over 40 crowd...do you still huff and puff after exercising?

rocknlotsofrolls

I'm 42 and even though I'm losing weight I still have a bit to go. Does the huffing and puffing and not catching breath get easier while losing for you? Just curious. I want more energy.

sofaking6

It's gotten better from exercising.

rocknlotsofrolls

good. BTW, you don't look over 40.

Tubbs216

Definitely less challenging with less weight to carry around and better fitness from exercising.

SLLRunner

rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »

I'm 42 and even though I'm losing weight I still have a bit to go. Does the huffing and puffing and not catching breath get easier while losing for you? Just curious. I want more energy.

For me, it got easier. Now I can run my 4 miles in 38 to 40 minutes and talk at the same time. Never used to be able to do that.

sofaking6

rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »

good. BTW, you don't look over 40.

I LIKE YOU

tulips_and_tea

It also helps to focus on and control your breathing while you are exerting yourself. If you are running fast (or whatever cardio you are doing) try to not hold your breath or gasp for air. This limits your lung capacity. I pace my breathing with my steps. The slower and fuller breaths you take the easier it is.

rocknlotsofrolls

thanks guys. I do Zumba Wii for 20 minutes and I'm about to pass out, and I am wringing with sweat. Also, when I walk up the driveway to the bus stop, I'm gasping for air. It's good to know it gets better. I have 40 more pds to lose.

kozykondition1

rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »

thanks guys. I do Zumba Wii for 20 minutes and I'm about to pass out, and I am wringing with sweat. Also, when I walk up the driveway to the bus stop, I'm gasping for air. It's good to know it gets better. I have 40 more pds to lose.

Please talk to a doctor about this if you haven't already.

betuel75

No huffing and puffing here. The more cardio you do the better it gets especially if you concentrate on controlling your breathing during the intense breathing part of the cardio.

sofaking6

rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »

thanks guys. I do Zumba Wii for 20 minutes and I'm about to pass out, and I am wringing with sweat. Also, when I walk up the driveway to the bus stop, I'm gasping for air. It's good to know it gets better. I have 40 more pds to lose.

Two things change as your cardio improves:

-the level of effort needed to get you out of breath
-the time it takes to recover from being out of breath

Oddly, the second seems worth more to me. I still do gasp for air because I work dang hard, but it doesn't feel bad when I know that after a few seconds I'll feel fine. It's when you gasp for air and have no idea when you'll be able to take a decent breath again that it really sucks.

_Waffle_

rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »

I'm 42 and even though I'm losing weight I still have a bit to go. Does the huffing and puffing and not catching breath get easier while losing for you? Just curious. I want more energy.

You need better cardio endurance. That comes from doing more cardio. Keep at it.

jgnatca

Over fifty and my cardio fitness has vastly improved with practice. Rule out things like asthma, heart irregularities which can also leave you suddenly out of breath.

SueInAz

When I first started running at 45 I couldn't go 30 seconds and I wasn't technically overweight. I'm now 49 and run in half marathons. It's just conditioning. Keep at it and it'll get easier. If you are really having a hard time breathing I'll tell you the same thing I tell new runners who are having the same problem: slow down a bit. If you're really gasping for air, modify the moves a bit so they aren't quite so strenuous. New runners are instructed to go at a pace at which they can still hold a conversation because the goal is improved endurance, not speed. You'll improve your endurance better by going at a slower pace for longer and longer time periods than by pushing yourself too hard every time and getting worn out.

darrensurrey

Problem is that the easier it gets, the harder I push. So I still end up huffing and puffing. I tend to play competitive sports so I'll push as much as I can.

bwogilvie

kozykondition1 wrote: »

rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »

thanks guys. I do Zumba Wii for 20 minutes and I'm about to pass out, and I am wringing with sweat. Also, when I walk up the driveway to the bus stop, I'm gasping for air. It's good to know it gets better. I have 40 more pds to lose.

Please talk to a doctor about this if you haven't already.

I agree with @kozykondition1 about this. You might have exercise-induced asthma, or some other similar problem. As people build up cardiovascular fitness, they become stronger and gain endurance, but even a normal mostly sedentary person shouldn't gasp for air when walking uphill.

A few years ago my wife started to find exercise harder than usual, and shortly thereafter, she reached a point where she had to rest on the 5-minute walk from our parking lot to the office. It turns out that she had developed a respiratory problem (not asthma, but similar), and it took a while and a number of doctor visits before they could figure out exactly what it was and how to treat it.

jgnatca

Yeah my mom lost all her endurance from progressive kidney disease.

canary_girl

I agree with talking to your doctor, but my breathing improved from cardio. Now I don't feel out of breath until my heartrate reaches 160 or more. I used to get out of breath walking up a hill while having a conversation.

cwolfman13

<<40+ and I kick much *kitten*...

