Cardio and Asthma

[bellavus]

I have excercise induced asthma. What's a good way to get started back with some cardio, without risking the chance of having an attack?

[Sportsmedjosh]

I was actually looking at this post the other day before i got tired and went to sleep and wanted to answer it then yesterday I wasn't able to find it. First off putting you in a PAR-Q pre-screen would let us know that you should consult a physcian prior to any exercise program. As not seeing your chart or having any exerience with your condition personally I would make sure that you get clearance, from your primary care physcian since he or she knows the most about your condition, also find out if you have a vo2 max test or sub max test done. If you don't its no big deal, its something that can be calculated later on using an RPE (rate of perceived exhaustion) test later on once you get clearance.

[bellavus]

I did get clearance from my doc about 6 months back to start excercising, as long as I carry my emergency inhaler with me. I'm not sure how to get back into the start of it, as my lungs literally BURN with any sort of physical activity other than walking.

[Sportsmedjosh]

I would do this I would start off by waking up tomorrow by yourself no alarm or anything and take your heart rate, this will give you your resting heart rate, write it down. This will be beneficial to determine where you are at intensity wise you progress in your workout. There are three methods in which you can use

1. Talk Test
2. Target Heart Rate & Estimated Max Heart Rate
3. Borg Scale aka Rate of Perceived Exhaustion

We are going to focus on the 3rd.

The third method of determining physical activity intensity is the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE). Perceived exertion is how hard you feel like your body is working. It is based on the physical sensations a person experiences during physical activity, including increased heart rate, increased respiration or breathing rate, increased sweating, and muscle fatigue. Although this is a subjective measure, a person's exertion rating may provide a fairly good estimate of the actual heart rate during physical activity.

Through experience of monitoring how your body feels, it will become easier to know when to adjust your intensity. For example, a walker who wants to engage in moderate-intensity activity would aim for a Borg Scale level of "somewhat hard" (12-14). If he describes his muscle fatigue and breathing as "very light" (9 on the Borg Scale) he would want to increase his intensity. On the other hand, if he felt his exertion was "extremely hard" (19 on the Borg Scale) he would need to slow down his movements to achieve the moderate-intensity range.

A high correlation exists between a person's perceived exertion rating times 10 and the actual heart rate during physical activity; so a person's exertion rating may provide a fairly good estimate of the actual heart rate during activity (Borg, 1998). For example, if a person's rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is 12, then 12 x 10 = 120; so the heart rate should be approximately 120 beats per minute. Note that this calculation is only an approximation of heart rate, and the actual heart rate can vary quite a bit depending on age and physical condition. The Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion is also the preferred method to assess intensity among those individuals who take medications that affect heart rate or pulse.

Instructions for Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale

While doing physical activity, we want you to rate your perception of exertion. This feeling should reflect how heavy and strenuous the exercise feels to you, combining all sensations and feelings of physical stress, effort, and fatigue. Do not concern yourself with any one factor such as leg pain or shortness of breath, but try to focus on your total feeling of exertion.

Look at the rating scale below while you are engaging in an activity; it ranges from 6 to 20, where 6 means "no exertion at all" and 20 means "maximal exertion." Choose the number from below that best describes your level of exertion. This will give you a good idea of the intensity level of your activity, and you can use this information to speed up or slow down your movements to reach your desired range.

Try to appraise your feeling of exertion as honestly as possible, without thinking about what the actual physical load is. Your own feeling of effort and exertion is important, not how it compares to other people's. Look at the scales and the expressions and then give a number.

6 No exertion at all

7
Extremely light (7.5)
8

9 Very light

10

11 Light

12

13 Somewhat hard

14

15 Hard (heavy)

16

17 Very hard

18

19 Extremely hard

20 Maximal exertion

9 corresponds to "very light" exercise. For a healthy person, it is like walking slowly at his or her own pace for some minutes

13 on the scale is "somewhat hard" exercise, but it still feels OK to continue.

17 "very hard" is very strenuous. A healthy person can still go on, but he or she really has to push him- or herself. It feels very heavy, and the person is very tired.

19 on the scale is an extremely strenuous exercise level. For most people this is the most strenuous exercise they have ever experienced.