Asthma and exercises

pinkdoll1989
pinkdoll1989 Posts: 80 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi. I have mild asthma since I was a child and couldn't run even with the inhaler. Is quick walk on treadmill and Elliptical Trainer a good way for weight loss if I spend at least 2 hours on these machines for 6 times a week and control my diet daily? If you have better suggestion, please message me or post your comment in this post. Thank you.

Replies

  • ThatCatholicGirl
    ThatCatholicGirl Posts: 209 Member
    Not being able to run even with the aid of an inhaler doesn't sound very mild to me. You say you had it as a child... do you still have it now? A lot of childhood asthma cases can disappear as the individual emerges into adulthood. Sadly, not mine!! I am asthmatic but it is well controlled. It doesn't stop me from anything. You will find exercise can actually ease your asthma.
    How much exercise do you do at the moment? What activities do you participate in? If your asthma is not well controlled, you could try walking. A couple of hours a day will give you a good calorie burn. Or, try Couch to 5k which is a walk-run programme, being up your stamina, I found this fine even with my asthma (obviously keep an inhaler on you!). I also use an elliptical machine for 40 minute workouts and I am currently doing Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, which, although intense (again, keep your inhaler on you!) can be done! Hope this helps you some.
  • ferrier2010
    ferrier2010 Posts: 13
    I have terrible asthma and even though I use all my medication properly I still have a hard time getting it under control. I have started doing yoga and also 30 day shred - although it was tough the first couple of days and I needed to stop to catch my breath, take my inhaler etc, I have found that my stamina has increased and the normal things that used to make me out of breath (such as walking fast/jogging for the train) I can now do with ease.

    Point I'm making is that exercise can actually be your best friend for helping your asthma get better - just dont push yourself too hard or you might make yourself ill x
  • Lulzaroonie
    Lulzaroonie Posts: 222 Member
    I get exercise induced asthma, lol. Typical!
    I think if you're planning two hours on those machines, you'll find it very boring and no offence, but you'll probably give up quite soon, because two hours would drive me insane.
    You could try something low impact like swimming, which is a good all over body workout, but also helps with asthma.
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
    i have had moderate to severe asthma since birth. As a child i could barely walk across a room without struggling to breathe.

    I'd suggest talking to your dr about Advair. Its an inhaled steroid that makes your lungs stronger. I do a round of it about once a year.

    Besides medication, being consistent with cardio and going at my own pace has helped increase my lung capacity. I still have to use my Ventolin inhaler 15 minutes before each workout and sometimes I still have trouble- like last night. I chose a treadmil directly under a fan and all the wind blowing around my face irritated my ashtma so bad i had to hit my inhaler 5 times and eventually move to a different treadmill. For me, controlling how much air comes into my mouth is important for my lungs- if i take in too much air it overwhelms my lungs and they shut down on me. So sometimes i have to run wtih my tongue out and too the side a little so i can control how much air i am trying to take in. Looks silly but it works for me.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    I have exercise induced asthma. My doctor told me to take a puff of Albuterol before I start exercising. I found with time I can do more without a problem. You may want to start slowly and build up.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I second advair. Or pulmicort. Either way, you need to get it under control, talk to your doctor about it. I always had asthma as a child and was using my inhaler all the time, until i was referred to a good doctor who prescribed me pulmicort. You just use them twice a day, every day. It literally changed my life. Last time I ran out I had to go to the ER because I ended up with an asthma attack and have some steroids for a week. I also use albuterol before working out.

    Personally I've been doing low impact DVDs for now. It's been working well.
  • fiftyandfit
    fiftyandfit Posts: 349 Member
    I agree with all of the above.
    I have exercised induced asthma also...diagnosed 9 years ago.
    Advair as needed when I feel the elephant on my chest and notice
    more fluid buildup.
    Use Proventil (Albuterol) puff 15 minutes before workout.
    I find the more I use my lung muscles, the better capacity I have
    and the less attacks I have.
    Swimming is great!
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
    Swimming is great!

