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[Neonivek]

So I have Asthma that kind of makes it hard-impossible to really work out traditionally.

Running, jogging, Dance Dance Revolution and such... causes my lungs to be so pained and requires so much medicine to keep under control (I basically have to exercise RIGHT after medicine)

But I don't exactly like "aimless exercise" but I might not have a choice.

Are there any effective exercises that don't cause elevated breathing?

[NJW2000]

Well, muscle movements that build aerobic fitness are the problem here, I think, which makes it difficult to build it up. I suppose that would require exercise that doesn't get you out of breath? Tried long distance walking? Or would that be "aimless exercise"?

[i2amroy]

Long-distance walking is a good suggestion. Yoga might also be something worth looking into. Low intensity high-rep type of things that you just do passively while doing other stuff might also be looking into, like the mini-elliptical machines that you stick under your desk to pedal as you work. Swimming is usually pretty good because the moist air tends to help reduce asthma severity. Martial arts and weightlifting can also work pretty well if done carefully, since they can be performed in short bursts to provide benefits while having enough downtime between each set to prevent too many problems.

If you really feel like none of the above possibilities will work, or simply want more information, I highly suggest contacting a asthma specialist for some more suggestions that might work for your specific case.

[Djohaal]

Swimming did wonders for my asthma when I was a kid, radically decreased the number of episodes, plus all that respiratory muscle training is great stuff.

One thing I might ask is what asthma drugs are you on and which dose are you using, from the sounds of it you have either a very refractory asthma or potentially poorly managed. I recall vaguely you also mentioned anxiety symptoms in the antidepressant thread, those can mimic asthma very well (specifically the lung pain) so that is another factor to consider.

[Neonivek]

pretty standard medicine.

I take Dubosenide/Formoter 200/6... Twice a day everyday.
Then my emergency inhaler is Salbutamol 100MCG. I take it if I have trouble breathing or if I suspect I'll have trouble breathing (before exercise)

Also yeah I get occasional bouts of panic at night that stops me from sleeping, or what I usually call Sleep Phobia.

As well as a lot of acid reflux... which I found is the cause of some of my anxiety (I confuse the sickening feeling of acid reflux for being anxious. As soon as I take tums I usually calm down immediately).

I also have a tendency to become really tired after my Asthma medication AND sometimes after I drink pop (but that is due to the caffeine increasing my blood pressure in all likeliness)

Suffice it to say a LOT would probably go better if I lost some weight.

[Djohaal]

Acid reflux can be the cause of your asthma's annoying recurrence. Getting it sorted might help. A cheap and useful thing I usually suggest to my patients is putting a pair of bricks on the bed's head feet, so the whole bed becomes a slope.

[Sensei]

In the long term, any cardio exercise should reduce your asthma symptoms in general, even if you need medicine to do it at first. I recommend that you stick with running or whatever, and after a month or two you will find you need the medicine less. At least that's always how it was for me, at the start of soccer season I'd take albuterol before every practice but towards the end I didn't need it often.

[Salmeuk]

Stretch your muscles until you feel your heart beating faster, then go for a long walk to your favorite restaurant while continuing to stretch your arms, chest and neck. Calinsthetics in general are good, and you can make any exercise easier with fewer repeated motions or increasing the leverage (knees down when you perform pushups, situps at an angle, etc.)

[Reudh]

Many people with exercise induced bronchoconstriction can control it to a degree by improving cardiac and aerobic fitness levels.

WHILE THIS IS IN NO WAY A SUBSTITUTE FOR AN ACTUAL DOCTOR'S ADVICE, Montelukast (a leukotriene receptor antagonist) and Salmeterol can suppress bronchoconstrictive symptoms. In any case, if you are already on salmeterol, there is no real need to go on montelukast. Assuming you have a doctor that has an asthma plan for you, follow that. Also, a standard salmeterol metered dose taken ~2hrs prior to exercise should suppress the bronchoconstriction effects enough for you to exercise.

[Chevaleresse]

I have an asthmatic friend who is a quite good fencer. Fencing, though it varies with style, doesn't generally put a lot of stress on your body relative to other sports, though impacts to the chest may be a problem.

[Parsely]

I have an asthmatic friend who is a quite good fencer. Fencing, though it varies with style, doesn't generally put a lot of stress on your body relative to other sports, though impacts to the chest may be a problem.

I'm asthmatic too. I was a wrestler and it was one of the most exhausting experiences of my life. Never ever had an attack while playing the sport. It should be said that just because I have asthma and I can run my ass off without killing myself, it doesn't mean that other asthmatic people can as well. The condition has different degrees of severity.

Swimming is good exercise for asthmatics because the air around a pool is very humid, but you must still be careful and take precautions when doing so. It can be hard to swim while you're having an attack. Swimming isn't the most convenient way to exercise so maybe walking would be the best choice. I walk to university because I have to but it's kept me from totally letting myself go after high school ended and I stopped playing sports.