The Hindu Business Line : Exercising with asthma

There are two beautiful words — asthma prevention — which help you train without the fear of becoming breathless. In fact, never feel that you won’t be able to do as much as you used to pre-asthma. It isn’t a stumbling block or a barrier. Just follow a few simple basic norms:

Drink water: Keep drinking room-temperature or warm water through the day. Hydrated muscles do not clench and, hence, prevent the onset of asthma.

Nose breathe: Breathing through your nose warms and filters the air before it flows to your lungs. During cold weather, keep a handkerchief over your nose and mouth and breathe through it. Tip: Keep your mouth closed so that you do not breathe through it while exercising.

Take your medicine: 15 minutes before your workout, take your asthma-medication. It prevents any inflammation that may occur due to exercising.

Warm up: Take time to warm up and start slow. This applies particularly if you walk or run. Quicken your pace gradually. Tip: Or opt for stationary cycling.

Do pranayam: Include pranayam (breathing exercise) in your programme. Learn the correct breathing technique from a Yoga teacher and do it daily.

Have coffee: In case you forget your inhaler/medicine at home and feel a bit of a wheeze coming on, have one-two cups of strong coffee.

You will be able to breathe better until you access your medicine.

Monitor allergens: Check if you’re allergic to known asthma-triggering foods: milk, nuts, seafoods, eggs, wheat, corn, sugar, soy products, salt, metabisulfite (a food additive-preservative used in dried apricots and beer); as also MSG sprinkled on Chinese dishes and roasted crunchies.

Eat asthma-reducing foods: These are ginger, turmeric which have anti-inflammatory effects; cereals, green vegetables which are rich in magnesium that enhances lung functioning.

And finally, common sense dictates — avoid walking or running outdoors near a busy street during rush hour — fumes, dust trigger asthma. Exercise indoors.

You’ll be fine and fit.

It’s not that I want six-pack abs! But I don’t like the bulge on my lower abs either. How do I flatten it? I do all the lower-ab exercises recommended by the gym.

Nupur P.

Experience has taught me that flattening the lower abs is as much about dieting as exercising. Decrease your intake of milk products. If your intestines do not contain sufficient enzyme lactase that helps digest lactose-sugar in the milk, it bloats the lower tummy. Minimise fatty, starchy foods, yeast, salt — they swell the tissues.

Finally, do your lower-abs exercises daily unfailingly, not thrice a week. And, of course, be patient!

I find it difficult to lose weight on my hands and thighs. Please suggest a specific exercise.

Selvi

To tone the thighs, do this — lie on your back, legs straight. Raise both legs towards ceiling, knees straight, toes pointed outward heel to heel. Open legs to form as wide a V as possible. Then close V. Open-close 20 times.

To shed fat, cycle or jog daily. To tone up the hands, squeeze a gripper 20 times three times a day. Tip: Grippers are available at all sport shops.

My son has a number of +0.5 in both eyes. He is six years old, his eyes itch and ache frequently. I feel it is due to long hours on the TV and computer. The doctor has advised a review after three months, after which he will decide about spectacles. Please suggest diet and exercises to help him improve vision and avoid spectacles.

Reshmi

A 0.5 number can be corrected with or without spectacles. What your son must do immediately is blink consciously 300 times a day to keep his eyes hydrated. Dry eyes weaken. More specifically, he must blink during TV commercial breaks. Also, he must take his eyes off the computer monitor every hour to do this palming exercise for 20 minutes: Rub his palms together until warm. Then with eyes closed, cover [not press] his eyes with his palms. Breathe deep and slow. Visualise the colour black.

He can do three exercises when his eyes stop aching:

Rotate his eyes clockwise five times, then anti-clockwise five times.

Move eyes side to side five times.

Move eyes up and down five times.

Encourage him to ride his tricycle/bicycle as long as possible as this would enhance the circulation of eye-fluids.

Carrots and tomatoes are rich in Vitamin A that helps preserve normal sight. A tablespoon of amla (gooseberry) juice mixed with honey reduces any intraocular tension in the eye. Eating mangoes is good for burning and itching eyes. Dip a handkerchief in chilled rose water and press gently against his closed eyes when he complains of itching and aching. Morning sunlight against closed eyelids for five minutes is a good therapy too.

Considering he is only six years old, you would probably have to devise games to entice him into following these practices!

I was wondering if I could gargle with coconut oil?

Jean

You can gargle with coconut oil if you do not mind its strong flavour. Make sure you do not swallow while gargling. Tip: Choose virgin coconut oil as it has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.

The writer is co-author of the book ‘Fitness for Life’. Queries may be sent to life@thehindu.co.in

More Stories on : Health | Fitness First

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Recipe for a bride-to-be

Exercising with asthma

Float kindly light

Movies, masti and magic

Fjord fusion

Representing change