If you have exercise-induced asthma, cardio exercise may seem challenging. But with proper testing and treatment, there's no need to avoid active sports, which can benefit your heart and general health. Speak with your doctor about how to manage your asthma and work out at the same time.
Types of Asthma
There are many kinds of asthma, including exercise-induced, occupational and childhood varieties. In all cases, an irritant or trigger causes air passages in your lungs to narrow and make breathing difficult, which is signaled by wheezing and coughing. Asthma can make exercise intolerable. Airborne irritants such as dust, smoke, pollen or the cold virus are common triggers, but even exercise itself can start an attack.
Treatment
Many asthma medications can increase your tolerance for exercise. These include long-acting airway muscle-relaxers, which prevent exercise-induced asthma for up to 12-hours, and short-acting medications, which prevent symptoms for up to four hours. One or two inhaled puffs 10 to 15 minutes before exercise are usually sufficient. Inhalers can also relieve an attack in progress. These drugs are synthetic forms of adrenalin that do not speed up your heart rate or raise your blood pressure while they relax your airway muscles. A physician can administer tests and determine which drugs are best for you.
Cardio Exercise
Cardio exercise raises your heart rate to pump more blood and meet the oxygen and nutrient demands of your body. Like all muscles, your heart grows stronger with exercise. A normal, resting heart beats about 60 to 70 beats per minute. Cardio exercise specialists at Theathlete.org say you should increase your heart rate to at least 50 percent of maximum for your age to achieve exercise benefits. You can calculate a good heart rate for your cardio workout with the Mayo Clinic Target Heart Rate Calculator. For example, at age 25, your target range is 137 to 167 beats per minute and at age 60 it is 108 to 138, or 70 to 85 percent of your maximum. Jogging, bicycling, skiing and swimming are cardio exercises that those with asthma may try. Be aware of your sensitivities, however -- some people may react to chlorine in pools or cold air on the slopes.
Results
After your doctor identifies the type of asthma you have, prescribes the right medication and balances the dose against your triggers, you can safely begin an exercise program. A gradual approach will let you gauge your exercise tolerance and chance for an asthma attack at different exercise levels. Many asthma sufferers say cardio workouts, over time, seem to lessen the frequency and severity of asthma attacks.
Warning
An asthma attack can, in rare cases, produce life-threatening breathing problems, bringing on dangerously low oxygen levels and raising your work of breathing so high you could suffocate. These conditions can make a hard-working heart fail. Talk to your doctor about a cardio exercise program if you have asthma. Thorough pulmonary function testing, the right medication and your own knowledge of how you respond to exercise can almost always make cardio exercise safe, stimulating and enjoyable.
