Tips for Exercising With Asth... Health Article

Before the advent of modern medicine, a person diagnosed with heart disease, asthma or some other chronic condition might have been told to take it easy -- for the rest of his or her life. Back then, doctors thought exercise was for the fit and the healthy, not for someone with a chronic illness. That thinking no longer holds true.

"We now know that exercise is the most underrated health precaution anyone, even those with chronic conditions, can take," says J. Larry Durstine, Ph.D., a spokesman for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and director of clinical exercise programs at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. "By not being physically active after recovering from a heart attack, or being diagnosed with a chronic illness, you set in motion a downward spiral of de-conditioning, loss of function and the possibility of exacerbating your condition and bringing on others."

Depending on your diagnosis, you need to be careful about how or when you exercise and the kinds of activities you do. Before starting an exercise program, be sure to get your doctor's approval. Dr. Durstine offers the following exercise do's and don'ts for those diagnosed with asthma:

• "Keep your inhaler with you any time you exercise, and alert others, such as teammates, that you have asthma," says Dr. Durstine.

• Avoid exercise on days you have any breathing difficulties before starting. A slight wheeze can turn into an attack when you increase your exposure to an asthma trigger such as exercise.

• Warm up for five to 10 minutes by walking or lightly jogging; warming up your muscles (and your lungs) can reduce your chance for an attack.

• Similarly, cool down afterward for 10 minutes by walking and stretching to gradually change the temperature and humidity in your airways. Abruptly stopping can lead to an attack.

• Exercise inside when it's cold out. In fact, it is the movement of cold air in and out of your lungs that causes exercise-induced asthma, not the exercise itself. In the winter, consider switching your venue to a gym or swimming pool rather than a track.

• "You're less likely to have an attack in a controlled environment, provided it doesn't have other asthma triggers, such as dust, dust mites, animal dander and air pollutants," says Dr. Durstine.

• If you exercise outside when it's cold, keep your exercise time to a minimum and wear a scarf over your mouth and nose