Exercise with asthma?

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pittbullgirl
pittbullgirl Posts: 341 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all,

I'm specefically looking for response's from people who have asthma or have delt with people with asthma.
I am trying to lose weight and eating clean about 90% of the time. Today is a F-it daywith eating as was yesterday.
I am coming to the conclusion that I'm afraid to workout due to my asthma. The past 3 times I have tried adding workouts in I have had my astham flair up so bad I needed to go to the ER. Now, I have a nebulizer IF needed so I dont need to take a trip to ER unless I cant control the flair up.

I have slowly been adding walking but I cant go for very long. Honestly, Id love to do HIIT or Zumba but its just not in my cards since they would need to carry me out in a strecher, LOL.

How did you overcome your anxiety and frusteration over not being able to workout as hard as you wanted to?
Im facing some serious frusteration here....ugh.

Help??

Replies

  • BarbBBQ
    BarbBBQ Posts: 49 Member
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    Mine flares-up in the spring and fall. I pre-medicate with a nebulizer BEFORE a work out and carry an inhaler with me. It has helped me tremendously with my ability to work out and my anxiety. Good luck.
  • quiltlovinlisa
    quiltlovinlisa Posts: 1,710 Member
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    I do stuff inside when there's pollen, that's a trigger for me. Stuff like yoga and pilates doesn't trigger my asthma, so I've been working on those. Also bike riding isn't a trigger for me and I've been embracing the bike!

    I've come to terms that running isn't in the cards, and I know to slow down as soon as I feel *funky* BEFORE I'm in huge trouble. When it's a tough time of year, I also have had good success with medicating before an activity (I use to spin and that could set me off).

    It's hard, but you really just have to figure out what will work for you. Good luck.
  • quiltlovinlisa
    quiltlovinlisa Posts: 1,710 Member
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    Bumping because I'm sure there are more people that struggle with asthma and exercise.
  • pittbullgirl
    pittbullgirl Posts: 341 Member
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    Same here! I am starting to learn to use my inhaler before doing somethng active. :)

    Mine flares-up in the spring and fall. I pre-medicate with a nebulizer BEFORE a work out and carry an inhaler with me. It has helped me tremendously with my ability to work out and my anxiety. Good luck.
  • pittbullgirl
    pittbullgirl Posts: 341 Member
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    WHOOHOO! I was so happy to read this and Im crossing my fingers it the same for me since I literally (an hr ago!!) JUST bought a bike!! My first as an adult!! :D

    I do stuff inside when there's pollen, that's a trigger for me. Stuff like yoga and pilates doesn't trigger my asthma, so I've been working on those. Also bike riding isn't a trigger for me and I've been embracing the bike!

    I've come to terms that running isn't in the cards, and I know to slow down as soon as I feel *funky* BEFORE I'm in huge trouble. When it's a tough time of year, I also have had good success with medicating before an activity (I use to spin and that could set me off).

    It's hard, but you really just have to figure out what will work for you. Good luck.
  • TurboFleur
    TurboFleur Posts: 1
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    I cut out dairy and wheat from my diet. They cause mucus to develop and thicken. Ever since then, I've had fewer problems with asthma. I also use Xopenex before I work out as a percaution. I am not on a nebulizer, but FYI, clean up your diet and read about how food affects asthma. There's so much we don't know until someone actually tells us. And it won't be the pharmaceutical companies!

    Hope this helps. :-)
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
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    I've found that the fitter I become, the less my asthma bothers me. However, cold and pollen are still huge triggers for me. So as much as I would love to run outside year round, I limit myself, to after the worst of pollen season to early fall (and here in Alberta, that means a short outdoor running season).

    Swimming can also be a fantastic exercise for asthmatics (I was a swimmer, and a swimming instructor/lifeguard for years). As a bonus, the cardiovascular fitness you build up swimming translates wonderfully to other activities.

    Make sure you are using all your medications appropriately - schedule an appointment with your respirologist if you're unsure.
  • RunsOnEspresso
    RunsOnEspresso Posts: 3,218 Member
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    I don't like my albuterol (makes me shake) and I can't afford to pay for advair so I've learned to "control" it best I can while working out.

    Some days I can push through and actually breathe better, other days I have to stop. I've found it gets better the more I work out. It's not ideal but it is all I can do.
  • DeserveVictory
    DeserveVictory Posts: 133 Member
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    I've had to work in baby steps. My doctor recommended taking my inhaler before I work out, which has prevented any flair ups. I'm now to the point were I don't carry my inhaler around the gym anymore, but I used to when I first started.

    Weight training, yoga, and pilates are the easiest on my lungs. I also stick to ellipticals and the adaptive motion trainer or arc trainer instead of the treadmill. Treadmills have been horrible for my asthma. I am also slow to increase resistance and inclines as that has proven to be troublesome if increased too fast.

