Exercise even with asthmaFor asthma, exercise is best prescriptionWhile exercise can bring on asthma, research shows that to exercise with asthma is an effective way to manage asthma & even reverse symptoms.
We also encourage you to visit our sister sites for more good advice on managing asthma with water (hydration) & natural herbal remedies for asthma.
To go from asthma & exercise link to what causes asthma & the role of dehydration in asthma, click here
The asthma exercise issueThe issue of whether exercise can help prevent asthma is receiving a lot of attention because of the worldwide increase in sufferers & severity of asthmaThe reason is clear. There has been a tremendous change in children's lifestyle, from more active to sedentary. Much of this stems from the explosion of technology & entertainment that is easy to access. This lack of exercise & the obesity that comes from it is playing a role in the increase of asthma. Role of exercise in lung functioningExercise helps to stretch the lungs and bronchial tubes, which helps reduce the resistance to breathing. Even though the bronchial tubes become inflamed (as occurs in asthma), the positive effects of exercise may help prevent symptoms of asthma.Before you exercise with asthmaFor those with asthma, exercise might trigger attacks but these can be prevented by using an inhaler 5 - 10 minutes before the activity. Exercise induced asthma should never prevent a sufferer from participating in sports, even vigorous activity.As tolerance for physical exertion is built up, it is less likely that an asthmatic will get an attack during exercise. However, have a thorough medical evaluation & get your doctor’s permission before beginning any type of exercise program. Exercising with asthmaTake extra time to warm up before exercising. A longer period of low-level aerobic activity will help prepare your body for higher intensity exercise. Walking for 10 - 15 minutes is a good activity.Exercise toward the lower end of your target heart rate. Activities such as walking or swimming are great for asthmatics because they are low intensity and may be done for longer periods of time. Do progress, but do so conservatively, gradually. Specific exercises for asthmaticsThe following exercises are listed in order from most to least likely to result in exercise induces asthma attack:• outdoor runningMost aerobic exercises include the above & can be easily modified for asthmatics. See our section on “Aerobics” for more (navigation bar).
Any well-rounded exercise program should include strength training & flexibility exercise. Luckily, both lend you important health benefits & are unlikely to cause asthma attacks.
In fact, strength training may help avert some asthma attacks because stronger muscles work less hard, causing less strain for lungs during activity. Be sure to do exercise for the legs that include low rep, high weight movements (heavy squats for ex.) & higher rep, lower weight movements (light squats, or with body weight, leg curls, etc).
Progress steadily & you should see improvement of your asthma symptoms.
Many exercisers ignore stretching exercises for flexibility. However, that is not wise for anyone especially asthmatics.
Let the stretching serve as an important cool down that gently eases you from exertion to rest.
Also, stretching makes muscles stronger & more efficient which may help avert asthma attacks.
Any decent book on stretching should provide a good program. You can also perform the stretches on the chart below. Yoga exercises and asthma
For those inclined, yoga programs featuring stretches/postures & breathing exercises could be a boon to asthmatics.We cannot encourage any particular system of exercise for asthma any more than yoga poses & yoga breathing techniques. Just pick up any good book on yoga or do an internet search & see if it sounds like something that can engage you. I personally never feel better than when I am including yoga in my exercise program & yoga seems to never wear me out. Give it a try.
Click 2 go from exercise & asthma 2 home |
