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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With age comes physical limitations. But it’s important to stay active, says John Rinker, MD, an internal medicine physician who specializes in geriatrics at OSF HealthCare. When you keep moving, it helps reduce the risk of things like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, cancer and neurocognitive diseases like Alzheimer's.

In other words, Dr. Rinker says, it’s not fun to live long if you’re not well. Your lifespan versus your health span, as he puts it.

“It really, really pays to maintain exercise and be in good physical shape as you age. It reaps huge dividends on how long you live,” Dr. Rinker stresses.

Guidelines

Each person should have a tailored plan as advised by a health care provider. But regardless of your age, the American Heart Association (AHA) generally recommends 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 70 minutes of vigorous physical activity each week, spread out over several days. A brisk walk would qualify as moderate intensity (also called zone two training), while running, swimming or riding a bike would be vigorous. Vigorous exercise is associated with a term called VO2 max, referring to maximum use of oxygen. In layman’s terms, you’re breathing hard and conditioning the heart.

“Most of that type of [vigorous] training is at a higher interval. You’re going to get breathing really hard for three to five minutes while you sustain a pace that’s rather difficult. Then you’re going to rest and let that heart rate come back down. Then go back to the hard exercise,” Dr. Rinker explains. “That back and forth with the heart rate really helps to train how well your heart can pump blood to muscles. That’s a really good marker of how well conditioned you are.”

The AHA also recommends two days of strength training per week. That could be lifting weights, using resistance bands or calisthenics, where you use your body weight for resistance rather than equipment.

“I really like the strength training piece,” Dr. Rinker says.

“It doesn’t take a lot as you age to tension a muscle enough to maintain muscle mass. We really find that people who are able to maintain muscle more muscle mass as they age are going to do much better with those health span and lifespan issues,” he adds. “So, the goal isn’t to make everyone a huge bodybuilder. The goal is to decrease the rate of decline as we age.”

On the days you do strength training, aim for 30 minutes per day. Dr. Rinker says if you really want to lean into this area of fitness, consider getting a personal trainer.

Limitations

It’s important to work around your ability and not push through pain, Dr. Rinker says. If aging has brought back or leg pain, skip the treadmill and try swimming or a weightlifting session while seated.

“You want to make sure you’re not going to injure something further. That will create a bigger setback or other deficit that are not going to help you in the long run,” Dr. Rinker says.

The bottom line

From VO2 max to zone two to calisthenics, there are a lot of terms to keep straight. If you don’t want to overthink it, just remember to keep moving. Push yourself with some vigorous workouts if you can, but commit to some form of exercise regularly.

“Most of your day-to-day exercise [as an older adult] should be just basic activity,” Dr. Rinker says. “Think of a brisk walk. Walking at a pace for about 30 minutes where you could still hold a conversation with somebody, but it would be difficult to sing a song.

“If I can just get someone to walk every day, I think they’re going to be in good shape,” he adds.

Learn more

Read more about moving your body safely and aging well on the OSF HealthCare website.

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“You’re never going to be stronger than the ocean.”

A wave of caution from Jon Gehlbach, MD, the medical director of the Pediatric Critical Care Unit at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports around 30,000 swimmers have to be saved from rip currents by lifeguards each year, while about 100 people drown after encountering them.

What is a rip current?

Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water. Many summer vacationers travel to the East, West and Gulf Coasts in the summer, where rip currents are prevalent. But some may not know that rip currents are also known to occur on the shores of the Great Lakes. Rip currents are when the waves hit the beach in a certain way, creating a current that flows away from the beach, according to NOAA.

Dr. Gehlbach says whatever you do, don’t try to swim against the rip current.

“Familiarize yourself with where the rip currents are. They’re usually well-marked (with signs on the beach),” Dr. Gehlbach says. “You don’t have to worry about currents or underwater debris in pools, but in oceans, most drownings are related to rip currents. It’s an invisible current pulling people away from the shore. The urge is to swim against it, but if you find yourself in that situation, try to swim parallel to the shore and get out of that rip current as safely as you can.”

“Break the grip of the rip”

“Wave, yell, swim parallel” is another slogan NOAA has. Make sure to continue to breathe, keep your head above water and don’t spend your energy fighting against the current. While rip currents typically flow at one to two feet per second, they can reach up to eight feet per second, or five miles per hour.

While waves or storms can change the shape of the ocean bottom, NOAA reports rip currents are actually the strongest at low tide.

Maybe the beach isn’t your thing, but the lake is. Similar messaging applies. Dr. Gehlbach says there are many unknown factors in natural bodies of water like lakes and rivers that make them more dangerous.

“They tend to be darker, so it’s harder to see what’s going on below the surface. They could have hidden obstacles,” Dr. Gehlbach says. “Currents play a factor as well. Kids might be great swimmers in the pool, but currents make it a lot more challenging to swim safely.”

