asthma & weight

heidimille

Does anyone have Asthma and noticed a difference with it when losing weight?

xXTimnXx

I can tell a little by losing the weight. It wasn't until I started doing exercises that actually increased my heart rate and breathing that I really noticed the difference. Two exercises that I do that really help are tuck jumps and shadow boxing.

Aeriel

I am a mild asthmatic, and I never used to exercise because it brought on an attack. About 5 years ago, I started an aerobic kick boxing class to get in shape for my wedding. I was using my inhaler a few times a class, and it was kicking my butt! However, I took the breaks as needed, and slowly it got better and I needed the inhaler less. By the end of 3 months, I didn't need the inhaler at all for the class.

When I told this to my doctor, he said that my lungs had been so weak for so long, and that my asthma contributed to it be creating a vicious cycle. When i pushed through it, my lungs were able to get in shape and get stronger, and now I rarely have to use my inhaler. I am still classed as mild asthmatic and I carry a puffer, but I use it maybe once every 2 months now instead of a few times a day.

Keep persevering, work through it and take your medicine as needed and hopefully you will be able to become less reliant on it. Cardio is essential for weight loss and I know how hard it was to breathe when I started, but even asthmatic lungs get stronger!

Now, after losing weight these last 6 months, I can walk/run 4 miles in an hour and not need the inhaler. I do find that I need to be cool when working out, because if I overheat, I tend to have an attack.

msbanana

yes and yes!!

My asthma was worsened severely by allergies and it turned out a lot of them were food related. I fixed that and it helped tremendously. I've also seen a significant improvement with the weightloss. I RARELY have to use my rescue inhaler. I still take advair regularly but we were able to lower the dose to the smallest one available. I for once feel like by breathing is under control. As a side note- exercise and a well rounded diet also help boost your immune system and I haven't caught any colds to speak of in more than a year. When I did it only lasted a couple days and didn't turn into bronchitus like it used to. oh AND I don't snore as bad as I used to... so LOTS of things to look forward to. :bigsmile:

NatalieWinning

I do my exercise indoors on bad allergy days, and keep cool. Having a leaner body and stronger lungs/heart helps me to be able to do more! It's all good!

TrainingWithTonya

Asthma is not a determent to exercise. Even if you have exercise induced asthma, you just have to do a long warm up, keep the intensity low until you build up lung capacity, and don't workout in extreme heat or cold.

Personally, I have allergy induced asthma and only have attacks when I'm around certain triggers. If a specific tree is in bloom or someone is smoking outside a building and I have to walk by to get in the building, for example. Even though I workout regularly and have excellent cardiovascular endurance and lung capacity normally, when I'm around those triggers I will have an attack. So, while some forms of asthma will improve with exercise, others won't.

The good news is that most asthma medications are stimulants, so they may have some beneficial effects for weight loss. Nothing has been proven on that that I can find though. Be careful, though, in trusting your heart rate monitor for calorie burn readings. Because of the effects of asthma medications, you will have an accelerated heart rate even at rest, which can make a HRM think you are working harder then you really are and give an elevated calorie burn.

Anecdotally, though, I did have a very interesting reaction to Advair. Supposedly it is a type of steroid that doesn't cause anabolic effects, but I increased my weights by 3 fold in a month, had acne issues, mood swings, etc. as if I were on an anabolic steroid. While it works wonders for my asthma during pollen seasons, I only take it for a month or two during spring and fall when the majority of the pollens are bothering me so that I don't have the other effects year round.

caitlinclock

Yes I have! As I build up my stamina as well as lose some weight I am getting in better shape and I'm finding that my asthma is definitely getting better. I don't need my inhaler as much and I can workout longer and harder.

just4peachy

I've noticed a HUGE difference with my asthma as it relates to exeercise, not exactly weight. The harder I train/push myself the fewer times I feel short of breath or reach for my inhaler. I started the couch to 5k this summer and at first it was awful! The only thing that kept me going was a promise I'd made to myself to complete a 10k before my 30th birthday (next summer). By the time I finished I was in love with running and not puffing nearly as much as in the beginning. It's gotten so much better (maybe more controled?) that I'm running a half marathon 7 weeks before my 30th.
Good luck & keep pushing but make sure your doctor is monitoring your asthma!!

psmossjr

Severe Asthma Changes and Exercise Roller Coaster
I'm 63 and have had asthma since childhood. It was severe until mid-teens, then 20's to 40's nothing. Then in 50s lived in a place with bad mold, it's severe since. However, in my 40's I got back into cycling like when I was a teenager. When I'm not in an asthma flair, I'm as good or better than most guys my age, my typical training rides are 15-25 miles. My goal this year is to do a century ride, which I've only done once about 15 yrs ago. My point being, it is frustrating when you can't also do what you want, but remember asthma is not linear, it is a roller coaster so hang on.