Unless you have other conditions which might affect your ability to exercise (joint problems, heart problems, etc), people living with HIV are just as able to exercise as anyone else.
Exercise can boost your immune system and has been shown to improve both physical wellbeing and mental health.
Some people living with HIV have increased levels of cholesterol, which can increase the risk of some serious long-term health problems. Exercise can help lower levels of so-called bad cholesterol (blood fats and sugars), and help increase levels of 'good' cholesterol (HDL).
It’s always worth checking with your HIV specialist or GP if there are any forms of exercise that would not be good for you, or any reasons that you should not exercise, but having HIV in itself should not affect your ability to exercise.
What is lipodystrophy and should I worry about it?
Lipodystrophy, also known as fat redistribution, is a medical condition. Fat is lost from some parts of the body, and might build up in other areas. Lipodystrophy is linked to an increased risk of other conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and heart problems. It affects the way your body looks which some people might struggle with.
In the past, lipodystrophy was a problem for people living with HIV, and could lead to muscle loss as well. This was partly due to the way that early HIV medication worked. Recently new types of HIV medication have been developed that do not have the same risk of causing lipodystrophy. Some people who took the older medication found that their lipodystrophy got better when they changed to the new treatment. Now HIV-associated lipodystrophy is not as much of a problem as it used to be.
Apart from changing medications, the only intervention shown to reverse the progress of lipodystrophy has been exercise. Studies show that a combination of cardiovascular exercise and resistance (weight) training helps reduce the appearance of fat around the stomach area.
Weight training is also one of the best ways to increase lean body mass and bone density that may be lost through HIV and ageing.