Rip currents aren’t the same as undertow

Rip currents are much more dangerous, NOAA says. They flow on the surface of water, are usually very strong and can go far out from the shore. Undertow happens when water sinks downhill into the sea after a wave carried it uphill, which is mostly the case at beaches with steep inclines.

When in doubt, don’t go out!

NOAA has the following tips to remain safe on your beach vacations this summer.

-          Swim with a buddy

-          Swim near a lifeguard

-          Learn how to spot a rip current

-          Be prepared

Keep an eye on the local National Weather Service (NWS) Surf Zone Forecasts and Rip Current Statements online and on social media. This can give you a good gauge of what the water’s like before heading to the beach.

Swimsuit color safety

While some parents spend more time than others picking out their kids’ swim outfits, Dr. Gehlbach says the color of their swimsuit could be extremely important in dangerous situations.

“With those blue hues or lighter colors, you might be able to see them well on the surface of the water, but they don’t contrast well with the color of the water, especially pool water, once they go below the surface. Look for things that are brightly colored. Your pinks, reds, oranges, and even black can contrast well against the water,” Dr. Gehlbach says.

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After decades of decline, drowning deaths are on the rise in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Over 4,500 people died each year from drowning from 2020-2022, reported in the CDC’s Vital Signs study. The study shows drowning to be the number one cause of death for children ages 1-4. The research points out that 55% of American adults have never taken a swimming lesson, and that drowning death rates for Black people were 28% higher in 2021 than 2019.

Jon Gehlbach, MD, is the medical director of the Pediatric Critical Care Unit at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois. He says swim lessons and adult supervision are two of the most important things for kids getting in the water.

“The best thing we can do to keep kids safe around the water is getting them comfortable with swim lessons. A common misconception among young, pre-swim lesson kids is that some type of flotation device is replacement for either swim lessons or adult supervision. Unfortunately, those devices aren’t really designed to keep kids safe in the water without those two other elements,” Dr. Gehlbach says.

Know CPR

In the unfortunate event your child loses consciousness underwater, Dr. Gehlbach says knowing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is of the utmost importance.

“The first thing is to make sure you’re safe getting in the water. If you can’t swim, don’t turn a single-person drowning into a 2-person drowning by trying to be a hero. Instead, get help as soon as possible. If the drowning was unwitnessed, a quick glimpse around the pool will make sure there’s not an accident like a downed powerline that provides a route for electrocution. Ensure your own safety first,” Dr. Gehlbach says. “If you can exclude that, get the child out. I strongly feel that anyone who is going to be in a scenario where there are children swimming and there’s no lifeguard present, someone needs to be CPR certified. The best chance for a drowned child to recover is fast, effective CPR.”

Time is brain

“Time is of the essence. There’s a statement in critical care that ‘time is brain.’ The longer that brain is going without oxygen, the lower chance of a meaningful neurologic recovery,” Dr. Gehlbach says. “Ten seconds is far better than thirty seconds, which is far better than a minute.”

One of the most common reasons for child drowning, Dr. Gehlbach says, is when a child enters the pool without adults even knowing.

“A lot of those are family home pools where the kid gets outside and the family is not aware, they go to look for the child, and they’re at the bottom of the pool and who knows how long they’ve been down there,” Dr. Gehlbach adds.

Drowning isn’t what it looks like on TV

“I think many people are under the false impression that when a child begins to drown that it’s a noisy event with a lot of splashing, that’s how it looks on TV,” Dr. Gehlbach says. “Unfortunately, the realistic picture is that it’s a much more quiet and non-chaotic event. They slip below the surface, they inhale a lung full of water, and there’s no splashing just a quiet sinking to the bottom.”

Dr. Gehlbach recommends swimming lessons for anyone, especially young kids. If you have a pool at home, he recommends having a four-sided fence around the pool, and having an alarm system on your door which is closest to the pool in case a child gets outside.

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Summer is  here. The warmer weather and longer days mean frequent trips to the lake, heading out to the local pool, or finding somewhere else nearby to cool off. 

Swimming is one of the most popular summer activities among people of all ages. It also is a great form of exercise. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), water-based exercise can help people with chronic diseases like arthritis, can benefit older adults by improving the quality of life and decreasing disability, and can improve mental health.

“Swimming is an excellent exercise. It is a full body exercise that is typically safe and effective. It’s easy on your joints and a great way to stay in shape and to get exercise in the summer. However, it is not without risk,” says Dr. Bill Walsh, an emergency department physician who sees patients at OSF HealthCare.

According to the CDC, there are approximately 4,000 fatal unintentional drownings per year in the U.S. – which is an average of 11 drowning deaths per day. And a report out in May 2024 is another reason to be vigilant about swimming safety.

“Compared with unintentional drowning death rates in 2019 (pre–COVID-19 pandemic), rates were significantly higher during 2020, 2021, and 2022, with highest rates among children aged 1–4 years, non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native persons, and non-Hispanic Black or African American persons. National survey data revealed that 55% of U.S. adults have never taken a swimming lesson, and swimming lesson participation differed by demographic characteristics,” the report says.

