Being active is important for your health and wellbeing. It is a myth that exercise for asthmatics is unsafe. The truth is that most asthmatics would benefit from regular physical activity.

As long as your asthma is under control, exercise is safely recommended to keep your lungs and body in good condition. If you have asthma, you could participate in almost any sport or exercise. Scuba diving is the only sport not recommended.

What is asthma?
The word asthma is used as a blanket term to cover a condition that is characterized by episodes of breathlessness caused by intermittent narrowing of bronchial tubes or airways.
Symptoms include:
• Wheezing
• Coughing
• A feeling of tightness in the chest
• Breathlessness.

What are the common triggers?
There are many factors that can contribute to the development of asthma. Attacks may be brought on by an allergic response to tobacco, smoke, air pollutants, pollen, climate, colds and viruses, emotions or stress. Exercise induced asthma (EIA) is usually brought on by vigorous aerobic activity.

Is asthma contagious?
No. Asthma is not an infectious disease.

Should exercise be avoided?
No. Medications and intelligent understanding of triggers can result in tremendous physical ability to benefit from an exercise routine.

What are the benefits of exercising?
Exercise will strengthen the lungs, boost the immune system, strengthen the body and help in maintaining a healthy body weight.

Research indicates that as tolerance for physical exertion is built-up over-time; appropriate exercise can help asthmatics reduce stress, sleep better and feel fitter and energized.

What kinds of exercises are recommended?
An asthma attack results in breathlessness and fatigue, therefore, it is beneficial to strengthen the breathing muscles. Breathing exercises such as diaphragmatic breathing and pursed lip breathing help increase lung capacity. Cardiovascular exercises, strength training and flexibility exercises help improve overall fitness.

Cardiovascular exercises

Examples: walking, swimming, cycling
Choose an exercise that you are comfortable with. . A minimum of 30 minutes, five to seven days of the week is necessary to improve functioning of the heart and circulatory system.

Are some kinds of exercises better than others?
Asthma triggers vary in individuals – generally, swimming is one of the best forms of exercise for asthmatics. When the environment is warm and moist, asthma symptoms are usually less severe. Though, some individuals may find the chlorine in the swimming pools to cause a reaction.

Outdoor exercises such as running or cycling may trigger symptoms if the outside air is cold and dry.

Running indoors on a treadmill or cycling on an indoor exercise bike may be safe if the exercise is progressed systematically and carefully.

Breathing exercises

These exercises will improve the lung capacity.

Diaphragmatic breathing
The diaphragm is the most efficient muscle of breathing. It is a large, dome-shaped muscle located at the base of the lungs. Regular practice will:
• Strengthen the diaphragm
• Decrease the work of breathing by slowing your breathing rate
• Decrease oxygen demand

Breathing technique: Lie on your back or sit on a chair. Breathe in slowly through your nose so that your stomach expands as you inhale and falls inward as you exhale.

Practice this exercise for 5-minutes, 3-4 times per day.

Pursed Lip Breathing
Pursed lip breathing is one of the simplest ways to control shortness of breath. It provides a quick and easy way to slow your pace of breathing, making each breath more effective.
• Improves ventilation
• Keeps the airways open longer and decreases the work of breathing
• Relieves shortness of breath

Technique: Lie on your back or sit on a chair. Breathe in slowly through your nose for two counts, Breathe out slowly and gently through your pursed lips while counting to four.

Practice this exercise 5- minutes about 3-4 times per day.

Strength and flexibility training

Examples: abdominal crunches, push-ups, squats, lunges
When you strength train muscles and bones become strong and you look and feel better. Strong muscles improve balance and posture. Train each muscle group two to three days per week.

Include stretching exercises after the workout. You can even include a stretch routine or do yoga twice a week.

Consider the following exercise guidelines

Consult your physician: Have a thorough medical evaluation and obtain your doctor’s clearance before beginning any type of exercise program.

• Take extra time to warm up before exercising. A prolonged period of low-level aerobic activity will help prepare your body for higher-intensity exercise.
• Don’t rush through your cool down; extending it can help prevent the asthma attacks that occur immediately following an exercise session.
• Exercise toward the lower end of your target heart rate. Exercises such as walking or swimming are great for asthmatics because they are low intensity and may be done for longer duration. Those who wish to participate in higher-intensity exercise, such as running or fast-paced sports, should slowly increase intensity over-time.
• Rest when necessary and listen to what your body signals.
• Strength-training exercises with light resistance are unlikely to cause an asthma attack. Progress to heavier weights gradually.
• Avoid exercising in polluted environments, or in cold or dry air.
• Keep yourself well-hydrated.

Avoid exercise if:
• Your asthma is not under control.
• You have a cold or the flu.
• Your peak flow meter reading is less than 80 per cent of your usual best.

What is exercise-induced asthma?
Sometimes, the physical exertion of exercising or playing sport can trigger a bout of asthma. This is called ‘exercise-induced asthma’ (EIA). This kind of asthma should be carefully monitored and can be managed.

Asthma symptoms are common in dry or cold air. When you exercise, you need more oxygen and so you breathe faster through your mouth. Your airways react to this cold, dry air and the muscles around them tighten. Symptoms can occur during or, more commonly, after exercise.

Whereas at rest, you breathe through your nose and the air is warmed, moistened and filtered as it enters your body.

Preparing for exercise

You can reduce the risk or prevent exercise-induced asthma by preparing for physical activity in a few simple ways:
• Make sure your day-to-day asthma is well managed.
• Use your asthma reliever medication around five to ten minutes before you warm up. Speak to your doctor for advice.
• Always warm up with light exercise for 10 to 15 minutes and end with a 10 to 15 minute cool-down.

What should you do if you get exercise-induced asthma?
• Stop what you’re doing.
• Take your medication.
• Wait for a few minutes.
• Only return to exercise or activity if you are free of symptoms.
• If the symptoms don’t go away, do not return to any exercise or activity for the rest of the day or until you get a go-ahead from your doctor.

Tags: asthma, breathing, breathing exercise, cardio-vascular exercise, exercise, strength training

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 13th, 2008 at 11:12 am and is filed under Health Update. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.