Hey Jan - I feel your INR pain and am in the same boat, but I have not increased my exercise.
Everything I've read on the subject suggests that increased exercise would decrease your INR, as anything that rev's up your metabolism will. The more you get your blood pumping, the more often it's getting filtered through your liver - filtering out the warfarin. But that's layman's terms, and I know I've read credible medical literature on the subject... I'll try to find it again and post it here.

I've just had the most horrible nurse from hell tell me that "only what I put in my mouth changes my INR" and exercise has nothing to do with it - this is the clinical lead nurse at my doctors surgery. Despite having been told by another nurse (anti-coag specialist nurse at hospital) earlier today that more exercise always lowers your INR when you've been inactive and start exercising again.
So now I have no idea, but I'm sure raising your metabolism will increase the speed that you get rid of warfarin, surely?!

It's well documented that many things besides what goes into your mouth can affect INR - heat, cold, hormones, thyroid problems, illness- your nurse needs to read up on warfarin, something besides the insert that comes with the prescription.

I try to think of the Benefits from Exercise!
I went 10 years between DVT's with alot of riding running and swimming! When I was working alot (standing) was when the first of the last 2 DVT's Started! I have had 8 DVT's at least and exercise helps keep me sane! INR levels always jump around due to APS. So I watch my leg pretty good!

I love to be active - riding, farm work, you name it - and I'm dying to get back to normal levels of everything, so the nasty warfarin nurse will have to accept that this is altering my INR
I have a hankering for getting on the science sites and finding journal articles about effects of things on warfarin metabolism, and dumping a pile of paper on her desk for a little light reading!
If I find anything of interest, I'll put links on here in case anyone else ends up with an equally misinformed nurse giving them a hard time!

As Laura mentions, a lot of things can affect a person's INR level. I had raced Mountain Bikes in the New England area while on Coumadin years ago (1992 to 1996). I rode my bike about 8 miles during lunchtime and 30 miles after dinner each day. Never bothered my INR but that's me. There is some informatin which suggest INR may drop in some individuals as Laura has explained.

The way each person's body processes coumadin is differently. Some folks are more susceptible to INR fluctuations and others are not. I'm on life long Coumadin and have learned over the years that not much really affects my INR.

So, if exercise makes your INR drop then that must not have been my issue. I went from 1-2 hrs of exercise every couple of days to 6+ hrs of intense biking and hiking for several days in a row. My INR went up.

Probably I should take off next week and do a repeat to see what happens. :-)

I work out a fair amount with weights, on the elliptical, doing aqua aerobics, swimming, gardening, etc- nothing like too excessive. I gave up on my INR! I can't get it past 1.1 anymore! Used to get it to 2.2, 2.3, 1.5 but despite taking coumadin it's always like I take nothing at all. Exercise I believe stimulates collaterals. Plus I believe oxygenation is critical to combatting clots. Vthe lungs hold a key to good health. I believe so does omega 3s, chia seeds - a powerhouse of vegetarian omega 3, fiber and protein, plus tumeric- the indians put this in their foods. I do think exercise holds a key to less thrombotic events. I've seen no scientific studies. My drs all encourage me to exercise. I'm a time bomb ticking because I can't sustain a decent INR so all I got is my exercise and my herbs! This is life for real for me. My dr won't give me arikstra cause she says it makes the platelets malfunction and then you're screwed - it's hemorage of the brain when you're sleeping!! Well forgot to take my garlic today. Anyway I'd say do t stop exercising.

David,
It seems to me that the powerhouse of seeds, pills, oils, herbs, natural remedies, etc etc. would be affecting your INR to the point where it would not be therapeutic. Do you get your INR checked regularly and warfarin dose adjusted according to your regimen? Is your dr aware of your personal regimen of concoctions? Just wondering.

My dr she knows and she thinks I'm a bit weird, but she just says try to stay away from those things that affect the inr. But since I can't tolerate warfarin much my dose is much smaller than I should take I just can't tolerate it. She knows this and she's waiting to put me on the next generation whenever that gets approved. Meantime I've decided to take a number of mostly plant based blood thinners. Smart or dumb, proven or unproven I know I'm a guinea pig. I have no choice. I can get my int regularly checked but I don't because it's always subtherapuetic. My dr actually tells me this is better than nothing. So like if I should take 10mg warf I'll take 5. That's all I tolerate. I take it separate from the chia and foods like that cause it'll bind it and I'll just void it out without absorbing. I eat alot of higher fibers like flax, natural cereals nuts, etc. I'm totally a noncompliant person. My diet is and has always been like an antiwarfarin diet. I grow some of my own exotic fruits like mulberries, mangoes, bananas, sapotes, guavas, honeybelles, etc. Much of these I'm aware probably act like cranberries to change inr. You know I don't care anymore, I've heard too many anechdotal stories about people dropping dead of brain hemmorages. Anyway on this topic, exercise is not the panacea, neither are select nutrients. I'm not delusional. But I just follow my intuition and my drs advice. Please Boone follow my example.