Atkins [again] cruisin in 3 weeks! exercise tips for asthmatics?

[RPJS05]

Hello all,

 

Im new to the site, I did try to start a thread last week but I dont think I did it right because I don't see it anywhere.. woops :confused:

 

Well I've started Atkins again, this does work for me! I just need to stick with it.. I've got the eating part down, but as far as exercise goes it gets pretty tough in the summer when its humid and with my asthma and all.

Anyone have any tips on exercise that you can do and still manage to breath? haha

 

Thanks in advance!

 

-Robyn

[perkyblue]

If you haven't already, get your doctor to prescribe you an inhaler to use before exercising.

 

Good Luck with Atkins. I would never be able to do that--I'm a complete carb-a-holic! It must be the Italian in me!

[RPJS05]

If you haven't already, get your doctor to prescribe you an inhaler to use before exercising.

 

Good Luck with Atkins. I would never be able to do that--I'm a complete carb-a-holic! It must be the Italian in me!

I have several inhalers, some with medicine for asthma, some for emergency when im having a hard time breathing, one for exercise induced asthma... it sucks because i have the motivation and energy to work out but once i start i cant last long haha

 

And as far as the atkins goes... I am also Italian, so its TOUGH but thats what seems to work for me :(

 

thank you for the suggestion Darci!

[sharonella]

Hi Robyn

 

At your height & current weight, you should probably be focusing more on working out & toning up, and less on the number on the scale. Cutting back on "junk" & making good food choices, plus a regular workout schedule that combines aerobic activity with weight training will have you lose inches & tone up considerably. You'll probably slowly lose weight too. I say slowly, because if you really focus on working out, you'll be gaining muscle while losing fat, so the scale won't move much - but you'll see the success in inches lost.

 

Also, I have a friend who has trouble with exercise-induced asthma & her doctor recommended a workout schedule that gradually increased duration & intensity - using a treadmill. Maybe your doctor could do the same (if she hasn't already)?

 

Good luck!

Sha

[RPJS05]

Hi Robyn

 

At your height & current weight, you should probably be focusing more on working out & toning up, and less on the number on the scale. Cutting back on "junk" & making good food choices, plus a regular workout schedule that combines aerobic activity with weight training will have you lose inches & tone up considerably. You'll probably slowly lose weight too. I say slowly, because if you really focus on working out, you'll be gaining muscle while losing fat, so the scale won't move much - but you'll see the success in inches lost.

 

Also, I have a friend who has trouble with exercise-induced asthma & her doctor recommended a workout schedule that gradually increased duration & intensity - using a treadmill. Maybe your doctor could do the same (if she hasn't already)?

 

Good luck!

Sha

Thank you Sharonella for the feedback!

 

Last winter i was going to the gym on average 4 times a week, for an hour each time.. and i did lose a little bit, but your right i gained muscle back.

 

It's so difficult to get to the gym, working full time and being a single parent and all. But we are starting our own little gym in my basement! Just got a treadmill (tough to run, but love to walk at a fast pace).. weight set, punching bag etc. not to mention we have a drum set down there so my daughter keeps a beat for me :) haha

 

So I'll try to gradually work up from walking once I am on the treadmill, and speak with my doctor.

 

Thanks again!

[adoptmom]

Robyn,

 

Definitely check with your doctor. There are some good maintainance medications out there for asthma that really help. I take Flovent which is an inhaler. My so takes Advair inhaler and Singulair pill. The singulair has made the biggest difference in his ability to run and play and not cough and hack.

 

As for exercise, get thee to a pool! Our asthma specialist told us that swimming is one of the best exercises for an asthmatic because of the moist environment and also because you're practicing taking deep and repetitive breathes. If you can't swim, see if you can find a water aerobics class. I used to take one before we had kids and I had no time to drive 40 minutes round trip to the closest pool. It's alot of fun. There are also books that you can buy on Amazon.com if you prefer to make up your own routine and not join a class. I did that when we put in our pool at home.