If you're truly gasping for air walking though, you should probably see someone about that. I didn't do much besides walk when I started out a few years ago...but I was a heavy 2-3 PAD smoker and very out of shape and I could still manage walking without gasping for air.

rocknlotsofrolls

sorry guys. What I meant is that when I walk up an incline I run out of breath. The driveway is uphill about 1/10 of a mile. I walk for 30 minutes every day with no problem. It's just the incline walking and the Zumba that wears me out. Thanks for your answers that it improves the more weight you lose. Thanks.

SonyaCele

if im out of shape i'll huff and puff, but if i'm in good cardio shape, i don't. i go in and out of cardio shape a few times a year, its easy to get back into shape it just takes about 4-6 weeks.

Adc7225

I gets better, I am 46 and only huff and puff when I push myself harder than I usually workout and then that is only for a short time until it is time to push a little harder. I would suggest taking your time (I think that is why some people give up, they push too hard too soon) maybe keep track of your workouts and in time you will see the difference - sort of like those before and after photos!

Camo_xxx

rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »

sorry guys. What I meant is that when I walk up an incline I run out of breath. The driveway is uphill about 1/10 of a mile. I walk for 30 minutes every day with no problem. It's just the incline walking and the Zumba that wears me out. Thanks for your answers that it improves the more weight you lose. Thanks.

Try walking up it a bit faster, when you can do that then increase your speed some more, eventually you will be able to jog up it and if you keep doing that you will be able to sprint up it. You improve your fitness by increasing the speed and effort. As the famous cycling saying goes, "it never gets easier you just go faster."

rocknlotsofrolls

thanks Camo, I will do just that.

PeachyCarol

52 here, and every time it gets easier, I do something to make it harder again. I walk for my cardio, so I add to the incline or increase the speed or do a drastic incline interval... something like that.

999tigger

Absolutely and the early gains happen quite quickly. Its just persistence and careful monitoring so you are making an effort. I see many people at the gym and they neither put in a significant amount of time nor do they push themselves. Keep at it, nothing to be afraid of.

Btw I huff and puff because im knackered and I push myself.

Deipneus

I'm 62. When I was in my 40's, I did a lot of huffing and puffing and had aches and pains I chalked up to getting older. It turns out I was just fat. I'm in a lot better shape now then I was then.

PeachyCarol

999tigger wrote: »

Absolutely and the early gains happen quite quickly. Its just persistence and careful monitoring so you are making an effort. I see many people at the gym and they neither put in a significant amount of time nor do they push themselves. Keep at it, nothing to be afraid of.

You can't know what the people putting in time means or not. Many people who lift do small amounts of cardio merely to get their blood circulating before a lifting session. They don't need to put in a lot of time on an elliptical for their purposes.

Camo_xxx

mamapeach910 wrote: »

999tigger wrote: »

Absolutely and the early gains happen quite quickly. Its just persistence and careful monitoring so you are making an effort. I see many people at the gym and they neither put in a significant amount of time nor do they push themselves. Keep at it, nothing to be afraid of.

You can't know what the people putting in time means or not. Many people who lift do small amounts of cardio merely to get their blood circulating before a lifting session. They don't need to put in a lot of time on an elliptical for their purposes.

Can I have your permission to still laugh at them because they are half my age and huff and puff climbing 2 flights of stairs to get to the bro room ?

SueInAz

Camo_xxx wrote: »

mamapeach910 wrote: »

999tigger wrote: »

Absolutely and the early gains happen quite quickly. Its just persistence and careful monitoring so you are making an effort. I see many people at the gym and they neither put in a significant amount of time nor do they push themselves. Keep at it, nothing to be afraid of.

You can't know what the people putting in time means or not. Many people who lift do small amounts of cardio merely to get their blood circulating before a lifting session. They don't need to put in a lot of time on an elliptical for their purposes.

Can I have your permission to still laugh at them because they are half my age and huff and puff climbing 2 flights of stairs to get to the bro room ?

You have mine!

uvi5

It gets much easier and quite addicting for me. Now I crave the exercise and just introduced lifting 4x/week 1 hour 20 minute sessions. I love the way I feel after and focus on that good feeling it will give me. As for huffing and puffing, not so bad (in through my nose, out through my mouth). It's gotten much easier. Good Luck