Question about the best way to exercise

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Gern Blanston - 23 Dec 2003 00:36 GMT

My wife has asthma and it is apparently aggravated by allergies to various
things. She quit a job recently in a clothing store because she became so
sick (probably due to either the textile dust or to the kinds of chemicals
they use in preparing such clothing for retail display) that she could not
breathe.

She had been in reasonably good physical shape before all this, and now she
has deteriorated. We have a treadmill in the house, but exercise on this is
too much for her right now.

She likes to swim and we have a YMCA membership - is swimming a better
choice for her right now? If she can exercise at _something_ and gradually
get stronger, will this boost her ability to resist/avoid asthma attacks?
I'm sure my ignorance of asthma is strikingly on display by the way I am
asking these questions, but it is an honest ignorance - I've never had such
problems in my own health and it really limits my ability to understand what
sufferers like her are really going through.

In general, what kinds of physical activity can asthmatics perform that will
not trigger problems?

Thanks!

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Colin Campbell - 23 Dec 2003 01:40 GMT

>My wife has asthma and it is apparently aggravated by allergies to various
>things. She quit a job recently in a clothing store because she became so
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>has deteriorated. We have a treadmill in the house, but exercise on this is
>too much for her right now.

What she can do is pre-treat with albuterol 30 min before exercise; do
an extended warmup (10 min) of light exercise; and sip water often
during her exercised.

>She likes to swim and we have a YMCA membership - is swimming a better
>choice for her right now? If she can exercise at _something_ and gradually
>get stronger, will this boost her ability to resist/avoid asthma attacks?

For many people the humid air helps prevent excercise-induced asthma
attacks. For other people the chemicals/mold/etc. at a pool can
induce asthma attacks.

Generally, better physical condition will not have an effect on asthma
severity. However, the overall health benefits of exercise make it a
good idea as it reduces the odds of having more chronic health
problems.

>In general, what kinds of physical activity can asthmatics perform that will
>not trigger problems?

One of the most important things to remember about asthma is that the
disease is as individual as the person who has it. On one hand I was
running 4.2 miles as a 'daily' routine until knee issues put me on an
exercised bicycle. On the other hand there are people who are
completely unable to exercised.

Most people will fall somewhere between myself and those unable to
exercised.

Something else she may look into is a 'Body Sculpt' exercised program.
This uses dumbbells and allows for a decent workout without the
respiratory loading of running.

"...there is always a well-known solution to every
human problem--neat, plausible, and wrong."
H. L. Mencken

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Alison Chaiken - 23 Dec 2003 02:22 GMT

On Tue, 23 Dec 2003 00:36:25 GMT, Gern Blanston
<n3wsr3ad3r@re_move_THIS_sbcglobal.net.AND_THIS> wrote:

>She had been in reasonably good physical shape before all this, and
>now she has deteriorated. We have a treadmill in the house, but
>exercise on this is too much for her right now.

I agree with everything Colin said. If I had a treadmill but couldn't
use it due to asthma problems, I guess I'd try walking for exercise.
If walking for 30 minutes was going well, I'd try interspersing
intervals of fast walking, and if that went well, I'd try intervals of
jogging. In general, I'd try to slowly work back up to using the
treadmill.

You haven't said whether your wife's exercise limitations are due to
exercise-induced asthma or due to general breathing problems. If the
former, Colin's suggestion of pretreatment is valid; if the latter, go
and see the doctor again! As Colin stated, exercise is not a cure for
asthma, but exercise will lower the level of perceived effort for any
everyday activity, making a lower lung capacity feel like less of a
problem.

Swimming can be a great form of exercise but it's also a great way to
inhale chlorinated water into your sinuses, which can exacerbate
underlying breathing problems. Trying swimming on a trial basis is
not a bad idea, keeping in mind that it may make matters worse rather
than better.

Signature

Alison Chaiken "From:" address above is valid.
(650) 236-2231 [daytime] http://www.wsrcc.com/alison/
I don't know which of our many enemies we ought to defy, but let us
defy someone. -- Joseph Chamberlain, early 20th century British Minister

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CBI - 23 Dec 2003 14:16 GMT

> >My wife has asthma and it is apparently aggravated by allergies to various
> >things. She quit a job recently in a clothing store because she became so
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> an extended warmup (10 min) of light exercise; and sip water often
> during her exercised.

A treadmill is a great option for this. It avoids issues of the
weather and she can start out at a slow walk if that is all she can
do. Also, there is good evidence that three 10 minite sessions
throughout the day is probably similar to one 30 minute session. The
point is that she can go at her own pace and the display will let her
monitor her progress.

> >She likes to swim and we have a YMCA membership - is swimming a better
> >choice for her right now? If she can exercise at _something_ and gradually
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> attacks. For other people the chemicals/mold/etc. at a pool can
> induce asthma attacks.

Exactly. She will just have to try it and see how she does.

> >In general, what kinds of physical activity can asthmatics perform that will
> >not trigger problems?
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> Most people will fall somewhere between myself and those unable to
> exercised.

Yes - it can be anything between complete disability and winning an
Olympic gold medal.

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CBI, MD

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