    Swimming is suppose to be great for building lung capacity and reducing asthma, I don't have any experience to speak from. Its on my list for this summer :)

    It gets easier with time and practice. Don't push it, if your chest is tightening up reduce your exercise for the day. While it may not help the scale as much, we don't want you to make your lungs worse or end up in the hospital.
  • tlark88
    tlark88 Posts: 11 Member
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    I have exercise induced asthma. I take my inhaler (2 puffs of albuterol) 15 minutes before I exercise and I drink 2 glasses of water before working out to thin out the mucus a little bit. If I do that I don't have any sypmtoms.
    I've lost almost 30 pounds, but I still have symptoms every time I try to exercise without my inhaler.
    I hope our advice give you the confidence to exercise again! :)
    Good luck on your journey.
  • litatura
    litatura Posts: 569 Member
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    I'm asthmatic and a runner, so it is totally possible. After a 15 year hiatus (I hadn't run since high school), I now run 100 kms/month and even compete in races again (just last week, I came in 4th in my age group in a 5km race). However, the first thing you need to do is get your asthma under control. With the help of your doctor, you'll likely have to try out different inhalers/combos to figure out what works for you. For me, I take my Symbicort turbohaler twice a day and I can't even remember the last time I had to take my Ventolin inhaler (I'm at the point where I don't even need it before or after races). Like everyone else, allergy season and cold weather aggravate my asthma, but I just work around it (I hit the treadmill instead of outside). The same rung true for me as a kid as it does as an adult - the more active I am, the less symptomatic my asthma is. Now, with that being said, I had to ease my way back into exercise and strengthen my lungs. When I started my weight loss journey, I was about 75 lbs overweight and very inactive. I started slow by walking on the treadmill at a brisk pace and the incline jacked up (and it was tough at first and there were days that I thought I was dying!). Over time, I increased my speed, incline, and distance, and then got to a point where I was only about 20 lbs. overweight and was able to switch to running.

    Good luck - you can do whatever you want and don't let asthma dictate what you can and can't do!
  • kindasortachewy
    kindasortachewy Posts: 1,084 Member
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    I'm asthmatic and was born with holes in my lungs - You can do it! Start slow and take breaks. 3 minutes is better than 0 minutes.
  • jenns1964
    jenns1964 Posts: 384 Member
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    I have exercise induced asthma and when I first started exercising I would start wheezing pretty bad. I use my Ventolin inhaler before exercising now with no problems.
  • Shan790
    Shan790 Posts: 280 Member
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    I also have asthma. At first I could only work out short periods of time. Now I do mostly lifting. It doesn't aggravate my asthma at all. I also do yoga. But the more I work out the stronger my lungs are getting. I went for a jog today and had no wheezing at all after 30 min.
  • kristafb
    kristafb Posts: 770 Member
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    I"ve always had trouble with my breathing but was never officially diagnosed with asthma until recently when I started doing the C25k program and spoke to my doctor becuase I could barely breath when I ran. She did some testing & found that I have exercise induced asthma and now I have a ventolin puffer, and recently I found that not as effective as I was hoping so we're trying another one (can't remember the name) its a turbo-inhaler. It helps a bit more but causes my heart to race a bit so I may go back to the ventolin puffer, but as others said the more fit I get the less I need it. You can do it!!
  • librarianjenne
    librarianjenne Posts: 66 Member
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    I have asthma and I run. I do the preventative inhaler before running. I'm also on Symbicort and Singulair.

    I run with a heart rate monitor, at a pretty low heart rate (140), because I want my heart to get stronger. Monitoring my heart rate tells me if I'm working too hard. Panic doesn't usually set my asthma off, but I do have friends that can get into an attack because of panic, so worrying about attacks might make it worse.

    In addition to running, I do yoga, which is wonderful for exercising all the little muscles around the ribs and for improving breathing.
  • NavyKnightAh13
    NavyKnightAh13 Posts: 1,394 Member
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    I also have asthma (thanks to my mom side, it will eventually turn into COPD), and I have to take my inhaler 15 minutes prior to any exercise, and when needed. I have ran both with and without my inhaler, and honestly, when i take it i do a lot better. I have lost a lot a lot of weight, but ti still flares up. All I can do is continue to work out, but i know I will always have it.
  • pet1127
    pet1127 Posts: 572 Member
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    I'm asthmatic and a runner, so it is totally possible. After a 15 year hiatus (I hadn't run since high school), I now run 100 kms/month and even compete in races again (just last week, I came in 4th in my age group in a 5km race). However, the first thing you need to do is get your asthma under control. With the help of your doctor, you'll likely have to try out different inhalers/combos to figure out what works for you. For me, I take my Symbicort turbohaler twice a day and I can't even remember the last time I had to take my Ventolin inhaler (I'm at the point where I don't even need it before or after races). Like everyone else, allergy season and cold weather aggravate my asthma, but I just work around it (I hit the treadmill instead of outside). The same rung true for me as a kid as it does as an adult - the more active I am, the less symptomatic my asthma is. Now, with that being said, I had to ease my way back into exercise and strengthen my lungs. When I started my weight loss journey, I was about 75 lbs overweight and very inactive. I started slow by walking on the treadmill at a brisk pace and the incline jacked up (and it was tough at first and there were days that I thought I was dying!). Over time, I increased my speed, incline, and distance, and then got to a point where I was only about 20 lbs. overweight and was able to switch to running.

    ^^
    this and
    I went to my Dr. He has me on a new inhaler Zenhale one puff twice a day. I am a runner also. Now when I run I have my rescue inhaler with me but I haven't used it in a month. Another thing fluids drink more than the 8 recommended cups a day it helps thin the mucus.more water = Less mucus = less coughing = better running and exercise and WEIGHT loss
    :tongue:

    Good luck - you can do whatever you want and don't let asthma dictate what you can and can't do!
  • Donald_Dozier_50
    Donald_Dozier_50 Posts: 395 Member
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    Asthma here too. Well actually Asthma turned COPD (much more serious of an issue) along with many permanent disabilities affecting just about every joint in my body. upper and lower, and walking is the only thing I have found I can even do. I walk short distances and always from the house so when issues arise I am close to home. Even with short, near home walks, I get a lot of miles in but then again I have more time to do this than most.
    The people who suggest pre-medicating with the nebulizer and/or inhaler are on target.
    Find a friend to exercise with, like swimming, always have a friend with you to help or notify help when you need it.

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