Medicine has made a number of strides forward in the treatment of asthma while, at the same time, the number of people who suffer with asthma has increased. Part of the reason for this increase is that asthmatics are now living longer and so there are simply more asthmatics in the population at any given time. This has forced quality of life issues to the fore. The desire of asthmatics to participate in and get the most out of life includes the right to be as physically fit as possible. But, how do you workout successfully when physical activity can trigger an asthma attack? And there are other questions. Is this particular exercise possible for me to do? What exercises are less likely to trigger an asthma attack? How long can I exercise and what precautions should I take?
The truth is that asthma doesn’t have to be a barrier to physical fitness. It is possible to not only workout with asthma, but to become physically fit as well. It’s all a matter of knowing what to do and how to do it. Knowing the right exercises is also important. Some exercises provide excellent results and have a low risk of triggering an asthma attack, while other types of exercise can be dangerous. It’s also important to prepare correctly before exercising and to know how to control asthma while exercising and what to do in the cool down period after exercising.
All this will be the subject of our next installments. We’ll concentrate on the knowledge that you need to workout safely and effectively and how to develop a workout program that takes your asthma into account. Even if you don’t have asthma, this information will be valuable in helping friends or relatives who do have asthma or in simply learning those exercises that help your respiratory system function at its best.