 

Tami

[sharonella]

Robyn - I'm a procrastinator & lazy to boot! :rolleyes: I if didn't pack my gym bag in the AM, and the gym wasn't 5min from my house & 10min from my work, I would NEVER go! That's not to say once I'm at the gym I don't work out hard - I do. I just would have a hard time getting there if I didn't make it easy for myself to do so! Cool on getting the mini-gym in the house!

 

Ditto on what Tami says about water aerobics. I don't have much access to a pool, but when I can, I love it!

 

Sha

[RPJS05]

Robyn - I'm a procrastinator & lazy to boot! :rolleyes: I if didn't pack my gym bag in the AM, and the gym wasn't 5min from my house & 10min from my work, I would NEVER go! That's not to say once I'm at the gym I don't work out hard - I do. I just would have a hard time getting there if I didn't make it easy for myself to do so! Cool on getting the mini-gym in the house!

 

Ditto on what Tami says about water aerobics. I don't have much access to a pool, but when I can, I love it!

 

Sha

I would looooooooove to go to the gym in the morning before work [i do have a membership from before my at home gym], come home shower and get my daughter and myself ready for the day. my gym is open real early I just cant seem to get UP! Is the gym usually dead in the morning? that would be a plus. I need a gym buddy that way i would have to go and not let them down hahaha

i see your in mass, do you go to bally's?

[sharonella]

LOL - I didn't say I GO to the gym in the AM - I just pack my gym bag in the AM & take it with me! :p I go after work. If I had to go home to pack my bag after work, I'd probably find an excuse 1/2 the time not to go.

 

I go to a Gold's gym. It's a little crowded in the building they're in, with no room to expand, unless another tenant in the building leaves. They also have other locations neighboring towns that are more spacious, but even tho one is only 15min away (longer, if there's traffic & there would be after work) & has a pool, I wouldn't go as often, so what would be the point!? :rolleyes: It has to be easy for me to get there, or I'll find reasons not to go.

 

I know they have classes in the AM as early as 5:15 & 6:00 :eek: but that just isn't happening for me!

 

Sha

[adoptmom]

Man, what would it be like to have a gym that is convenient? Just one of the downsides of living in the boonies. OTOH, I don't get up and exercise first thing in the morning and I have an elliptical torture device and a recumbant bike sitting in my front room.:rolleyes:

 

Tami

[sharonella]

Robyn - having a workout buddy is a great thing. Starting in the fall, I'm taking dance lessons with a friend. It won't be "convenient" since it's about 20+ min away - longer once the snow starts. But because I'll be meeting her there every week, I'll HAVE to go! She says she'll probably miss fewer classes, too, once I start going for the same reason. :rolleyes:

 

Sha

[RPJS05]

Sha - I have been begging my best friend to take a dance class with me.. she wont do it! I think it would be worth it to drive the 20 minutes haha im jealous!

 

Tami - I'd love an eliptical at home... Like I said we have our 'at home gym' which consists of a punching bag, weights and a treadmill but i'd love an eliptical. I feel like it works so much better than anything else. Just turn the tv on and you'll be done in no time haha

 

And about the pool [from earlier posts] I do have a pool, but to get me in a bathing suit/the pool [even in my own yard] its got to be atleast 100 degrees out. I get cold so easy in the water unless its real hot out.

[sharonella]

Sha - I have been begging my best friend to take a dance class with me.. she wont do it! I think it would be worth it to drive the 20 minutes haha im jealous!

 

Tami - I'd love an eliptical at home... Like I said we have our 'at home gym' which consists of a punching bag, weights and a treadmill but i'd love an eliptical. I feel like it works so much better than anything else. Just turn the tv on and you'll be done in no time haha

 

And about the pool [from earlier posts] I do have a pool, but to get me in a bathing suit/the pool [even in my own yard] its got to be atleast 100 degrees out. I get cold so easy in the water unless its real hot out.

 

My friend is the dancer - I've dabbled a little - in community theatre they make you do all sorts of things you never had formal training for! She's been trying to get me to do it for years! I finally said - what the heck. I saw some of the ladies in her recital that seemed to be just like me - not real "dancers", but "holding their own", if you know what I mean! :p Plus, if I think I'm not ready, I don't have to do the recital in the spring - no pressure!

