Exercise is recommended for adults with asthma to expand their lung capacity.
If you have asthma, you probably know how difficult it is to keep up a healthy exercise regimen without triggering constant attacks. According to the Washington Post, about 90 percent of adult asthma sufferers experience a troublesome symptom called exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, where the airways suddenly constrict during vigorous exercise.
However, asthma experts want to reassure you that even though exercise may be made more difficult by asthma symptoms, it is possible with careful management and consultation with your doctor. Ten percent of Olympic athletes from the US have asthma, and doctors actually recommend exercise as a way to reduce the symptoms of everyday asthma because it works to slowly increase the capacity of the lungs, making everyday activities less likely to trigger an attack.
According to senior advisor to the American Lung Association Dr. Albert Rizzo, "if you know your initial potential triggers when you go about exercise and know how to manage them, that's all you need to do."
Here are some expert tips to help you work up a sweat without causing an asthma attack:
- Find the right sport for you: Sports that only require short, intense periods of physical exertion, like gymnastics and baseball, are popular choices for asthmatics, but sports that involve extended periods of exertion are possible as well with the right awareness and treatment.
- Medicate ahead of time: Taking a dose of medication before beginning to exercise is effective in preventing attacks later on.
- Know your triggers: If you know that every time you work out in cold air, or every time you run uphill, you end up having an attack, simply avoiding those situations is the best way to allow yourself to exercise without worry.
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