Some of you might remember that I joined the gym before Christmas. I have very gradually been increasing what I can do.
When I started I could manage about 5 minutes on the treadmill at 2mph with no slope. Now I can do half an hour at 3mph and a 4% incline. I am so pleased and I can notice now that I am better when walking out and about. So any of you with your treadmills, persevere. It really is worth it. Yes, I get breathless, but in a controlled way.
Lynne xx
*round of applause* and a big well done from me 
!
Well done lynn, have not been on mine for a while as soon as I feel better I will start again.
polly xx
WooHoo! you will be in a marathon soon.Just shows what perseverance will do!
Congrats Lynn, keep it up,let us know how it continues,
Love Wendells xxx
very good lynn keep it up
Well done! I loved the treadmill when I did rehab, you will be putting us all to shame soon.
I have been thinking about getting a treadmill at home but unfortunately I am a bit of a neat freak and haven't yet worked out where I can put it without it annoying me 
Janet
Lynne, thanks for posting this I am newly diagnosed and just seeing your picture of someone who looks young and pretty and active makes me feel so much better. All the literature seems include pictures of people in their 70's.
Glad you are showing progress it give me hope.
Lin.
I have noticed a difference too. I walked today for 15 minutes at 2.5 mph with an incresing incline every 4 minutes. I took 1 mins rest to get my heart rate down and did another 15 mins, again increasing the incline. Started to notice it when walking about too - still struggle with hills but much better than I was. My heart rate is staying a little lower too which helps, although as my consultant says, my lungs will give up before my heart does!
I am now swimming over 3km a week now and have just completed a challenge to swim Loch Ness - all 36000 metres of it. My next one is the English Channel - 41000 metres and then I move on to the Suez Canal.
Marie x
It's great isn't it Marie. I wish I could convince everyone to go for it even though it's not comfortable at first. I feel so much better and fitter for it already.
Lynne xx
It is isn't it? It is as you say a little scary at first. I am usually puffing a bit by the time I have actually just got changed, but once on the treadmill everything seems to calm down. I think the first 5/10 mins are the hardest, but its like getting over the brow of a hill once past there it seems to get a bit easier and your body relaxes. Ok I am never going to be able to run for an hour like some of the folk at the gym but I am doing much better now that i have ever been.
I too would encourage people to give it a go. I wish I had done it years ago rather than just 5 months!
Marie x
Fantastic Lnne, well done and isn't it a great feeling to have the body working a little better.
I have been exercising , gentle circuit training and the gym for a year now and it has transformed this old body! It works much better and more efficiently now
It has given me vitality, energy, new friends and confidence, so it is worth all the effort
Yes I wish more people would move themselves, even those who can't move around can do 'alphabet ankles' . Trouble is I am sad to say, tis easier not too bother! If people want to feel better then they have to make the effort to get out of the chair.
Out of 14 people who were on the PR course last year, only one of these people have shown an interest in continuing to exercise in our respiratory exercise class. What a waste of effort by the PR team who do such good work. There is lots of evidence to say that PR and exercise keeps us well, why would we not do it?
Have a lovely smiley day y'all and thanks for being here.
You are absolutely right. I wish I could let people understand that getting breathless in a controlled was is a good thing.
Lynne xx
Haha Lynne, it is tough enough to get people who don't have a health issue to exercise! Never mind those of us who do. Exercise, I always did walk a lot, has improved my life considerably and having a plan which includes my upper body has made a big difference, and walking would not have done that for me.
Have a lovely day
Wow this sounds encouraging! Do you use oxygen? I'm on oxygen, recently diagnosed with IPF and not actually sure what to expect to be able to do with regards to exercise.
Hi Joyh1,
Are you in touch with your Pulmonary Rehab team? Have you been offered a Pulmonary Rehab course? If not this would be a good place to start. On the course I did there were two people using oxygen and one of them also used a wheel chair,
One of whom had serious asthma and the other had severe COPD.
I am sure it would be possible for you and although it takes time to make progress it is possible. Ask your practice nurse or GP for an assessment- advise you don't take no for an answer
In the meantime 'alphabet ankles'? You will find then You tube.....
Look n the BLF website for local respiratory exercise instructors, although think the map needs updating cos when I last looked then my class is not on there.
If you need more advice perhaps use the BLF helpline or pm me. Happy to help you or anyone else.
Have a lovely day!
PollyP
No, I'm not on oxygen thankfully. I have COPD so don't know too much about IPF. I bet exercise can only benefit any lung condition though. We will all be different in what we can manage as some of us might have other health conditions too. Luckily, I don't so I aim to do the best I can to improve my health to live comfortably with COPD. I work as well, and have no intention of stopping yet.
Lynne xx
Hi i started the gym in mid january after being told i have copd at 55 and it was making the effort with me and could not be botherd, but so glad i did has i go on treadmill started 2 miles walking took half hour and really tired and out of breath but kept it up
Then went to 4 miles at one hour 10 mins and yesterday done 5 miles in one and a half hours and feeling less out of breath its more my legs were acking but will keep it up has i feel so good doing this and just hope my lungs will let me keep this up for a long time to come
Great results music. The exercise will benefit your lungs hugely. I am moderate with COPD and just turned 58. I'm fitter now than I ave been for ages thanks to the gym.
Lynne xx
lynne may i ask what your FEV1/FVC RATIO IS
Not at all. It's 55%. I will be really interested to see whether that changes at all when I have my annual check up.
Lynne xx
thanks lynn mine is 62% but i did not know it could change thought it just went down wow that sounds good must keep up the exercise
Often it will go down, but it can improve too. There was a post on here by someone who said theirs had gone up after they had taken up exercise. I can't remember who it was now though.
My GP says there is no reason mine should get any worse than natural ageing if I keep doing as I have.
Lynne
Blimey! That is shocking that no PR funding for your condition.
How about a local respiratory exercise , a referral for assessment anyway?
I recently bought this DVD, you see that they are available from £7 something + postage. I bought a copy and there are some seated exercises on there that perhaps you could manage.
amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00...
Do let us know how you get on eh!
PollyP
brilliant ... well done you...just shows what we can do with commitment to being as well as we can . Inspired me . thanks.
good luck julie
Keep up the good work Lynne, your doing fantastic
TC
Mucks x
Brilliant Lnne! you're a fantastic advocate for exercising with a lung condition.
It's all about little and often, persevering and not getting downhearted.
For more info on getting active with a lung condition, see:
blf.org.uk/Page/How-to-get-...
Keep it up everyone, from BLF Active
update :)
Treadmill? 
UPDATE!! Hope 
Is this Normal- update 