 

About the pool - You'd be surprised at how warm you can stay by moving purposefully in the pool vs. just floating around in it, trying to stay cool. Look up some of those books Tami mentioned with water aerobics exercises & try them out! I'll bet you don't stay cold! :D

 

Sha

[RPJS05]

My friend is the dancer - I've dabbled a little - in community theatre they make you do all sorts of things you never had formal training for! She's been trying to get me to do it for years! I finally said - what the heck. I saw some of the ladies in her recital that seemed to be just like me - not real "dancers", but "holding their own", if you know what I mean! :p Plus, if I think I'm not ready, I don't have to do the recital in the spring - no pressure!

 

About the pool - You'd be surprised at how warm you can stay by moving purposefully in the pool vs. just floating around in it, trying to stay cool. Look up some of those books Tami mentioned with water aerobics exercises & try them out! I'll bet you don't stay cold! :D

 

Sha

you mean i can't get exercise by laying on my float in the pool..? :( ;) hahaha

thats what i do best!

[adoptmom]

Robyn- I bought my elliptical a couple of years ago when everything was on sale around Jan 1. It's just a walmart brand that cost less than $200 but the glide is smooth and it has all the bells and whistles I needed. We also have a recumbant bike, weights, large ball, yoga mats and tons of adult and kid exercise videos. One way to pick up a better elliptical is to watch garage sales and newspaper ads. People who bought them in January but have been using them as closets will be getting rid of them in the next few months to get the next new fitness gadget that will make them look like a movie star. It's a good way to pick up a gently used one for a good price. We also have second hand stores around here. One even sells models that were never used they just have flaws in the finish, etc. You can get them for half price or less.

 

Tami

[RPJS05]

Robyn- I bought my elliptical a couple of years ago when everything was on sale around Jan 1. It's just a walmart brand that cost less than $200 but the glide is smooth and it has all the bells and whistles I needed. We also have a recumbant bike, weights, large ball, yoga mats and tons of adult and kid exercise videos. One way to pick up a better elliptical is to watch garage sales and newspaper ads. People who bought them in January but have been using them as closets will be getting rid of them in the next few months to get the next new fitness gadget that will make them look like a movie star. It's a good way to pick up a gently used one for a good price. We also have second hand stores around here. One even sells models that were never used they just have flaws in the finish, etc. You can get them for half price or less.

 

Tami

My co-worker also got hers at a post xmas sale... for cheap money. lucky lucky. The eliptical was what I used most back in the gym days. Im going to look for one this year post xmas right after tax returns. Do you know if they make the fold-up ones? I know some treadmills fold up, and I also have a Gazelle (the tony little thing) but i hate it i dont feel like im getting any exercise.. and that thing folds up. I'd like to set up an eliptical in my living room [right smack infront of the tv] :)

[adoptmom]

I don't know if they make them tha fold or not. I'm sure for enough money....:D I have a "formal" livingroom that we never got around to getting furnished. We have some antique furniture in one end with a TV for the kids and the rest is gym so space hasn't been an issue.

 

Tami

[sharonella]

you mean i can't get exercise by laying on my float in the pool..? :( ;) hahaha

thats what i do best!

 

Then I would be SOOOOOO buff! I could spend days sitting around doing crosswords & logic puzzles! :D You can read & watch TV while working out on these machines, but you can't do puzzles! :p

 

Sha

[RPJS05]

I can watch tv, or listen to music. But if I attempt to read I lose my place every 5 seconds and get fustrated. Unless its reading the tv.. at my gym they have the TV's on mute so you have to read the subtitles to know what the heck anyone is talking about. And its always messad up, it goes something like this "Roby&n ran 280000000 mile$ on %he tr3adm!ll To@ay" soooooo annoying haha

[sharonella]

I can watch tv, or listen to music. But if I attempt to read I lose my place every 5 seconds and get fustrated. Unless its reading the tv.. at my gym they have the TV's on mute so you have to read the subtitles to know what the heck anyone is talking about. And its always messad up, it goes something like this "Roby&n ran 280000000 mile$ on %he tr3adm!ll To@ay" soooooo annoying haha

 

At my gym they have a bunch of aerobic workout machines that are "connected" to 5 tvs hung where all those machines can see them. You plug in your own headset from home & you can choose which of the 5 channels to tune into! (I think the channels are MSNBC, local channel, VH1, ESPN & video channel sponsored by Golds gym.) Even better, there are a few machines that have their own TV's built right in! You can choose any channel! WAY cool! :D If you're not using any of those machines, or have no headsets, the music from Gold's video channel is piped thru the gym.

