For the thousands of people who have asthma (a chronic lung disease that impacts your airways), the thought of vigorous exercise may be daunting. They may think, “What if I’m working out alone and find myself short of breath or worse?”

Enter Brittany Delaney, an athletic trainer at OSF HealthCare who works with young athletes on a variety of conditions, including asthma. She says workout warriors and their parents need not be afraid. You can work up a sweat with asthma if you know your body and prepare for possible problems.

“Actually, we like that [people with asthma] exercise a lot because it will help maintain a healthy weight. It also strengthens the lung muscles,” Delaney says.

“It's very important for athletes to know how to manage their symptoms when they’re in sports. That way, we can reduce the likelihood of an asthma attack,” she adds.

Signs to watch for include shortness of breath, hyperventilation (where you breathe fast and deep), dizziness, a rapid pulse, skin changes (such as turning blue) and chest pain or tightness. If those happen, Delaney says to use an inhaler, rest and, if it’s a young person, call their parents. If things don’t get better quickly, call 9-1-1.

Have a plan

Delaney says short bursts of exercise are better for people with asthma. Think of sprinting to first base in a baseball practice rather than jogging a few miles on a cross country course.

Know and avoid your triggers. If it’s a pollen-heavy day, exercise inside. Chlorine can also make asthma worse, Delaney says. So if you’re a person with asthma who swims, be vigilant about symptoms and the amount of time you spend in the pool.

“Cold weather can be a trigger,” Delaney adds. “If you’re running outside and it’s cold, put a scarf over your face to avoid cold air getting deep [into your lungs and irritating them]. Experts also say breathing through the nose rather than the mouth can decrease symptoms.”

Also a must: keep up with medication as directed by your health care provider. For most people with asthma, the first line of defense is that inhaler.

“I see a lot of athletes who carry their inhaler, but are they following directions? Are they only taking their medication when they’re starting to feel symptoms? A lot of people with asthma actually have inflammation daily. They should be taking medication daily," Delaney says.

If you’re working out or competing with others, Delaney suggests giving your inhaler to a designated person, such as a coach or trainer. That way, if you show symptoms, you don’t lose valuable time digging through your bag to find the inhaler.

Lastly, a proper warm up and cool down are key for any athlete to have a successful workout.

“I prefer starting with some light cardio to warm up the muscles. Then, do a dynamic stretch as opposed to a static stretch where you hold the pose for 30 seconds,” Delaney explains. “Dynamic is more active. Your heart rate is getting up. Your lungs are expanding. You’re getting more air in.”

Jumping jacks and lunges are examples of dynamic stretches.

Then, cool down with a light jog and some static stretches.

“Those muscles can’t go from hot to cold in a minute. You need to slow the progression down,” Delaney says.

Learn more

Read more about how to keep your body in top shape on the OSF HealthCare website.

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Bob “Spider” Purcell admits he doesn’t move as fast as he used to. But he’s OK with that. At 96, Purcell is more than content getting in his exercise by swimming laps nearly every morning at the YMCA in Ottawa, Illinois.

“I'm a slow swimmer,” says the Ottawa resident and retired high school teacher. “I just freestyle for a half hour, and that's it. It keeps me going in the morning, really. I can feel down or not ready to do anything, but I get in that water, and it just peps me up.”

Purcell is not the only senior who gets his exercise in the pool. Experts agree that water exercise is the ideal choice for several reasons.

Travis Swink, DO is a family practice physician at OSF HealthCare. He has seen the benefits of swimming firsthand. When he injured his shoulder, part of his rehab was swimming to help improve his range of motion and keep his joints flexible.

“For my elderly population, I love when they're out swimming,” he says. “Because it’s less impactful, especially if they're walking in the pool, it alleviates some of the weight.”

Dr. Swink says there are many reasons to swim. The support from the water can help people overcome painful movement caused by arthritis and other health issues. It can help with weight loss, reduce the risk of heart disease and improve overall endurance. It impacts all major muscle groups – especially the upper body, core and legs.

There’s more. Dr. Swink says it can help with circulation, reduce the impact on the spine, improve balance and reduce falls. It can even help with menopause.

“It increases strength and it increases mobility. When you have more agility, you have a lot better balance,” says Dr. Swink. “So yes, people that are recovering, and you'll see it with pro athletes when they have ankle injuries, they're in a pool walking. It’s to increase that flexibility and mobility.”

Purcell, who was tagged “Spider” in high school when a classmate remarked how skinny he was, learned to swim in grade school. But he really dipped his toes in the water when he retired from teaching 40 years ago. Purcell used to walk and kayak but has found doing laps more to his liking.

