hypothyroidism.”
More specifically, Dr. Hatipoglu notes that regular aerobic exercise improves good cholesterol and lowers bad cholesterol. “Exercise also causes a net energy expenditure, which helps with weight loss and body fat loss,” she adds.
In terms of mental health boosts, she says that both aerobic exercise and weight training reduce anxiety and depression and improve cognitive function.
Of course, there are the many other overall benefits of exercise, all of which also reinforce your hypothyroidism treatment. “Exercise decreases inflammation, reduces blood pressure, improves insulin sensitivity, and can help prevent diabetes,” Hatipoglu says.
Regular workouts will also help lower risk for heart attack, stroke, some cancers, and bone loss; promote better sleep; reduce stress; and help your body become stronger and more flexible.

The Best Types of Exercise for Countering Hypothyroidism

For her patients with hypothyroidism, Hatipoglu recommends both aerobic exercise and weight training. “Aerobic exercise is beneficial for hypothyroidism because it can help with fat burning and overall cardiovascular health,” she says.
For moderate-intensity aerobic activities, she recommends walking fast, water aerobics,
bike riding, playing tennis, using a push lawn mower, and dancing. Want to step up to
vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise? Try jogging or running, swimming, or playing basketball. “You can practice these more vigorous workouts once you feel comfortable with the moderate activities,” she advises.
Hatipoglu stresses weight training as part of your hypothyroidism treatment to build muscle mass and to keep the basal metabolism (your level of calorie burning when your body is at rest) active, she says, adding that strength training is particularly important when your hypothyroidism isn’t well treated and your metabolism slows down.
Aim for at least two days of strength training each week (rest your muscles for at least one day between sessions). Good strength-training activities include lifting weights,
working out with resistance bands, doing exercises that use your own body weight such as push-ups and sit-ups, and yoga.

Making Room for Regular Exercise

Before you start any exercise program, speak with your primary care physician or endocrinologist to get the go-ahead.
Next, Hatipoglu recommends you take exercise one step at a time. “Start with small goals and expectations and build upon them as you get stronger,” she says. “You cannot run a marathon in one day if you’ve never run in your life, but you can start with one minute of running and 10 minutes of walking and build on that over time.”
In terms of frequency, she recommends the universal guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which recommend one of two scenarios: 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week, with strength-training activities that work all major muscle groups on two or more days a week, or 75 minutes a week of a vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, such as jogging or running, plus strength training.
Whether you choose to exercise moderately or vigorously to help combat hypothyroidism, make sure you do activities you really like. “Exercise is a lifelong commitment, so enjoying what you do is very important,” Hatipoglu says.