For many people, getting regular exercise is hard enough even if they don’t have any health problems that make being active difficult. But for many people that have chronic health issues, like certain problems with their lungs or breathing, being physically active can actually help to make their overall health much improved, even though the actual acts of exercising might be uncomfortable. So to help you know the best ways to work out and keep yourself healthy and without pain, here are three tips for exercising when you have breathing problems.
Choose The Right Type Of Exercise
In order to ensure that you make your breathing problems better rather than worse, you have to pick the right types of exercises to participate in. The last thing you want to do is wind up visiting a doctor because you pushed yourself too hard or did an activity that wasn’t conducive to your abilities. To help you know what exercises are going to be more beneficial for you, Carol DerSarkissian, a contributor to WebMD.com, recommends trying things like walking, biking, body weight exercises, chair dancing, water aerobics, and more. If you’ve yet to try one of these forms of exercise, consider talking to your doctor about what might be best for your specific health needs.
Warm Up and Cool Down Effectively
Because you have issues with breathing and ensuring that your body is getting enough oxygen, it’s important that you take the time to prepare your body for an exercise you’ll be doing. To do this, the Cleveland Clinic advises that you learn to warm up and cool down effectively before and after you participate in a workout. By doing this, you’ll reduce the immediate stress put on your heart and lungs as you slowly ramp up your exertion throughout the warm-up and then during your exercise. Warming up properly also helps to get your circulation going, which can improve the blood flow throughout your entire body and help you perform better and stay strong.
Keep Your Inhaler Close By
With your breathing issues, it’s highly likely that you have an inhaler or a rescue inhaler to use when your breathing gets particularly scary. To best protect yourself while working out, FitDay.com recommends that you always bring your inhaler with you and keep it close by whenever you’re participating in physical activity. Not only can using your inhaler allow you to exercise more and for longer periods of time than you might be able to without out, but it can also help you if you get into some trouble with your breathing.
If you suffer from lung problems but still want to get regular physical activity, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do so safely.
Originally posted on March 25, 2019 @ 5:15 pm