The Hindu Business Line : Be athletic

I am 21, 173 cm tall and weigh 85 kg. I suffer from bronchitis and asthma. If I jog for 10-15 minutes at a stretch, I experience severe wheezing and have to discontinue all physical activities. This problem has almost kept me away from exercises. I live in a hostel and tend to overeat at times due to depression. At home, I used to eat at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. I never felt hungry at odd times and stayed active throughout the day. But, I now have three high-fat meals at 9 a.m., 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. every day. I do not feel like eating at these times and feel lethargic for a major portion of the day. What alterations should I make to stay active all day long in the given circumstances?

-Aneesh Bhandari

First of all, be assured that bronchitis and asthma need not keep you away from exercising and feeling fit, healthy and normal. There are many sportspeople suffering from these afflictions yet competing successfully at the highest level. The trick is to control bronchitis and asthma and not allow them to control you. Some suggestions:

Quit smoking: If you smoke, quit. Bronchitis will ease dramatically and may even be cured within a few years when you quit smoking.

Be aware about passive smoking: Walk away from people who smoke. You need to breathe in fresh air.

Gargle: Gargle with warm water twice a day. It cleanses the grease off your throat. When the throat gets an oily film, it gets irritated and makes you hack. Avoid salt in the gargling water — it’s not asthma-friendly.

Drink hot fluids: Have hot clear soups, hot milk laced with honey and haldi, hot water through the day. Keep a thermos handy for soothing sips whenever possible.

Use expectorants sparingly: Some expectorants are addictive — avoid them. Have a safe expectorant only if you have dry cough. Ask your doctor if you can have an expectorant with dextromethorphan, and if so, for how many days. If you’re coughing up phlegm, avoid expectorants, stick to hot water.

Walk, don’t run: If jogging makes you cough, walk daily for 30-45 minutes at a speed you can manage. Carry your thermos of hot water with you. You could also swim as swimming is ideal for asthma. Keep active — play tennis, cricket, golf.

Eat hostel food sparingly: Either avoid or eat oily hostel food very sparingly. Be selective. For example, have only plain steamed rice, salad, yoghurt. Stock up on soup packets, milk/yoghurt/juice cartons, bread, cheese, fruits, cornflakes, digestive biscuits, roast channa, jam, baked beans, pickles. Keep bananas handy — they are filling and nutritious.

You can also have them with warm milk, or try a banana sandwich. This means planning your own meal, a rough and ready meal plan could be:

Breakfast: Banana sandwich/cornflakes in milk with fruit juice.

Lunch: Soup, baked beans with bread, salad, yoghurt. Or rice with yoghurt and pickle. Fruit.

Dinner: Same as lunch.

Planning your own meals may seem impossible at first. But, you’ll get the hang of it soon.

To keep your asthma at bay:

Eat light: Overeating presses on your insides and causes wheezing. Stop when you’re on top — that is when you are comfortable, not ‘full’ or ‘heavy’.

Sleep elevated: Sleep with two pillows. Keeping your head slightly elevated prevents stomach reflux. Sometimes, if the stomach acid drips into your throat, it causes coughing and asthma.

Learn deep breathing: Correct deep breathing is a must. I’ve known asthmatics who have not had an attack for an entire year when they were doing deep breathing regularly. I suggest you learn the correct technique from an experienced Yoga teacher.

Asthma medication: If you are on asthma medication, you can have it 15 minutes before you exercise. But check it out with your doctor. Please do not self-medicate.

For your height, you should be about 69-70 kg. Concentrate on losing just five kg initially as that will dramatically improve your health and level of confidence. You will lose weight when you follow the lifestyle of an athlete that I’ve recommended above.

Finally, please do not allow yourself to be depressed. The fire of youth burns brightly in you — do all the positive things gladly, joyfully. See yourself as leading a highly saatvic, productive, sporting life that can only lead to robust health and exalting success in all that you do. As an ancient Maori saying goes: “Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.”

The writer is co-author of the book ‘Fitness for Life’.

Queries may be sent to life@thehindu.co.in