I was diagnosed in August of this year (2008) and I have been reading everything I can get my hands on about nutrition and exercise. I am seeing some conflicting information. I have read that working out may cause a drop in your CD4, and that not working out may do the same thing. Is it true that muscle mass helps the body fight this? How much is too much?

Cardiovascular exercise and weight training are good for you, with or without HIV. But overtraining (too much exercise) can increase your levels of cortisone and decrease immune function. Exercise builds lean body mass (the main compartment that stores glutamine in the body that feeds CD4 cells), increases bone density, increases strength, improves mood and mental function, decreases stress and depression, burns fat, decreases bad cholesterol and triglycerides, increases good cholesterol, decreases blood sugar and insulin levels, and some small studies have shown that it may improve sexual function. If we have one pill that could do all this, it would sell more than Viagra!

What is too much exercise? Working out for more than an hour a day, jogging for more than an hour a day, working out when you are sick, pushing yourself too hard when you are tired or sore, working out while dehydrated, sweating but not replenishing fluids, leaving the gym more tired than when you came in or feeling nauseous while exercising.

I hope this helps.

By the way, I am hooked on three exercise sites:

MyFit.ca

MensHealth.com

and http://medibolics.com/exercise.html

Nelson