I am a 23/m with CF and until I was about 19 I was very active and exercised frequently. After a couple of years with low activity my health began to worsen. I believe that one of the factors of this was the lack of exercise. Now I want to get back into shape and maybe improve my PFT's and also my appetite. Does anyone have any suggestions or have a exercise routine they follow? Thanks Eric
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Need Exercise Advice
- Thread starter EBaum
- Start date
Eric I ride an exercise bike for 20 to 30 minutes and I use my Bowflex and free weights for about 40 minutes. I do this 4 to 6 days a week. I would recommend an exercise bike they are relatively inexpensive and will last a long time. I have been using the same bike for almost 8 years.Dave 29 w/cf
Eric,Next to meds and the use of my vest, exercise is the most important thing in my day. As Diane mentioned, biking is an excellent exercise, whether in or out of doors. Within the last few years, I have had the fortune to recover previously lost lung function and I hold exercise largely responsible. I try to do something everyday, and tend to get pretty grumpy if I miss a day. The toughest part is pushing myself out the door when I am not 'feeling like it'. Having friends that have been willing to coax me at those times can be invaluable. Not to mention that sometimes, a stiff cup of coffee is required to provide my motivation. One excellent benefit, besides helping to clear my lungs, has been the ever cumulative energetic boost. Going from feeling exhausted to feeling exhilarated is quite outstanding. And always more than worth the energy expended. Good luck.John. g. 40 w/cf
I exercised all of the time until I was around 16. Ever since then it has been off and on for various reasons. I agree with some of the others, exercise is IMPORTANT. Doctors don't put enough emphasis on it in my opinion. But exercise is hard. I've lost 20% lung function in the last couple of years alone and I notice it more in some activities than others. I used to run long distance, however, asthma and lost lung function make it much more difficult these days. I found that if I pace myself the asthma doesn't act up very much. Unfortunately the impact of it displeases the cf related arthritis. My ankles swell so much, my loving boyfriend has refered to them as "cankles."I've found a couple of machines that cut around all of my silly disorders. Ellipticals and Arc Trainers are the most wonderful things ever. They are definitely more expensive than bikes, but they are worth it. Both are low impact and better utilize your body and energy. In addition, my lungs stay much happier even though I'm technically working harder. I hope this helps: )
Hi Eric. I was never much into exercising, but I have found out recently how important it really is. Since being faced with a lung transplant, my transplant team has told me to exercise to get in shape for the transplant. They told me they would know if I wasn't doing it. That scared me into actually doing it! Since January I ride a bike for 15 min. and walk (on a FLAT surface) for 15 min. I try to do this about 3 times a week. I don't ride or walk fast since I am on O2 all the time and get out of breath doing almost anything. But when I went to the doc in May my PFT's had gone up for the first time in years and I had gained weight! This was huge for me, since everything has been sliding downhill for awhile now. I know it doesn't sound like I exercise alot, but even this little bit has helped. I was able to get a pulse oximeter to monitor my pulse ox. That was really important because I was having trouble keeping it above 88% when exercising. Now that I have it I can slow down and wait for it to come back up when it drops. I've also tried to kind of make a program and make it part of my day. It's hard to keep up with it, especially if you hate it like I do. But stick with it and you'll see results. Good luck.Martha 29, CF