Asthma and Exercise: Exercise can help with Asthma

Did you know that as much as 15% of the population suffers from asthma?

Asthma can be a hard condition to handle, however with the accurate treatment, you can enjoy your life just as you would if you did not have asthma including joining in physical activities & exercise. Actually, there has been research and studies that show exercise can really help with dealing with asthma. The reason for this is given that exercise works to stretch the bronchial tubes & lungs reducing breathing resistance.

It is essential to realize, yet, that there are some exercises that actually trigger an asthma attack, which is called as exercise-induced asthma.

Kinds of Exercises Best for Asthma

Asthma has been known to be triggered when performing aerobic exercise, but, that does not mean you cannot exercise. You need to build up a tolerance for physical activity & as you do this; you will be less at risk of experiencing an asthma attack during & after exercise. Here are some sorts of exercises that are best for those with asthma:-

Aerobic Exercise

Certain aerobic exercises are good for you if you suffer from asthma because they can help strengthen & stretch the lungs while improving your cardiovascular health. Something that is not of too high intensity, such as walking / dancing, can be performed for around 30 minutes without worry of overexertion.

Swimming

Swimming helps strengthen the lungs & keeps your joints from going into shock. On the other hand, pools have chemicals that can trigger asthma attacks, hence check into this before going swimming.

Breathing Exercises

Learning a range of breathing exercises can help you alleviate symptoms related to asthma. Make an effort to learn about Pranayama gasp exercises. Slow, deep breathing, like what is executed in yoga, does well too.

In spite of the exercise you choose to do, start out slow & at low levels of intensity and work your way up so as to not purposely trigger an attack.

WARNING:  Continually talk to your doctor before doing any new exercise.

 Tips for Exercising with Asthma

• Be positive to speak with your physician prior to perform any exercises if you have asthma. It is always best to have your doctor’s approval to avoid any hazardous situations. Once you have permission from your doctor, here are some instructions for exercising with asthma.

• Always warm up before exercising particularly if you have asthma. An extended time of executing low-level exercise will help organize your body for the upcoming high intensity exercise.

• Try not to exercise in cold & dry air.

• Relax when your body tells you that you want a break. Resting can help decrease the probability of an asthma attack.

• Do not exercise at your highest heart rate. Find out your target heart rate & work in the direction of the lower end of that spectrum.

• Raise intensity over time if you want to perform high intensity workouts. Start low or work your way up.

• Enlarge your cool down session to avoid an immediate asthma attack through exercise. A warm shower has been recognized to help with this also.