Dr. Walsh says it is important to remain vigilant about the dangers of drowning – especially when children are involved.

“If your children are going in the water, you should watch them all the time and not rely on a lifeguard to watch your child in a pool with 50 other kids. You need to watch your children in the water even if they can swim and even if they are not in deep water. It would not take long for your child to be injured or drown when in a pool unsupervised – we are talking about 15 to 30 seconds and it will be life changing,” warns Dr. Walsh, who has a background in emergency medicine.

In addition to close monitoring, additional precautions should also be taken when heading out to swim. The American Red Cross recommends taking safety measures such as: ensuring that young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets around water; having appropriate safety equipment on-hand, like reaching or throwing equipment, a cell phone, flotation devices, and a first aid kit; and always swimming with a designated swim buddy.

Dr. Walsh adds that paying extra attention to any signs that are posted in the area you plan to swim is important.

“If you are going to be swimming, make sure you swim in an area that is public and monitored. If there are signs that say ‘no swimming’ – there are reasons for that sign. It is risky and could be life-threatening. So do not swim in those areas. Make sure you’re in a public area that is monitored. If there is a lifeguard on duty – even safer. Swim in the daylight hours so you can keep an eye on your party – and never swim alone,” Dr. Walsh advises.

Even if you are taking a break from the water and sitting on the sidelines, you should be aware of other potential risks of spending time outside in the summer, including sunburn, overheating, and dehydration. Wearing sunscreen, drinking water, and protecting yourself from the sun are also important safety measures to take when venturing out for some fun in the sun – especially on extra hot days.

So at what point should you seek medical attention for a swimming mishap?

“If you are involved in an incident where somebody is underwater for a period of time and there is any alteration of consciousness, bring them to an emergency department – even if they regain consciousness. If you pull someone out of the water and they are coughing and gagging and short of breath, or have any color change to their skin, get them to an emergency department immediately,” says Dr. Walsh.

If you or a loved one is involved in a swimming incident that requires immediate medical attention, call 911.

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The Fourth of July holiday usually brings plenty of opportunities for the 3 Fs: fun, food and fireworks. That’s why it’s even more important to remember your ABCs: always be careful.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, on average, 250 people go to the emergency room every day with fireworks-related injuries around the July 4th holiday. Most fireworks are illegal in the state of Illinois, but even the legal ones are risky.

“About a quarter of all ER visits are due to legal fireworks in the state of Illinois,” said Dr. Ben Kemp, OSF HealthCare emergency room physician. “Sparklers, for instance, can be relatively dangerous if used inappropriately: given to children who are too young to handle them, or lit in a way that they shouldn’t be, which we see occasionally where people wrap a lot of fireworks together or light them in a way where they cause a larger fire and can be potentially harmful.”

Dr. Kemp continued, “Never light a firework in your hand, obviously that can explode unexpectedly, quickly and you can get blast injuries to the hand or burn injuries to the hand and be very harmful. And also burns to clothing – clothing lights on fire and you can get burns to other areas. Facial injuries too – so a firework goes off in somebody’s face and you get injuries to the eye, the face and can be rather harmful and something we have to deal with.”

Dr. Kemp reminds everyone when using sparklers or other legal fireworks to always have a hose or bucket of water nearby, do so in a wide, open area and to make sure young children are kept at a safe distance. He also says be careful when it comes to alcohol use during festivities.

“Anytime somebody is drinking too much in the heat there is the risk of heat illness,” he warned. “Obviously drinking and driving is a terrible thing that we don’t want to see on a holiday, something us and law enforcement are very concerned about. And certainly mixing alcohol is a recipe for injury as well.”

The July 4th holiday is also a time for picnics. The Illinois Department of Public Health says each year about 1 in 6 Americans get sick from food poisoning, so you want to make sure you prepare, cook and store any food properly.

“You want to make sure things are cooked appropriately. Food sitting out for hours at a time, so something that’s got mayonnaise on it that’s sitting out for 2 or 3 hours, those sort of things can be at risk to cause gastroenteritis or food borne illness,” said Dr. Kemp.

And what would a summer holiday be without water activities, whether in a pool, lake or river? Again, safety is key. Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death, with children most at risk. Water-related injuries are something emergency department physicians don’t like to see come through the door, because an ounce of prevention can go a long way.

“Always ensure that you’re in a safe environment to dive into the water or jump into the water. Making sure little ones are well supervised when they are swimming or have appropriate floatation gear on,” advised Dr. Kemp. “The tragic things are when a little one is unsupervised and gets into a pool or a young, healthy person dives into a shallow pool of water and injures their neck. Those are things we don’t want to see.”

Check out more tips on fireworks safety, water safety and food safety for a safe and happy 4^th of July.

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