Asthma is a chronic condition of the lungs, which can give the individual symptoms like difficulty in breath, coughing, chest tightening, and wheezing. Since it is a chronic condition, which means you know that you have it, it is usually under control with the proper medication. However, there could be times or conditions that can trigger the symptoms of asthma at certain times.
Asthma is usually genetic, however certain outside factors can trigger it. Some of them are: polluted air, especially in big cities, allergies, viral infections, dust, breathing certain chemicals, smoke, exercise etc.
In this post I want to discuss the connection that asthma might have with exercise and obesity. Whether you are overweight or not, asthma can affect -but not limit- your ability to exercise. A lot of people who have a combination of asthma and extra weight, are afraid to exercise because they believe this will trigger their asthma symptoms.
Can Extra Weight Cause Asthma?
The many studies done in the subject did not show clearly that extra weight can cause asthma. However, there seems to be a correlation between the two. Extra weight seems to make the symptoms of asthma more intense.
When you have extra weight, it compresses your lungs, which leads to a more difficult breath, therefore making the asthma symptoms worse.
Does Weight Loss Help With Asthma Symptoms?
Absolutely yes! The less weight you carry around, the easier it is to breathe, it is common sense! Even if you lose just a little bit of weight, you should be able to see an improvement in your breathing.
You will notice that it will be easier to do your everyday jobs, like cleaning the house or carry the groceries. You might need your inhaler less than before the weight loss.
Keep in mind that for some people it is a big challenge to lose even a bit of weight, so be patient with yourself. Think of all the benefits you will get with the weight loss, and how much better the quality of your life will be. This will keep you motivated to keep up the good work.
Try to cut about 500 calories from your daily intake. This will help you lose about a pound a week. Planning your means in advance help you stay on track.
Some of you might find it easier to join a weight loss challenge. HealthyWage is one of them, where you can get paid for losing weight.
After doing some research, I found some food that help when you have asthma, and some that don’t. I will talk about them next, although it would be best to consult a specialist to help you create the best nutrition for your body.
Some food that help to eat if you have asthma include carrots, apples, milk, fatty fish like salmon and tuna, berries, honey, and avocados.
You should avoid eating dry fruits, alcohol, and of course fast food. Some people have less asthma symptoms if they reduce their dairy. Also, I found that bananas and cooked beetroot might not help with asthma. Raw beetroot is OK.
Of course remember that each person is different. So maybe you should experiment what kind of food helps you more and what doesn’t, so you can eliminate it from your diet.
Does Exercise Help With Asthma Symptoms?
Although exercise can be a trigger for your asthma, in the long run, it helps you control it. So as long as you have your asthma under control with the proper medication, you should have no problem at all exercising.
Regular exercise can improve the quality of your life and help you have a better control of your asthma. You might even need to change your medication, always with doctor’s directions of course.
Exercise improves the function of the lungs, which is where asthma begins. So if you improve the function of the lungs, then you improve your asthma as well.
You do need to take a few things in to consideration though. Despite the many benefits of exercise, it could also be a trigger for your asthma. So first consult your doctor to give you the ‘OK’ to exercise. Then, you should start easy with mild exercises, and slowly work your way up.
If you haven’t exercised for a long time, you can start with small 5-15 minute workouts. You can do a light walk, some yoga or Pilates, easy exercises with small weights, or some swimming. Observe yourself and see if your breath is normal and your asthma does not bother you.
After a while, when your body adapts to the exercise, then you can slowly increase your aerobic activity. First, you can increase the duration of your exercise up to one hour. Now perhaps you can make your walks a bit faster, or even add some running in it. You can alternate between walking and running. You can add heavier weights on your training. You can try more complicated exercises with the help of a professional coach.
As you slowly strengthen your heart and lungs through exercise, you will notice you will have less and less asthma symptoms during exercise. And as you slowly increase your activity, you will notice you will have more strength for your everyday jobs. And another very important thing in my opinion, you will be in better mood, you will feel happier and your confidence will increase as well.
Be Prepared…
Knowing that you might have any asthma symptoms during exercise, you should be prepared to deal with them:
– Always have your inhaler or whatever medication you are taking with you.
– If you need to take your medication prior to your exercise, don’t skip it.
– If you are exercising with a friend or at the gym, let the people around you know what they should do in case you are having an asthma attack. This way you will feel more safe and know that someone is there to help if needed.
– Know your limitations. If you know you can only go that far when it comes to exercise, and if you over do it, it could cause your asthma symptoms to arise, then stay to your limits, because safety always comes first.
– If there is bad weather outside, then on that day choose to exercise indoor.
So Exercise With Asthma Or Not?
The advantages of exercise are a lot more than the disadvantages, so yes, you need to exercise whether you have asthma, or asthma and extra weight together.
Be careful and keep your asthma under control. Other than that, exercise will give you all the boost you need to handle your asthma and all of its symptoms a lot easier.