Tips for Exercising With Asthma

This morning was the first morning in a while that I’ve attempted the pre- 6:00am workout. Not as easy to “ease” back into as I had hoped.

After making it through the first five minutes of warming up without actually falling asleep, I figured I was good enough to continue. However, the energy level was just not there…maybe I didn’t get as a good a nights’ sleep as I thought?

Despite the lack of energy (and breath, but I’ll get into that more in a minute…) I ended up doing my 45 minute treadmill walk while catching up on the morning news.

Breakfast

A cool and creamy fruit & yogurt bowl was in order for today!

I paired a vanilla flavored Chobani Greek yogurt with 1/2 a sliced banana + 1/2 cup blueberries.

My yogurt was still in need of a little something extra; as I was rummaging through my baskets of food on the living room floor ( ) I happened to remember the bag of wheat germ that I’ve had in the freezer. After seeing Julie add it to her yogurt a few days ago, I decided it would be the perfect addition to incorporate into mine today.

This was actually the first time I’ve tried the wheat germ in my yogurt, but I really liked it! It gave the yogurt just a slightly different, but enjoyable, texture and it didn’t mess with the taste much (if any!).

Mid-morning, I snacked on half of a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Larabar. This flavor is so similar to actual cookie dough…it’s scary.

Lunch

I was probably able to put together today’s lunch in less than two minutes…

Last night after enjoying our veggie stew, I packed up the rest into three separate containers to have for leftovers throughout the week. The only “prep” involved this morning was slicing off that hunk-o-bread you see there.

I also made sure to boost the Vitamin C intake with a delicious orange.

Exercising with Asthma

So as I mentioned earlier, today’s workout was a bit of a difficult one…

You may or may not already know that I do, in fact, have asthma. As a child, it was something that I struggled with on a day-to-day basis. My elementary & middle school years were spent trying to keep things in check, using 2-3 different inhalers every day to try to combat any flair-ups. When the flair-ups did arise, it was awful; sometimes we could battle the asthma attacks at home, but sometimes they were bad enough to require a trip to the doctor’s office for oxygen treatments.

As I grew older, my symptoms slowly subsided and I was eventually able to wean myself off of my medication. I continued to keep a rescue inhaler at all times, in case of emergency, but usually only needed it if I’d caught a cold that landed in my chest, or if I was going to be exercising/playing sports.

As I made my way into adulthood, I barely even thought twice about my once troublesome asthma. Everything was great and I could exercise strong…until we found Cody.

Apparently, after being away from cats for two years, (I’d been out of my parents’ house for that long, and they had cats) being re-exposed to him brought my asthma back…in full-force. I’ll tell ya, it was a good thing he was so stinkin’ cute!!

After a few trips to the doctor, I was put on Singulair and almost immediately felt like a brand new person. For the most part, my asthma symptoms had subsided, and I could once again get back to my normal exercise routine.

Well lately, my asthma symptoms have not been that easy to regulate. I’ve been using my rescue inhaler way more than I should be, I wake up in the middle of the night tight-chested and wheezy, and exercise has been pretty difficult. Without having yet talked to my doctor (I have an appointment scheduled for Thursday) I’m attributing most of my problems to all the kicked-up dust from our kitchen renovations, but I can’t be sure.

Even though it’s been a little difficult on the exercise front, that doesn’t mean I get an excuse to not keep moving, though! Anyone with asthma can (and should!) definitely still keep moving. Here are some of my tips for those of you who may be experiencing the same asthma issues:

Tips for Exercising with Asthma

• Use your rescue inhaler 10 minutes before starting activity. Your body will be able to cope much easier with the exercise.
• Always start with a warmup, gradually increase your workout, and don’t forget to cool down.
• Always have your rescue inhaler with you when you exercise.
• Try not to come into contact with things that trigger your asthma. (For me, it’s dust pollen, and pet dander.)

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Tips for Exercising Outdoors with Asthma

• If cold weather triggers your asthma, exercise indoors in the winter months. I’m okay with this, BUT if you must exercise outside start off slow…
• Run a few minutes outdoors at first, and gradually build up your time to let your lungs get used to it.
• Wear a neck warmer, scarf, or other protective layer over your nose and mouth. This may help prevent symptoms, since it keeps the air you’re breathing moist. Dry air tends to cause a burning feeling and can trigger an attack.

But Most Importantly…

• Don’t avoid exercise! If you’re worried that working out may trigger an attack, find a low-impact alternative. Think walking, Pilates, or yoga.

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Tonight, Jay and I are headed to my in-law’s house for dinner…YAY for not having to wash dishes in the tub!!

Question for the Evening:

Do you deal with any sort of asthma/exercise-induced asthma? How do you keep things in check?

Tagged as: chobani, leftovers, tips for exercising with asthma, veggie stew