Exercising with asthma

dangerous_perfection
dangerous_perfection Posts: 29
edited September 19 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,
I have asthma and becoming very tight chested on treadmills, X trainers etc.
I was wandering if anyone has this problem and what they do.
The bike is ok but burns very few cals.
Running is completely out for me so walking extremely up hill but not more than brosk speed seemed to work.
I haven't been to the gym in months.
Thanks a lot for any advice xx

Replies

  • dangerous_perfection
    dangerous_perfection Posts: 29
    Hi all,
    I have asthma and becoming very tight chested on treadmills, X trainers etc.
    I was wandering if anyone has this problem and what they do.
    The bike is ok but burns very few cals.
    Running is completely out for me so walking extremely up hill but not more than brosk speed seemed to work.
    I haven't been to the gym in months.
    Thanks a lot for any advice xx
  • jules1984
    jules1984 Posts: 439 Member
    I have asthma as well and there are two things I will tell you.

    1. Go to your doc and get on a preventative steroid. When I take a daily inhaler I don't need to rely on my rescue inhaler nearly as much and I have soo many less symptoms on a day to day basis. Also, with this being a serious allergy season you should probably be really careful.

    2 This sounds nuts, but the more my body is jostled, the harder it is on my lungs. Running, ESPECIALLY stopping and starting, is torture on my lungs. I would find an elliptical machine and use the inclines to burn more calories.

    The only two times I ever went to the acute care for an asthma attack was when they made us run "The Pacer" in gym class. You stopped and started to a beep and it got faster and faster. Jerk teachers never believed me when I said I couldn't... :mad:
  • gabrielled
    gabrielled Posts: 247 Member
    One, make sure you have it under control from day to day. Don't start a plan until you have this figured out. I have asthma and have lived with it since I was just months old. Two, know that you can burn calories with your heart rate at a relatively easy level. Three, save up and get yourself a heart rate monitor. You will be able to tell, without using your peak flow meter, or extra dosing yourself, what kind of workout you should try each day before you begin. I keep my heart rate around 145, and make sure I am not wheezy or panting. It is more important to get yourself sweating a bit than it is to make yourself winded. OH, and I burn WAAAAAY more calories when I incorporate weights and resistance training into my workout, and THAT doesn't make me wheezy. Good luck. Please keep me posted, as sometimes other doctors have different ideas as to how to help asthmatics stay fit.
  • firegirlred
    firegirlred Posts: 674 Member
    I would suggest the same as previous posters. Go see your doctor and get a preventative medicine. Eventually, if you treat it correctly, your body will "recognize" your activity and you MAY be able to be weaned off. Don't ignore your symptoms, and don't wean yourself. Asthma is not something to mess with. I see patients every day that ignore symptoms and don't take their prescribed medicines. I myself developed reactive airway disease following a toxic exposure at a fire. Eventually, I was able to not use medicines, but it took ten years of treatment. I still get "tight" on humid days (or days with high pollen count).

    Good luck. Keep us posted on how you do.

    Rae
  • punka274
    punka274 Posts: 895
    I agree with everybody! Get on a preventative medicine! Ive been taking the same preventative for over 15yrs now and i hardly ever have to use my rescue! I can run,bike,swim,weight train....it works really well!

    Good luck to ya!
  • dangerous_perfection
    dangerous_perfection Posts: 29
    Thanks everyone;
    I got my preventative today Woo Hoo!
    I've had asthma since I was 7 but for the past few years have furiously been trying to not depend on inhalors. But if I need it, I need it :grumble: :frown:
    I'll strat on it tomorrow and will certainly keep you posted.
    Thanks again xxxxxx
  • may_marie
    may_marie Posts: 667 Member
    hi there,

    i am asthmatic as well. but my asthma has been under control since ive discovered that cleaning chemicals made it worst, i have noticed that since i have moved out of my moms place (she s a cleaning freak ) and that i 've started to use natural products ( i use a steam cleaner a lot,,, or water mix with lemon juice and vinegar) i've been much better, i still get attacks but they are rarer and they are much milder,

    btw, im a swimmer too,, and i know when i go too often i will have attacks more often,, i think its the chlorine, or maybe its becuase i go in the evenings,, when they do the cleaning,, i can smell it,, so that could be one of the reasons..

    i know its very case specific, but i though id share, and hope it helps.

    may
  • JennyGetsFit
    JennyGetsFit Posts: 263 Member
    swimming is a great exercise.
    I took lessons when I was training for a Danskin Tri, and was amazed at how great it is, especially when you tweak your technique a bit (not that hard!)
    So, if swimming is your main wo - go for it!
    Good luck!
    Love
    Jenny
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
    I use my rescue inhaler before using the treadmill if I know I intend to run/jog/fast walk. I am "learning" to run (i.e. interval running with walking) and I back down when I feel my lungs start to tighten up.

    Take small steps. As my body became more accustomed to working out, my asthma, little by little, began to subside.



    PS- After three years on a preventative steroid as well as a bronchodilator, I was able to exercise and become healthy, eventually weaning myself off those medications, under the watchful eye of my doc, of course. I now only use my rescue inhaler occasionally before outside jogging (poor air quality in the city in the summer). I haven't had a full blown attack in.... sheesh, maybe a year or more? I can't even remember!!!
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