He says swimming has helped him with overall endurance. Every morning, he drinks a healthy shake before heading off to swim. One day a week, he and his wife, Kathy, volunteer at OSF HealthCare Saint Elizabeth Medical Center.

Purcell says he’s had a couple of minor health issues over the years, and has noticed a loss of muscle mass, but remains healthy to this day. “I just like water,” he says. “It's really nice to be able to get in it. And it does make me feel good.”

Dr. Swink says Purcell is a great example of how swimming can benefit seniors.

“Not only is he doing something that's good for his heart, but he's also doing something that's releasing some natural endorphins, which is good for his mental health,” he says. “By doing that activity every day, he's not only helping his physical health, but his mental health. I congratulate him on that.”

And if you don’t have access to a pool, no worries. Dr. Swink suggests using band therapy or a rowing machine that will offer the same type of workout.

Purcell’s advice to other seniors is simply to get moving. No matter what you do.

“I would start with walking and build up where you can walk a couple miles every day,” he says. “I think that's probably one of the best things an older person could do. And then if you want to swim, and you know how to swim, that will really add to it.”

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Bob Purcell interview clips 

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Gym moms, if your child is a future Olympic athlete, you’ll always be able to say you were their first-ever gym partner.

Becoming pregnant doesn’t mean you have to toss your exercise plan to the side, says Mfowethu Langeni, DO, a family medicine physician at OSF HealthCare who specializes in obstetrics. In fact, it’s the opposite!

“Whatever you are doing activity-wise before pregnancy, you can keep on doing those as far as your body will let you," Dr. Langeni says. “Early on in pregnancy, you will have that added weight and body changes. But exercising is totally normal and is actually recommended, about 150 minutes per week.”

As your baby sits and kicks in the womb for nine months, Dr. Langeni says core exercises and strength training like lifting weights are great ways to prioritize both mom and baby’s health.

"(Labor) does take a lot of stamina, strength and core strength. But all women are different," Dr. Langeni says. "Some women push for hours during labor; some don't need to push much at all. Either way, strength conditioning and core training before and during pregnancy will help overall."

Keep on running!

Are you a marathon runner? That doesn’t have to stop either.

"You can run! If you're a runner, you can run a marathon, sprints or whatever you feel that your body can comfortably do. If you're a power squatter, that's also recommended. You can lift weights, take walks or do none of it," Dr. Langeni says. “Studies have shown that you get more bang for your buck during cardio when it's at a higher intensity. Everyone's built differently, so cater to what you can and can't do, and what your body can tolerate.”

The best starting point, Dr. Langeni says, is having a conversation with your OB/GYN. Tell them about your exercise goals, and make sure everything is safe for mom and baby. The main thing to avoid, Dr. Langeni says, is any exercise that would inflict trauma to the stomach.

Full body workouts are great if you’re pregnant or not, Dr. Langeni adds. “Doing core strength helps boost your metabolism and immunity and helps to regain your strength. It also helps with your cardiovascular system.”

Prioritize hydration

While hydration is always necessary, it becomes even more important during pregnancy. Good hydration helps provide a healthy blood supply to mom and baby.

"When you're pregnant, the body starts to change physically and physiologically. Women's blood volume increases by about 50% during pregnancy, so it's very important to stay hydrated," Dr. Langeni says. 

It can even help keep moms out of the hospital in the first trimester or early second trimester.

Drop the cigarettes and alcohol

"Cigarette smoking also has some (negative) implications to the baby. People who smoke cigarettes have a higher chance of having complications in pregnancy," Dr. Langeni says. “You increase your risk of preterm labor, smaller baby in size and increase your risk of maternal issues like high blood pressure.”

Drinking alcohol can also harm the fetus. “Zero alcohol is better,” he emphasizes. The baby can develop something called fetal alcohol syndrome, which comes from chronic alcohol use if the mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy.

Electrolyte drinks and pregnancy

While Dr. Langeni is a proponent of electrolyte drinks in general, he urges caution for pregnant moms to drink them, reminding everyone to keep a close eye on the labels. Different electrolyte drinks will have high amounts of sugar, but he recommends sugar free electrolyte substitutions like sugar free Gatorade and Pedialyte.

Dr. Langeni says moms will naturally gain weight in pregnancy. It’s totally normal! He even says your caloric intake should increase around 300 calories per day to keep mom and baby healthy.

Staying away from processed lunch meats, unpasteurized meats and drinks or seafoods that contain mercury is also a must. 

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