Exercise and Physical Exertion Induced Asthma

A large number of people only get symptoms of asthma during or after physical exertion. They go up a flight of stairs, or go for a jog and become breathless.

The key point from this manual is that there is only one way to get asthma. And we know that that is to release more CO2 than we produce. This causes some of our air pipes to close to prevent further loss, and to relieve the shortage.

There is no other reason for your pipes to close up.
The use of bronchodilators before exertion is therefore now logically flawed. You do not need the drug if you can simply be more aware of the balance of your breathing gases.

First Step

In all physical activities, the rules of breathing remain the same.

1 You should breathe only through your nose.
2 You should never allow yourself to lose control of your breathing, and start puffing or panting.. This will decrease your endurance, reduce your recovery rate, and also bring on your symptoms.
3 Do not consciously increase your breathing to get more air as you begin any heavy exertion.

In many people the key time for exertion asthma is after the physical exertion has stopped. At this time, the production of CO2 has almost dropped to nothing, but the breathing is still going on as if the CO2 was still being produced at a high level. This means that more CO2 will be released than is being produced, and a defensive constriction will be needed soon.

The other time is a few minutes after starting the exercise. This is usually because the person has increased their breathing in anticipation. When you begin an exercise, take your time to get started. Do some shallow breathing during your warm-up, and pay special attention to keeping your breathing to only just what you need.

When you stop the exertion . Stop the breathing
When you get to the top of the stairs, reduce your breathing for a while. Go to moderate level shallow breathing. Suffocate for a little while. Trap in some extra CO2. Do not puff!

If you tend to develop restriction during the actual exertion, be more aware of your breathing, make it a little less.

During the exertion, keep your mouth closed
If you get to a point where you want to breathe through your mouth . STOP, reduce your breathing, and continue only after your breathing is controlled.
Training Your Breathing For Exercise
It is simple to develop the situation where you never get puffed or out of breath.

The rules are clear.

Start off slowly at low intensity, such as a walk or march.

Your mouth must be closed, and you should develop a very tiny shortage of air by shallow breathing. [This is very easy when you are walking]
If you start to feel you need to gasp through your mouth, you must stop immediately, reduce and control your breathing, and only then continue.

Over a few sessions you will find that you can go further and further without getting puffed. When you can proceed at that intensity for over 15 minutes, you can raise the intensity slightly, but follow the same rules.

Within a few weeks your endurance will have greatly increased, and you will able to train easily with your mouth closed, and not get out of breath.
It will only work if you stop just before your lose control of your breathing.

If you are a serious or professional athlete, you will know that races or games are won or lost at training. Combine your new knowledge with your training sessions. It will mean reducing the intensity at first so that you will be able to exert with your mouth closed. It takes a very short time [a couple of weeks] to reach the point where you can apply your full physical force without having to open your mouth for extra air. You will then notice a vast improvement in your endurance and recovery.

But during training you must stop and reduce your breathing immediately you start to feel the urge to gasp. During your match or contest do everything you must to win. When you get the chance to recover, reduce your breathing rather than do deep breathing. Suffocating a little tiny bit will release more oxygen to your muscle cell and allow you to recover faster.

Close your mouth and never allow yourself to puff and pant

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