While exercise is important for overall health, certain exercises can specifically help with asthma.¹

By working on your lungs, you can allow more air to pass freely in and out of your body with less effort.²

Exercise also increases blood flow to the lungs and the heart.³

People who regularly exercise have more ability to pull oxygen from the lungs and into the blood to help the muscles that keep the body going.⁴

Not all exercises and activities are suitable for asthmatics. Please speak to your doctor before you start any exercise regime.

Follow these tips before you start exercising:⁴

• Warm-up
• Cover your nose & mouth with a scarf if you are in a cold area
• Take regular breaks in between
• Cool down afterwards you are done exercising

Here are 5 exercises that can help improve your lung capacity and manage your symptoms:

Swimming⁴

Helps to strengthen your upper body muscles. Exposes your lungs to moist and warm air which does not usually trigger the symptoms.

Walking⁴

Easy to add to a daily routine, it helps you manage symptoms such as shortness of breath.

Yoga⁵

Works on breathing, improves your mood and brings you a sense of overall calm.

Breathing Exercises⁶

Works on breath rhythms and guides you towards better breathing patterns.

Other Sports⁴

Sports with periods of inactivity and require short bursts of energy like football, baseball, and gymnastics, work on stamina and lung capacity. They are less likely to trigger asthma symptoms as well.

Read more on breahefree.nepal.com.

References

1. Panagiotou, Marios, et al. "Physical Activity: A Missing Link in Asthma Care." Journal of Clinical Medicine, vol. 9, no. 3, 2020, p. 706, https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9030706.
2. "Your Lungs and Exercise." Breathe, vol. 12, no. 1, 2016, p. 97, https://doi.org/10.1183/20734735.ELF121
3. Nystoriak, Matthew A., and Aruni Bhatnagar. "Cardiovascular Effects and Benefits of Exercise." Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, vol. 5, 2018, p. 135, https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2018.00135
4. Asthma and Exercise. American Lung Association. https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/asthma/managing-asthma/asthma-and-exercise.
5. Yang, Yao, et al. "Yoga for Asthma." The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, vol. 2016, no. 4, 2016, p. CD010346, https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD010346.pub2.
6. Santino, Thayla A., et al. "Breathing Exercises for Adults with Asthma." The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, vol. 2020, no. 3, 2020, p. CD001277, https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001277.pub4.