First thing is to commit - commit to exercise daily, even though that means only 15 minutes of physical activity per day. The only thing you have to decide is what kind of activity is best for you! Said that many times already, however, exercise enhances your mood and shape, but did you know it can help improve your breathing? Regular physical activity helps your body make use of the oxygen you breathe, often called your lung function. People with lung disease, such as COPD, tend to use more energy to breathe compared to others. By exercising regularly, they can decrease their symptoms and improve their breathing.
1. How does exercise help strengthen lungs?
Even though lung disease can limit the amount of air you take in, you can improve how well your body uses the air. When you exercise, your lungs and heart are hard at work. Together, they bring oxygen into the body and deliver it to the muscles being used. This improves circulation and strengthens the tissue around your lungs, helping them function. By spending at least 15-30 minutes a day, five days a week (or even tune your body to do it daily) doing some endurance or aerobic activities is great for improving lung function and health. I suggest you try variety of activities, such as, brisk walking or jogging, even yard work (mowing, raking, digging ;)), dancing, swimming, biking, climbing stairs, etc. All that will help and you will sure benefit from it.
2. What you already know
You already know exercise is good for you. You probably think about the way it can boost your fitness, trim your waistline, strengthen you heart and even improve your mood. But did you know that exercise can also help keep your lungs healthy?
3. The Benefits of Exercise
Exercise has lots of benefits for everyone, whether you are young or old, slender or large, able-bodied or living with a chronic illness or disability. Physical activity can reduce your risk of serious illness, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some forms of cancer, including lung cancer. Being active can help you stay active, by strengthening bones, improving flexibility and agility, reducing weight gain and improving sleep. Regular exercise is good for your head too. It can reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, improve attention and memory, and reduce the risk of dementia.
4. What Types of Exercise and How Much?
National guidelines recommend that all adults get 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five days a week (i suggest to make it a part of your daily routine, to me daily is the only way to go ;)) It doesn't have to be a formal exercise program to be beneficial. Some examples of moderate activity include as mentioned above will work, no doubt :).
5. Both aerobic activities and muscle-strengthening activities can benefit your lungs
Aerobic activities like walking, running or jumping rope give your heart and lungs the kind of workout they need to function efficiently. Muscle-strengthening activities like weight-lifting or Pilates build core strength, improving your posture, and toning your breathing muscles. Breathing exercises in particular can strengthen your diaphragm and train your body to breathe more deeply and more effectively.
6. Make sure you body can handle a change
Before starting any exercise routine, always talk to your doctor before you start or modify your exercise routine. This is especially important if you have an underlying health condition. Ask about what workouts you should try, as well as how often you should do them. And make sure you stop exercising right away and contact your healthcare provider if you feel unusual or increasing shortness of breath, chest pain or discomfort, burning, tightness, heaviness, or pressure in your chest, unusual aching in your arms, shoulder, neck, jaw, or back, a racing or skipping heartbeat, feeling much more tired than usual, Lightheadedness, dizziness, or nausea or experiencing an unusual joint pain.
And remember, avoid exercising outdoors when pollution levels are high. When the air is bad, walk indoors in a shopping mall or gym or use an exercise machine. Limit the amount of time you spend outdoors if the air quality is unhealthy.
Until next time, S.
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