Exercise Tips If You Have Lung Disease or COPD

If you are living with lung disease or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), you may avoid exercise due to concerns about becoming breathless and causing further problems. However, exercise is an important part of managing the condition and helping to maintain general health and wellbeing. Speak to your healthcare professionals about developing an exercise plan that works for you and includes a range of exercises that are suitable for COPD. 

What is pulmonary rehabilitation?

Pulmonary rehabilitation is also known as respiratory rehabilitation. It is a vital part of managing COPD and dealing with ongoing symptoms of respiratory disease. 

The overall objective of pulmonary rehabilitation is to improve your breathing, and thus your overall wellbeing. Breathlessness and difficulty breathing can be extremely dangerous and can cause other issues, such as anxiety and panic attacks. Pulmonary rehabilitation can prevent flare ups, known as exacerbations, of COPD and reduces the need to visit hospital.   

There are many programs available for people hoping to undertake pulmonary rehabilitation. Most of these will combine education and exercise to teach people how to manage their breathing difficulties and exercise safely. Some of the things patients typically learn include breathing techniques, strategies for conserving energy, how to use medication effectively, and how to exercise regularly.

Why should you exercise?

When you are suffering from lung disease or COPD, exercise can often be the last thing you feel like doing. Exercise raises your heart rate and causes you to breathe more heavily, to take in more oxygen that is then distributed throughout the bloodstream into our muscles. This need to breathe more can cause concern for people with lung disease or COPD.

However, numerous studies have found that exercise is highly beneficial for people living with lung disease. Regular exercise can actually reduce your symptoms, as well as maintaining your general health and wellbeing.

It’s important that lung disease doesn’t get in the way of you being able to enjoy life and doing the things you normally would, like going for a walk with friends, playing with kids, or doing chores around the house.

Some of the benefits of exercise for people with lung disease or COPD include:

• Improved strength in your muscles, including your arms and legs
• Improved balance, reducing the risk of falls
• Prevents unplanned weight gain
• Improved bone density
• Reduces breathlessness
• Allows patients to do everyday tasks, such as household chores, more easily
• Improves mood and reduces the risk of depression and anxiety

Checking in with your Healthcare Provider 

Although a regular exercise routine is highly recommended for people living with lung disease, it is important that you check in with your doctor before starting any new regime. Your doctor will be able to talk through any of your concerns, recommend some programs or specific exercises, and let you know about anything you should be aware of when exercising with lung disease.

You can work with a specialised exercise professional to craft a program designed for your specific needs. Taking part in a pulmonary rehabilitation program is the best way to access these services.

What type of exercise is best?         

Although exercise can feel difficult and counter-intuitive when you are living with COPD, physical activity can actually improve shortness of breath. If you don’t try to do some regular exercise, you will find your cardiovascular function declining over time, making your symptoms worse. 

When choosing exercises, it’s best to pick a range of activities that you find enjoyable. Variety keeps things interesting and fresh, while doing exercises that you like improves your motivation and ability to stick with an exercise program over time.

Some good options for people living with lung disease of COPD include:

• Walking
• Cycling
• Swimming
• Jogging
• Roller skating
• Pilates
• Yoga
• Low-impact aerobics
• Resistance training

How often should you exercise?

It’s important that you ease into a new exercise regime. Going from no exercise to an intense program of workouts can put too much stress on your lungs, as well as cause a range of other problems such as muscle strains and soreness. Always start slowly when you are beginning exercise – there is plenty of time to build up to greater frequency and intensity over time.

Ideally, after you have been exercising for a little while and you have found a good routine, you should aim to work out four times a week. Thirty minutes is generally the recommended time frame; however, you can speak to your doctor and physical activity specialists to determine what is best for you. 

Remember, just because you plan to work out for half an hour four times a week, that doesn’t mean this is set in stone. If you are experiencing any sickness, muscle tension, or other health concern, check in with your doctor before continuing with a program. 

What to include in your exercise plan?

Your exercise plan should include several key elements to be effective. A good exercise plan is one that you can follow easily, refer to quickly, and that strikes the right balance between being challenging but not so difficult that you don’t want to continue. 

Variety of exercises

The central part of your exercise plan is the exercises themselves. A detailed plan should include all the information you need on the exercises you plan to do.

Aim to incorporate aerobic fitness, strength training, flexibility and stretching, and balance training into your routine. This ensures you get an overall beneficial experience, working your heart, lungs, muscles and more. You don’t need to do every type of activity each time you work out, but you should do all types across the week. It can be a good idea to segment the routine into different focus areas – for example, on Monday you could do a stimulating aerobic activity like going for a bike ride, and on Tuesday you may do something that is gentler, such as a yoga routine. Your plan should include the type of exercise you are doing that day, and the timeframe that you plan to do it in. 

