asthma?
#173186 - 04/24/05 05:35 PM
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Just wondering what you mean by not really being able to do heavy cardio. Did you know that you can be asthmatic without ever having an actual attack? I was always petite and in good shape as a kid, but ALWAYS finished the mile in gym class with the heavy kids. I just figured I was no good at running. I would also have a lot of trouble with stairs. It was the same in high school and collge. If I were ever running late for class and I tried to make it up a flight of steps in a hurry, I'd end up huffing and puffing for 10 minutes. I felt so embarassed and out of shape -- and I weighed about 115! (and no, I've never smoked) It wasn't until I was 21 and a junior in college that I started noticing a humming/wheezing sound in my chest whenever I was driving or lying quietly in bed. I went to a pulmonologist and it turned out I was only able to use about 40% of my lung capacity! The doc explained that I'd probably had asthma my whole life, but it never set of any red flags because I never had an attack. I now take a pill and and 2 puffs of an inhaler every night, and use a different inhaler before I exercise, and still another inhaler if I am having general chest congestion. Who knew? Anyway I don't want to run around diagnosing people, but if you think you are having more trouble than you should for someone in your shape, get checked out.
In the meatime, I think walking is just fine, and certainly gentler on the joints. The only running I ever do is on the eliptical machine at the gym.
Good luck,
Panda
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Amanda
I live in the Big Apple, but I don't eat the skin
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Personally, I don't/cannot do heavy cardio due to asthma. Also, with osteopenia and arthritis, my joints cannot handle the impact. My body fat is always at less than 19 percent; I weigh 114 lbs. and I'm 5'6." I struggle to maintain weight; extra heavy exercise kills me. I've never been able to run--except to the you know where!!! I do walk, though.
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Thanks for the suggestion. It's funny you should mention it, but I actually do have mild asthma. It was diagnosed a few years ago but I wouldn't say I've ever had a full-blown attack. I was given an inhaler and told to use it in really cold or humid weather and when exercising if I was having trouble, and I had completely forgotten about it! I'll have to try the inhaler before I work out and see if it makes a difference 
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Glad I could help. Couple things to keep in mind -- asthma treatments have come a LONG way in the last few years, so the inhaler you were given then might not be the best thing available right now. I was also given an inhaler sometime in high school to use the same way you did, but I never did a thing for me. The other thing is more obvious -- if you are hanging on to the very same inhaler you were given a few years ago, make sure it's not expired!
Panda
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Amanda
I live in the Big Apple, but I don't eat the skin
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I had asthma all through my childhood and was always told I was unfit despite being a really active kid. It was only when I got to high school where the PE teachers were used to seeing it that I got diagnosed...turns out I have a *pathetic* lung capacity even tho my asthma has never been at all severe. Running's one of the few things that sets me off.
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I have asthma, and the better in shape I am, the less it bothers me. If it's been a while since I've ran, when I get on the treadmill I struggle. But if i keep it up, eventually (few weeks) I get to the point where I don't need my inhaler and I can do a decent pace for three miles. For me, extreme heat/cold, humifity, allergens, keep me from running outside a lot because those are triggers. But I'm hoping to run more outside this summer!
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...in that some forms of exercise trigger off my ashthma and hardly anything else does! MY DH's asthma is more classical - triggered off by coughs, colds, etc - but nothing triggers me off as much as running.
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Yeah, asthma is a trigger for me too, at first, but then somehow I can kind of train my lungs I guess?? For instance, when I first started track in high school, I told my coach that she needed to give me time to work up to it (i.e., not yell too much at me for lagging behind) but by the time the season was in full swing I could run with everyone else. I suppose my asthma is more allergy induced than exercise induced. I'll still never be a marathon runner!
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