People who have asthma rarely engage in physical activities like workouts, sports, or dances. Though most people have exercise-induced asthma, it does not mean that asthmatic people should avoid all forms of exercises all together. In fact, sometimes they need more exercise than other people.
If you have asthma, you should not use it as an excuse for living a sedentary life. Do not be afraid to try different physical activities because exercising can help you be physically stronger. It can also help in improving the function of your lungs.
In general, you can try activities that have breaks in between rounds or games. Examples of these sports are gymnastics and golf. On the other hand, you should avoid sports that require long periods of exertion and endurance. Examples of these games are basketball, distance running, and soccer. You should also avoid cold sports like ice hockey, skiing, and ice skating because the cold temperature may trigger an asthma attack.
Though there are things that you cannot do, there are still lots of activities that you can do in order to stay fit and healthy. Listed below are the suggested exercises for people with asthma. Most of them can be done alone or in teams.
- Swimming – This is the most recommended exercise for people with Asthma. Swimming strengthens your lungs and your heart. It also improves your endurance. Since you are underwater, it is very unlikely that you will have an asthma attack.
- Walking – Walking daily is a good form of exercise for asthmatics. It will help them have a fit body while strengthening their lungs and hearts. Just try to have breaks in between your walking sessions to avoid asthma attacks.
- Biking – If the weather is good, biking is really a great way to stay fit. if you cannot go out or there is no place in your community where you can bike safely, you can just buy a stationary bike for your home.
- Golf – This one may be a bit expensive to play, but if you have the means to afford it, then it would be a fun sport for you. Just make sure that if the sun is too bright, you should still use a cap or an umbrella.
- Yoga – Since it is done indoors, this one is really safe to do and does not require too much energy. In addition, it can help in relieving stress. Yoga classes are usually taken by women with asthma. You can start with beginner classes and simple poses.
- Pilates – If you want to strengthen your core without doing complicated, strenuous activities, Pilates is perfect for you. You can get fit and target different parts of the body without the stress of carrying weights or jogging for hours.
Having asthma means that your lungs are more sensitive to some factors like dusts, changing weather, pollens, and even animals. Here are some things that you should remember when you are exercising:
- If you are exercising outside, you can use masks to avoid pollens and dusts.
- If you are exercising in a cold weather, you should wear a scarf and jacket.
- Avoid exercising outdoors if you live in highly polluted areas.
- Do warm up and cool down exercises.
- Know your limits. Do not exceed what you are capable of doing.
- Always bring your medicine, inhalers, or even nebulizers in places where you exercise.
If you do not want to risk exercising outdoors, you can either create your own mini gym in your own home or you can go to fitness clubs and join their membership programs. Some fitness clubs like Equinox or Anytime Fitness have complete facilities like treadmills and pools that you can use to perform your exercise routines.