NORTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — It’s been hard keeping up with exercise during this frigid winter.
But it’s important to do it, especially for people with chronic lung disorders.
“A lot of patients, they try to cut down on their outdoor time and a lot of exercises they used to do,” says Dr Omid Pourshahid, a Temple Health pulmonologist.
Dr. Pourshahid says that’s a natural reaction in winter for patients with asthma and COPD.
“If they’re inhaling cold and dry air, that is gonna cause some further narrowing and further irritation,” he explains.
That makes breathing uncomfortable.
But the doctor says lung patients, especially those who’ve been through a pulmonary rehab program, should stay active year-round.
“If they start to gradually become more sedentary, the more they don’t use it, the more they lose their capacity to exercise,” Dr. Pourshahid cautions.
They may not be able to regain that capacity, and it could be the start of a vicious downward cycle.
Dr. Pourshahid says the secret to keeping up the workouts is in a few adaptations.
First, wear a scarf or mask to warm the air you’re breathing.
“It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, as long as they cover their nose and mouth,” he says.
Second, warm up a little longer, for 5 to 10 minutes.
And keep the intensity down for the first 10 to 15 minutes.
“That would help them for their body to warm up and get used to the current temperature and the cold dry air that they’re inhaling,” Dr. Pourshahid says.
If exercise-induced asthma is a concern, “They may utilize one of the rescue inhalers 5 to 10 minutes before initiating that exercise,” he notes.
Once a person is warmed up well, they should get up to their regular intensity.
He describes that as, “They need to be short of breath enough that they can still talk,” adding, “But, uh, they have to basically break down the sentence in a few shorter parts.”
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