    The chemicals in pools send me into a full blown attack. I wish i could swim more!
  • bigcrystal123
    bigcrystal123 Posts: 246 Member
    I have asthma too.i found out walking little by little actually helped my asthma now im able to walk longer and further.i also able to do a workout games.i use my inhaler before and after my workouts.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    How timely for me. I have been up since 2am having taken my youngest son to the ER with a very bad asthma issue, and myself having been hitting the inhaler every day.

    So yes, I am pretty die hard about exercise, but I do have days my breathing is an issue. Especially around this time of year with everything blooming. I have an inhaler I use and a couple puffs usually gets me on to my workout. There are a few days the best I can do is a fast paced walk around the track becuase anything more sends me over the edge. It really comes down ot learning your bodies triggers that can kick you to an asthma attack.

    Stay hydrated.
    Have your inhaler or meds with you at all times.
    Learn the triggers for your asthma and learn how to manage them as part of a healthy lifestyle.

    All the best!
  • Dolci07
    Dolci07 Posts: 37 Member
    I take Symbicort for this reason - it has changed my life because I breathe better all day! Definitely see a DR about possibly taking something like that. (Advair is another option)
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  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    Hi. I have mild asthma since I was a child and couldn't run even with the inhaler. Is quick walk on treadmill and Elliptical Trainer a good way for weight loss if I spend at least 2 hours on these machines for 6 times a week and control my diet daily? If you have better suggestion, please message me or post your comment in this post. Thank you.
    >Implying cardio is necessary.

    Just lift.
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  • hmuh
    hmuh Posts: 379 Member
    Asthma can be so frustrating when all you want to do is take a walk without worrying about an attack. Definitely talk with your doctor. Adair has been life changing for me, no need for a rescue inhaler now. Best wishes!
  • Kaathmandu
    Kaathmandu Posts: 129
    Asthmatic all my life, been hospitalised quite a few times in the past

    - swimming is good, helps gain control of your breathing and strengthen lungs.

    But symbicort has changed my life!! I rarely use my ventolin puffer these days. And I do whatever exercise I want.
    If I run out of symbicort, I can't believe that I used to be permanently that short of breath and energy.

    Go to your doctor, or find one that has a clue about asthma, and get a steroid preventative that works for you.

    And what the others said - keep your puffer handy just in case.
  • floopysandi
    floopysandi Posts: 138 Member
    I don't do much straight cardio myself (have exercise induced asthma as well), but have found that by slowly upping what I do I can do more without issue most days.

    I have found that HIIT and strength training are the best forms of exercise for me. Strength training builds up my muscles and burns calories (although not as much as straight cardio). HIIT High Intensity Interval Training also works since I do a short burst of exercise and then let myself recover (usually around 20 seconds of a high burst of energy and 40 - 60 seconds of very slow activity. This lets me get the burn without spending a ton of time on a cardio machine (which as they said gets BORING).

    As you get better you can do more (I am actually looking at trying C25K in a few weeks... just to accomplish it even though it may take me a long time to actually complete).
  • Kaathmandu
    Kaathmandu Posts: 129
    Water walking is exercise if you do it right - you need to do at least 5 minutes warm-up, then a minimum of 20 minutes fast enough to make you puff, then at least 5minutes cool down. But it is the breath control of swimming that makes it good for asthma - have you thought about swimming lessons? Never too late - I have taught ladies in their 60s and 70s!
  • LisaLayers
    LisaLayers Posts: 10
    Hi

    I have asthma but I just double up when weather changes from hot to cold/cold to hot (and in pollen season before goin outside) and before exercise

    Hope this helps anyone with asthma

    Good Luck ;)
  • LisaLayers
    LisaLayers Posts: 10
    P.s just a quick note to asthma sufferers.. Avoid a sauna and hot yoga as steam is not good for us either
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