Asthma is a restriction

zoe0401
zoe0401 Posts: 17 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am a chronic asthmatic on two inhalers daily.. its made worse by cardio or weather changes. Asthma nurses have said I need build my cardio up... (ha! How!?!?)

I have friends who can run 5km with ease on a treadmill but me? Im lucky if I can run for 60secs so I have resorted to fast incline walking instead. Im pretty jealous as their weight has dropped off them unlike me.

Has anyone else had this issue & if you have overcome them - how?

Replies

  • beginforthelasttime16
    beginforthelasttime16 Posts: 533 Member
    Same boat over here!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Hubby has asthma. What works best is planning. You are taking the long term inhaler I assume. Then before vigorous exercise, catch up on your inhalers and keep your blue puffer handy.

    Fast incline walking will help build up your muscles and your stamina so don't give it short shrift.
  • Sarc_Warrior
    Sarc_Warrior Posts: 430 Member
    I'm a severe asthmatic. I also have been recently diagnosed with sarcoidosis in my lungs. I lift heavy weights 3-4 days and week and run 5 kms frequently on off days. I've found that Breo-ellipta has been the best medication for me. The key is finding a good respirologist and putting one foot in front of the other...
  • Sarc_Warrior
    Sarc_Warrior Posts: 430 Member
    Add me if you want.
  • moonchildisme
    moonchildisme Posts: 83 Member
    I was born with severe asthma. I walk on the treadmill, my fastest is 2.1...lol but I do it everyday and it has paid off. I also sitt down bike. You can do it!!!! Add me if you want.
  • Sarc_Warrior
    Sarc_Warrior Posts: 430 Member
    Start with weights, yoga, and walking. The yoga and weights will teach you to breathe and stay calm. Once you learn to breathe increase the walking pace....it's a slow process but hang in there.
  • upoffthemat
    upoffthemat Posts: 679 Member
    edited May 2016
    Exercise isn't as essential to weight loss as calorie restriction. A couple years ago I was ending up in the hospital a couple times a week (due to asthma). I couldn't do anything for a long while except eat less and the weight did come off slowly, but it did come off.
    Try using the rescue inhaler before doing any exercise, a lot of times that will retard the onset of exercise induced asthma as well.
    It may be a slower road, but don't let asthma be your excuse to not lose weight. Every pound you lose will help your asthma as well.
  • Moxie42
    Moxie42 Posts: 1,400 Member
    edited May 2016
    I can relate! I'm on Advair once a day (finally down from twice a day) but any amount of exercise beyond slow walking requires my Ventolin too. A few things have helped me:

    * SWIMMING!!! The doctors recommend this for me to my parents when I was a kid and was in the hospital every year like clockwork due to asthma. I don't understand why swimming doesn't have the same effect as running when it comes to how well I can breathe but it's a huge difference! I might breathe hard but it's not that painful lung-constricting inflammation. Plus it's an incredible total-body workout.
    * Walking- trading speed for length of time.
    * Stop if it hurts. There have been times I've pushed myself too hard and then battled my asthma for weeks before I could work out again. You can probably recognize being simply out of breath as opposed to an asthmatic reaction- listen to your body and be okay with needing to cut a workout short sometimes.
    * I've learned to take my Ventolin before my workouts. It helps prevent issues from happening in the first place- otherwise I feel like crap within a minute no matter what I'm doing.

    ETA: I know it's hard but try not to compare yourself to those around you, whether it's regarding weight loss, ability to run, or just life in general. Things often appear greater than they actually are and unfortunately, when it comes to bodies, not all are created with the same abilities to metabolize, move, or even breathe. Comparison is a recipe for disappointment and frustration. You're here, you're trying, and you're finding ways to work around asthma. Those are great things!
  • kirstinethornburg
    kirstinethornburg Posts: 300 Member
    I can relate. I use three inhalers daily for asthema but I still ride the seated ellipitical bike for 33 minutes at my gym four days a week and do strength training with weight machines as well. this also with haveing three total knee replacements in three years time frame and horrible allergies and with part of my left lung gone due to haveing supper bad case of pneumonia back in 2008. If you have to take thing slow then takwe them slow but work out some how in the long run your over all health will improve mine fineally is improveing.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    If you know your triggers, you can avoid them. I exercise indoors when there's smoke in the air, as I live in an area that gets a lot of forest fires. The same thing works for outdoor allergens. Changing the filters on the AC and heating system helps with indoor allergies. This makes my flare-ups less frequent. I have trouble with cold air and dry air. I've worn a balaclava to breath through to help with the cold air when I'm skiing.

    I use my rescue inhaler before exercise if I'm having a flare-up.
  • kirstinethornburg
    kirstinethornburg Posts: 300 Member
    Do what you can take it day by day abd be sure to have your backup inhaler like ventolin with you at all times especailly when working out.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    walking is a good way to build cardio, and you don't have to walk that fast for improvement. another option would be an exercise bike - i've been reading you can have serious cardio improvement at 50% to 60% of your max HR, so that's not breathing very hard.
  • soccerkon26
    soccerkon26 Posts: 596 Member
    I have asthma, but I ran cross country in college.
    I learned to control my breathing and asthma attacks. When I am running and feeling like I can't control my breath anymore, I stop and control it again.
  • zoe0401
    zoe0401 Posts: 17 Member
    soccerkon26 wrote: »
    I have asthma, but I ran cross country in college.
    I learned to control my breathing and asthma attacks. When I am running and feeling like I can't control my breath anymore, I stop and control it again.

    I did cross country in school - came top three everytime. I then had a bad chest infection and that was it i just couldnt do it again. Disappoints me because i could zone out running & really enjoyed it. I tried walking 5mins - building up to a run but lasting not even a minute so ive had to stop.. new set of lungs maybe?
  • tiny_clanger
    tiny_clanger Posts: 301 Member
    I'm a moderate asthmatic, and your nurse is right, exercise will help you.

    The first thing I found when I started running was that I needed to understand what was breathlessness from being unfit and what was an asthma flare. As asthmatics, I think we can be very frightened (understandably!) of breathlessness, but some changes in breathing when running are normal and healthy. I'd recommend learning to be mindful of breathing - asthma impacts on the outbreath, so make sure you exhale fully when exercising. I rest a hand on my stomach every 5 breaths or so, to cue my body to fully exhale. Yoga is really useful for this as well.

    I did the NHS C25K, but took it slowly and repeated several weeks until i felt comfortable with the increased demands on my lungs. In hindsight, I wish as a brand-new runner I'd know about the Galloway return from injury plan which starts with 5 seconds running/ 55 walking and builds up from there. I think that would have been a really good foundation to learn about breathlessness and recovery. I've followed this blog for a while, and found this post really useful (lifesawheeze.com/2011/03/galloway-method-and-asthma.html but the whole blog is useful for runners with asthma imo.

    The other thing to be aware of is being mindful and conscious of your asthma without letting it rule you. There will be days when running is hard and you need to stop - my triggers are cold and pollen, so at some times of the year I know I need to take it easier. That doesn't mean slacking off, but maybe running for 1 min/walking for 1 or 2 minutes. You will still gain benefits from this slower pace.

    Also, make sure you are having regular asthma reviews. If you are wheezing or feel tight chested during exercise, your asthma is not under control and you need a change of medication.

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