 

I can read magazines fairly easily while working out. Books are a little harder - especially paperbacks with small print! But I came up with a system of using those big black Binder clips so I don;t need to use may hands to hold the book open. Before I get on the machine, I hold the book open & clip the left & right hand side of the book, so it lays flatter (I put the clips at the top of the book). I leave the pages loose that I think I can read in the time of my workout. It helps that most of the machines have a lip on the shelf where you put your book - it holds the bottom of the pages open. I only bother with the Book "set up" when I'm in the middle of a book I just don't want to put down (like when I was reading Harry Potter! :rolleyes: )

 

Sha

[RPJS05]

At my gym they have a bunch of aerobic workout machines that are "connected" to 5 tvs hung where all those machines can see them. You plug in your own headset from home & you can choose which of the 5 channels to tune into! (I think the channels are MSNBC, local channel, VH1, ESPN & video channel sponsored by Golds gym.) Even better, there are a few machines that have their own TV's built right in! You can choose any channel! WAY cool! :D If you're not using any of those machines, or have no headsets, the music from Gold's video channel is piped thru the gym.

 

I can read magazines fairly easily while working out. Books are a little harder - especially paperbacks with small print! But I came up with a system of using those big black Binder clips so I don;t need to use may hands to hold the book open. Before I get on the machine, I hold the book open & clip the left & right hand side of the book, so it lays flatter (I put the clips at the top of the book). I leave the pages loose that I think I can read in the time of my workout. It helps that most of the machines have a lip on the shelf where you put your book - it holds the bottom of the pages open. I only bother with the Book "set up" when I'm in the middle of a book I just don't want to put down (like when I was reading Harry Potter! :rolleyes: )

 

Sha

your gym sounds nice!

 

TVs right IN the machines? maybe i would never leave the gym hahaha

[sharonella]

It does make using the machines a LOT easier. I can remember having to bring my own cassette player to other gyms (before iPods), or be subjected to whatever the management thought was the kind of music their members wanted. (Since I'm an "oldies" & show tune kind of gal - I usually preferred to bring my own music!:rolleyes: ) Of course, I'd have to remember to change cassettes every now & then.... Now I just bring my personal headset & plug it in & I'm good to go!

 

The only "problem" with my gym is that if you are in any way claustrophobic, you shouldn't go there. They have a lot of machines VERY close together. But the people who work there are nice & the members, for the most part, are just "regular people" - not jocks or muscle builders or workout queens or "skinny minnies" preening in front of the mirror!

 

Sha

[RPJS05]

It does make using the machines a LOT easier. I can remember having to bring my own cassette player to other gyms (before iPods), or be subjected to whatever the management thought was the kind of music their members wanted. (Since I'm an "oldies" & show tune kind of gal - I usually preferred to bring my own music!:rolleyes: ) Of course, I'd have to remember to change cassettes every now & then.... Now I just bring my personal headset & plug it in & I'm good to go!

 

The only "problem" with my gym is that if you are in any way claustrophobic, you shouldn't go there. They have a lot of machines VERY close together. But the people who work there are nice & the members, for the most part, are just "regular people" - not jocks or muscle builders or workout queens or "skinny minnies" preening in front of the mirror!

 

Sha

"They have a lot of machines VERY close together. But the people who work there are nice & the members, for the most part, are just "regular people" - not jocks or muscle builders or workout queens or "skinny minnies" preening in front of the mirror! "

 

 

well, you just perfectly describes my gym hahahah :(