Exercise and Asthma
March 13, 2009 by Tisha Tolar
Filed under Medical Issues
For most people with asthma, exercise is possible. Check with your asthma doctor regarding your asthma action plan, and to determine 
if your asthma symptoms should be cause for non-participation in activities – often, a small change in your asthma treatment will be all that is needed for asthma relief during exercise and activities.
Asthma treatment is used to help people with asthma maintain a healthy lifestyle which allows them to participate in physical activities and exercise. You’ll need to work out what your triggers are, monitor your symptoms and keep up with your asthmatic medication to ensure your safety and health but the proper asthma treatment typically makes exercise possible.
Exercise for People with Asthma
Everyone with asthma experiences slightly different “triggers” – the causes of their asthmatic symptoms. For some, the symptoms are brought on by exercise while others experience asthma symptoms as a result of allergies or weather changes.
Most people with asthma find they are most tolerable to exercises involving short, intermittent periods of exertion. Sports like baseball, volleyball, wresting and gymnastics are good activities for people with asthma, in general. Swimming, while it is an endurance sport with constant activity, is typically tolerated well by asthmatics because it is performed in a warn and moist air environment.
Sports that require long periods of exertion may cause problems for people with symptoms that are triggered from exercise, like soccer, hockey, running, ice-skating, cross country skiing, and basketball. With appropriate treatment and asthma plan, many people can still participate in these activities, even with asthma.
It is recommended that everyone exercise four or five times per week for twenty or thirty minutes at a time. Speak with your asthma doctor about how much exercise you should be getting.
Controlling Asthma During Exercise
There are a number of methods for helping people keep their asthma in check when exercising, including:
• Following your doctor’s recommended asthma plan
• Using your pre-exercise asthma inhaler before exercising
• Wearing a hat with a face mask or a scarf over nose and mouth during cold weather activities to make it easier to breathe.
• Properly warming up and cooling down before and after exercise
• Knowing and respecting your personal asthma triggers – if allergens trigger your asthma avoid outdoor exercise when the pollen counts are high
• Understand that you need to decrease your exercise if you already have a cold or other viral infection, as your breathing will already be impaired
Asthma does not need to prevent an active lifestyle or prevent you from exercising. With a proper asthma plan in place and treatment, people with asthma can enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of exercise without experiencing asthma symptoms.
If you do have an asthma attack or increase in symptoms when exercising, stop immediately and use your quick relief medication (like albuterol). If your symptoms stop, you can resume exercise. If your asthma symptoms return, you will need to use your quick relief inhaler again and stop your activity until you consult with your asthma doctor for more direction. If your symptoms turn into a full-on asthma attack which cannot be controlled with your quick relief medication, see a health care professional immediately.
