Exercising is known to have many benefits that promote a healthy life.  Did you know that exercise can also decrease your shortness of breath?  It can and it will!  When most people get shortness of breath, the last thing they think about is exercising. I’m here to tell you that exercising is a true game changer for those of you with lung and breathing difficulties.

Exercise of any kind will help your body to function properly as a whole.  Strong muscles use less oxygen to operate than weak muscles do.  For example, walking on strong legs will use less oxygen than walking on weak legs.  For many people, shortness of breath is exacerbated by the person’s body being deconditioned, or weak.  Deconditioning happens very quickly when a person settles into a sedentary lifestyle, even if it’s only for a short period of time.  Pushing yourself a little each day will begin to make your day to day activities easier. This is why it’s important to keep moving, even when you don’t feel like it!

Exercise comes in many forms so anyone can find a form of exercise that they enjoy!  Some examples include:  Walking, Yoga, Tai Chi, Biking, Jogging, Swimming, Zumba, Silver Sneakers, Aerobics, Tae Bo, Kickboxing, Pilates, and Weight Lifting to name some the most popular.  I recommend trying all of them if your body allows you to in order to find something that you truly enjoy.  

Over time, exercise will decrease your heart rate, blood pressure, tension, anxiety, and stress.  The decrease of all of these things will make breathing easier for you.  Exercise also releases endorphins which brighten your mood and will increase your energy and help with sleep disturbances.  If exercise seems like an unattainable goal, please don’t count yourself out.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  Begin with what you can do and just try to add to it on a weekly basis.  You will reap the benefits in no time!

Elizabeth Moffett, RRT  

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You can also learn more about health and nutrition by joining our group Lung, COPD and Health Examiner.

A great method of easing COPD, lung symptoms, and mucus build-up is by going through our Mullein Lung Detox Programme.