Hello
As you all know I have emphysema and asthma; I’ve been put on medication and have not smoked for 3 and a half months.
If you are in a position to do exercise, what exercise do you all do to try and keep yourselfs fit and active? And what keeps you motivated?
Exercising is my next goal!
Thank you
Hi
Ask you GP or Respitory nurse for a referral to pulmonary rehabilitation.
One hour exercise and one hour education, tailored to your capabilities.
Hello stone-uk
Yes, they said they would be sending me to PR, I have no idea what to expect of it; but I meant exercise in addition to this
Thank you
Hi
This is a list I was given to do at home, start slowly and build up.
You need to do a mixture of aerobic exercise - walking, biking, swimming, and anaerobic exercise which resistance training - weight lifting, doesnt matter how low the weights are. You need to keep your muscles conditioned otherwise they become very weak, exercising like walking will be difficult. Then you'll likely avoid exercising and your muscles will get even weaker - vicious cycle. What keeps me motivated? Not wanting to become an invalid dependent on others, and wanting to avoid or slow progression of the condition.
Hope you can manage to get a referral to PR as stone-uk suggests. Good luck 
Thank you O2Trees, yeah I have wait for my PR class to start, but I’m on the waiting list. Yeah walking is painfully difficult currently; I’m wanting to build up before my PR, I’m worried I’ll not be able to do what there asking of me.
They will only want you to do what you can do xNellx. It's not like being a pupil at school! You can say what you find possible and start from there. And of course if you want to start earlier beginning to build yourself up then go for it. I think you'll be surprised how quickly you start to improve.
Walk, my Friend. Wherever and whenever you get a chance. Also, get your GP to refer you to a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Course. They will give you exercises and an exercise regime to stick to. But, in the meantime, walk, walk, walk!
All the Best, Paul
Hi BLF do an excellent free DVD which shows you a good workout. Shows them for different levels of fitness. They also do a very good book for £5 which shows the same exercises. I have both and find them extremely useful. Barbs x
When I watch TV I get up and down with out using the arms of the chair...I do as many as I can.. Its like a squat.. It keeps your legs strong I must do a few hundred in a run of the day.. You can use weights two pounds and do arm curls things like that even sitting in a chair.. Check out excersices from a chair...
Hi nell, I was diagnosed COPD 4 years ago,never smoked my nurse says it's down to industrial environment, I am diabetic,grossly overweight and have arthritic knees,having read this website every day for the last 12 months i have taken the advice given by lots of very helpful regular people who post on here,I now swim most days,I started doing about 15 mins a day and now up to 30 to 40 mins,it can be a bit boring but I have met new friends whilst going as well as losing over 2 stone and generally feeling much better and able to move around easier than I could 3 months ago.
Check out if a breath easy group near you . I have exercise bike and some waits &a huge elastic band . Have COPD & fibromyalgia. But if I don’t exersie all worse plus once week massage . Rgs
My 82 yr old husband has severe copd/emphysema and on 4ltres oxygen 24x7. Because of really bad breathlessness,basically all he can do is sit in a chair. Pulmonary rehab isn’t possible for all - he has tried it a couple of times but he just can’t manage any exercise. He has to sit down after Just standing up from the chair and walking about 8 paces. It then takes a few minutes to recover his breath, so you can imagine how bad he is. I bought him a pedal leg exercising machine last Christmas which he uses every day or so for about 20 minutes. He can sit in a dining room chair and pedal away without losing his breath - it’s really amazing! He says it has made his legs a lot stronger which in turn will lessen chances of him having a fall and also means he is still able to walk very short distances, like getting to the bathroom. So I do really believe that any exercise, however little, will make a difference to quality of life.
I HAVE BEEN RIDING MY BIKE AND WALKING.
Well done for giving up smoking. I went for pulmonary rehab and really enjoyed it. I felt about a thousand times better. I have continued to exercise at home and feel really well.
I have COPD and thought it would be a waste of time but I was wrong. Good luck with it 😊
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