What kind of exercise can I do?

[Rikkkkky]

I get extremely breathless on exertion. I am 34 years old with interstitial lung disease. Exercise just drains me and I have NO motivation. Are there any classes or anything as i have put on 3 stone since my diagnosis

[23september]

Img? Hi How about walking? Maybe some mild form in f Yoga. It will definitely have to be some kind of gentle exercise . I have been referred to a pulmonary rehab. It is very difficult to suggest you anything when shortness of breath is an issue. Maybe your nurse or your doctor can advise. Take care

[Damon1864 Volunteer]

Asked to be referred to pulmonary rehabilitation, they will.ake sure that they give you the correct exercise. You could go on you tube and type in excercises for those with disabilities. Sorry I should have said welcome, please let us know how you get on. Have a good day and take care 😊 Bernadette and Jack 🐕 xxxxxxx

[Caspiana]

Hi Ricky,

The two suggestions by September and Damon are excellent. It is a vicious circle. Many patients with lung disease think getting out of breath is a bad thing (it certainly is uncomfortable 😒) and so shy away from exercise. But the thing is the less we move our bodies the more weight we gain making breathing much more difficult. We also lose muscle mass. Very bad indeed. Our lungs will also stop expanding as much if we are don't exercise. So, I would suggest walking slowly. Are you on oxygen? Please watch your heart rate upon exertion it should not go too high. So you must not rush. Just go slowly. I would also advise speaking to your doctor about exercise and getting advice and if possible (difficult I know) talk to a dietitian. Pulmonary rehabilitation is very good too. Whatever you do, do not stop moving even if it is from room to room initially.

Interstitial lung disease is an umbrella term for several lung diseases. Do you know specifically which one you have? I have Bronchiolitis Obliterans and had a single lung transplant in 2019.

Best wishes to you and please do not suffer in silence. We are here to support you.

Cas xx 🍀🌱🌿

[Patk1]

Hello and welcome Rikkkkky. Pls read up on ' controlled breathing and practise as it's a gd tool to use whn struggling+ for walking& exercise.pulmonary rehab classes would be great.meamwhile maybe start with a slow, short walk - even 5mins is a start x

[Bingo88]

Good morning Rikkkky. I too have severe copd and get breathless when walking. Ask your doctor or Respiratory nurse to refer you for Pulmonary rehabilitation. They educate you about your condition and how to manage it. I am waiting on an assessment now for the course . Everyone says it's the best thing to go on to help you. Keep in touch with us we are a friendly helpful group. Brian

[Daisy55]

My husband does a seated yoga which is very gentle , he has the same problem with breathlessness , but this helps him and he really enjoys it

[Ergendl]

Do try singing to help you improve your lung function. If you are in the UK, the British Lung Foundation website has a page where you can find singing for lung health groups in or near your area. You don't have to be a good singer to join, either. And singing can really boost your mood too.

[peege]

Hi and welcome to the British Lung Foundation patient's forum. I'm so sorry that you have ILD but good on you for joining us. Whatever the lung disease we're a supportive and genuinely caring bunch with different lung diseases various levels.

It's a flipping vicious circle to be short of breath, feeling low, weight gain, lack of exercise . I've put on a stone in a few months of feeling sorry for myself & eating more calories than I use from lack of exercise. It's not good is it, I do so admire people who just get on with it.

Let's start with baby steps, there's lots we can do from a chair - a great exercise for lungies is sit to stand , simply standing from sitting on a kitchen chair and repeat. Start with 5 and gradually increase. There are lots of videos on youtube, just type in exercise for lung patients and choose the one that suits you. I'm going to re-start Joe Wicks Exercise for Seniors - it's only ten minutes and you can easily halve it to 5 minutes (a good system is to set achievable goals).

The BLF shop used to have an excellent DVD of exercises designed specifically for lung patients and adjusted to do from a chair as well as standing. Definitely worth a go for our future health (think: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes type2 for starters). I wish I could do the 5-2 regime of Dr Michael Moseley (lots of his programmes available on iplayer).

Good luck Rikkky

[CDPO16]

Just saying hi and welcome, I have very severe emphysema and severe breathlessness and empathise with your difficulties. I hope you find something to suit you in the helpful replies you have had.

[beech]

Hi - I do Pilates, a low-impact version which you can do at your own pace and choose to rest or do the least strenuous exercises during the class.

Online I have found Youtube videos for sitting or “older person” Pilates too. I just choose which exercises I like or can do! Basically, any movement is better than none.

I hate the discomfort of getting breathless, but find if I avoid it then it makes me more breathless and even less fit, so putting up with the discomfort is necessary.

Pulmonary Rehab showed me I can do more than I think without actually making myself ill, in a situation monitored by Respiratory Physios so I trusted they wouldn’t push me into danger! I did improve what I could do, and felt better and more confident as a result, and mentally refer back to that now I’m doing it on my own.

[kenbren]

I have IPF and know how you feel I am in a Pulmonary Rehabilitation class which certainly helps and you will get all the information from from the Rehab team as to home workouts etc, your Consultant will be able to give you a referral.I use a concentrator which helps but as other friends have mentioned try to keep moving. It can be a hard road at times I wish you all the best God Bless

[ljk1]

Hi, I’ve got copd, I go to the gym and use the seated weight resistance machines lifting the heaviest I can for short reps with rests in between so I only get slightly out of breath and I can control it easily. I also take a gentle walk around the park. If you cut out sugars, cut down on starchy foods and up your protein you will get results and feel better! For motivation you need to dig deep and just do it 🤷🏻‍♀️ although if you can find someone to do it with it’s great!

[Mooka]

I do Pilates (currently my class is online). Gentle exercise that keeps your muscle strength up without exhausting you. My instructor will always layer the exercises or say you can do them on bed/chair. The online ones will give you different levels of difficulty. It’s been a life saver for me as I suffer from fatigue from my autoimmune disease.

[Clanger]

Hi Rikkkkky. I’m the same. I can’t exercise because of shortness of breath and finding the will to get up and try. My other problem is the weight is dropping off me because I’ve lost interest in food. I know I have to eat but it’s really hard. I think you should look at Pulmunary rehab. The one I went to in Liverpool Heart and Chest were great. They don’t force you to do things you feel you can’t do. With other people there makes you try harder because if a breathless older lady or gent can do it, you can. I’m gonna have another go when it warms up. I feel a hell of a lot better in myself and physically, so it’s really worth having a go at it. If you feel you don’t like it, you can always not go back.

Good luck to you anyway.

[Alberta56]

Welcome to the forum, Rikkkkky. When recovering from covid I started with gentle seated exercise- didn't really feel like exercise, but any movement is good, even in very small doses. Hope you can motivate yourself with the help of this forum.