If you need them, it’s a good idea to also include some notes on the best way to do the exercises. This is especially true for strength training, as lifting weights incorrectly can cause tissue damage and other problems. Make sure that you are taught the correct form by an expert, such as a physiotherapist. You can use descriptions, diagrams, or even short videos to demonstrate the way you should be doing an exercise.

Warm up and cool down

Anyone engaging in exercise needs to remember to warm up the body before doing any activity. Our muscles are not designed to go from sitting in a chair for hours to running around the block. Always ease into exercise with some warmup activities. 

You can speak to your healthcare professionals about what types of warmups you should do. For aerobic exercise, walking and slowly building pace often works well. For strength training, you need to activate the individual muscles that you will be working, which often requires specific stretches. Include all of these in your exercise plan so that you remember them. 

Cooling down is also important. This allows for a gradual recovery, slowing your heart rate and allowing your breathing to become more controlled. Cooling down may reduce stiffness and soreness the day after exercise. 

To cool down, it is normally best to do a less intense version of the activity you have been doing. For example, after swimming, you may swim a few more laps at a much slower pace, or you may tread water for a few minutes. 

Alternatives

There are always going to be days when you can’t follow your planned exercise routine. Perhaps you are experiencing some muscle soreness, or you have a cold, or you have a busy day and don’t have enough time. When this happens, it can be a good idea to have some “back up” options, so you can still do some exercise and not break the good habit you are developing.

Alternative exercises can be listed in your exercise plan for this purpose. They can include shorter and less intense aerobic activities (such as walking around the block instead of running for twenty minutes). They can include ways of doing an exercise that is easier or may include using a prop or some assistance. 

This can greatly assist in motivation, encouraging you to do something in your exercise plan even when circumstances are not ideal.

Reminders

It’s a good idea to list a few reminders in your exercise plan. As the main document to refer to when working out, this is the place to write down anything you should be aware of when exercising. 

Some common pointers include to stay hydrated—you may have a note that before aerobic activities you refill your water bottle and drink all of it by the time you finish. Nutrition is also crucial, and you may like to include reminders to eat a proper lunch before an afternoon session, or to have a snack that includes protein before doing weights.

Other things to be aware of include your body temperature. Be aware of how hot you are and be careful of overheating, especially when exercising in summer. Listen to your body and pay attention to what it’s telling you. If something doesn’t feel right, it’s best to stop. 

How to ensure that you are not over exerting 

Pushing yourself too hard can result in overexertion. This is a common problem among people who exercise regularly, and often results in injury and discomfit, but it can be avoided.

To avoid overexertion, always make sure that you develop your exercise plan with your health profession and stick to this plan. Don’t do more than what is written down just because you are feeling particularly good or strong. If you think the exercises have become too easy, return to your doctor and have a conversation about how you could increase the amount and intensity of exercise you are doing.

Make sure you always use proper technique. Lifting weights incorrectly, spending too long in an awkward position, or using the wrong form during exercise can cause problems in your bones, muscles and joints. 

You can avoid overexertion by always stretching and warming up before exercise, taking regular breaks throughout your routine, using prompts and videos to practice proper technique at all times, and ensuring your routine is varied and doesn’t stick with the same type of exercise for too long. Rest days are also very important. 

How to breathe when exercising 

Even for people with healthy lungs, breathing during exercise can be a challenge. Many people mistakenly hold their breath during certain exercises, especially strength training, to stabilise their torso and abdominal muscles. However, holding your breath during exercise is dangerous and should be strictly avoided.

For people with lung disease or COPD, it is important to be a very mindful breather during exercise. Make breathing one of the key things to focus on during any type of activity. 

During cardiovascular exercise, you can breathe steadily and rhythmically throughout the activity. You may feel your breathing quicken as your heart rate accelerates. That’s fine, as long as you continue to take in full breaths and avoid short, shallow gasps which don’t deliver enough oxygen to your body.

During strength and balance training, you can incorporate breathing into the work. Inhale as you do the easier part of the exercise, and exhale for the harder part. For example, when lifting a weight, you should inhale as you lower the weight away from your body, and exhale as you pull the weight back up. 

If you find you are very breathless and can’t control your breathing during an exercise, slow down or stop. Regain control of your breath, and then you can start again. 

Exercises to avoid when you have COPD

When exercising with lung disease or COPD, it’s vital that you know your limits. Always check with your doctor before starting a new type of exercise or trying a new activity. Some exercises that are not recommended for people with COPD include high intensity interval training (commonly known as HIIT), which is prolonged intense exercise. Other things to avoid are isometric exercises, which involve pushing against immovable objects (such as a push up). Avoid exercise outside if the weather is particularly hot or cold, as this can exacerbate breathing problems.

Exercising with lung problems can seem daunting at first, but when you work with professionals to develop a carefully thought-out program of exercise and follow the recommendations, you can engage in a stimulating and enjoyable exercise routine despite your health condition.