The Best Exercise to Raise PFT scores

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tessa55454

New member
Hi everyone,I have had a bit of a set back, first time in my life to this degree. I have done the IV antibiotics, etc. I have worked out my whole life. Had a couple bad infections, coupled with a flu/viral thing that settled in my chest for a month.I am on my way up, but I need to pick it up again in the exercise department.I have heard swimming is great. P90X. Yoga. Combination.. I do a bit of everything. But, I need to crank it out.Any info would help, thank you.
 
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Melissa75

Administrator
I'm sorry about your setback first of all.

Doing "a bit of everything" is probably good from the injury-prevention standpoint. I am afraid of getting an injury that would wreck my cardio workouts a.k.a. the only reason my left lung does not feel like a bowl of soup. But I hear you on wanting a plan of action for maximal mucus clearance and FEV1 boost.

So, I should preface this by saying my FEV1 has not actually improved since starting to work out regularly. But everything else has: amount of trapped mucus, exacerbation rate, resting heart rate, cholesterol level, belly from having three kids, and I've increased my because of more muscle and fewer exacerbations.

Here's my "plan" :)

I belong to a gym that costs $70 a month--I live in the NY metro area and this is on the lower end of cost. Doing a la carte classes around town would be $15-20 each. Either way, my gym membership is deducted from my family's flexible spending account because my pulmo wrote a note about bronchiectasis, mucus clearance and exercise.

I go to two hour-long Zumba dance classes a week (used to be 3+ but I substituted in 1-2 hours of rock climbing). These classes are FUN. I look forward to the music, perfecting the moves, saying hi to the regulars. (And the regulars range in age, size, and gender, which is cool.)

I love to check out different teachers' styles. Some are very Bollywood/Bhangra focused; others are Latin focused and my favorite, I think, are the Hip-Hop focused ones. I have to work extra hard to make my skinny butt move. Some teachers get my heartrate into the 140s. My favorite teacher, no joke, gets my heartrate into the 170s for a big chunk of the class. Everyone has different target heart rates, so I only compare me with me. When I push past 180, I feel queasy and surreal, so that's my no-go zone.

For me, dance works, both mentally and physically. Other sports feel like an obligation, well, except rock climbing and maybe team sports. If I couldn't dance, I think I'd try an adult soccer league. But that might be seasonal, which a gym membership is not. (And I'd need a huge review of ball skills.)

So, that's my pitch for Zumba...in a gym that offers it at least 3x a week with talented instructors. Even a slower class "Zumba Gold" which is geared toward seniors can be engaging if the instructor is skilled. Setting aerobics moves like the "grapevine" to Salsa music does not cut it IMHO.

I'll be curious to hear what works for you. A lot of people here swear by jogging. That said, it was Nightwriter on this board who convinced me to try Zumba. (Thank you again, Nightwriter, if you're reading.)

BTW, I had some probably-flu/viral thing this spring too and it left me extra congested/inflamed for months. I wonder if it was a bad strain of something...
 
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imported_Momto2

New member
Tessa, the best thing for me for clearing my lungs out is hopping on the treadmill. If you can run, then run. If you can walk, add slope. Its even better if you have a treadmill at home and can do a nebbie during the exercise. Talk about it getting deep into your lungs! Prior to every run, I crank the treadmill up to a 10-12% incline, pop the saline/alupent into the nebbie and do a very brisk walk for 20 minutes. That clears my lungs out enough that I can do my sprint sets and 5K stuff. My hubby, bless his heart, gave me a new treadmill for our 15th anneversary. Now that's a man to keep!
 
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InhalingHope

New member
For me the absolute BEST workout is swimming. When I used to swim (years ago) I had the highest PFTs of my life. I have always worked out, but just recently decided to start swimming again. I can't believe the difference it makes! My doc said that it is so beneficial because unlike most workouts the facts that you are lying on either your back (backstroke/back crawl) or on your stomach helps with drainage and moving mucus from different parts of the lobes. Although my mucus is usually very light yellow after I swim and huff cough I can usually get some really old dark green mucus from the depths of my lungs. I have actually coughed out several plugs since swimming too.

I also do yoga 1-2x a week. I recommend kundalini yoga because the main focus is breathing and breath pattern. I actually saw a pretty nice rise in my PFTs after a few months of this type of yoga. It is also a great way to relieve stress which is always a good thing. I talk a lot about it in my blog if you are interested in checking it out.

Best of luck with your workout. I really thinkg working out is the BEST thing you can possibly do as a CFer.
 
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mamaScarlett

Active member
Originally posted by: InhalingHope

For me the absolute BEST workout is swimming. When I used to swim (years ago) I had the highest PFTs of my life. I have always worked out, but just recently decided to start swimming again. I can't believe the difference it makes! My doc said that it is so beneficial because unlike most workouts the facts that you are lying on either your back (backstroke/back crawl) or on your stomach helps with drainage and moving mucus from different parts of the lobes. Although my mucus is usually very light yellow after I swim and huff cough I can usually get some really old dark green mucus from the depths of my lungs. I have actually coughed out several plugs since swimming too.



I also do yoga 1-2x a week. I recommend kundalini yoga because the main focus is breathing and breath pattern. I actually saw a pretty nice rise in my PFTs after a few months of this type of yoga. It is also a great way to relieve stress which is always a good thing. I talk a lot about it in my blog if you are interested in checking it out.



Best of luck with your workout. I really thinkg working out is the BEST thing you can possibly do as a CFer.Not to sound gross, but where do you spit your mucus out when swimming? I was trying swim a while back and kept getting frustrated bc I had to spit but had to get out of the pool each time. (its a public gym pool so i couldn't keep a spit cup or tissues on the edge or anything)We go to FL alot and I do about 1 hr of ocean kayaking a day there. Thats an awesome exercise for strengthening all the muscles and tissue in your ribs and torso. Plus deep breathing, natural stretching of your rib muscles, breathing in salty clean ocean air...yum! And an easy clean way to dispose of your spit-over the side of the kayak.
 
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InhalingHope

New member
I also use a public pool so if I cough while swimming I usually swallow it. Gross I know! Luckily, most of my coughing happens about 10 minutes after I get out of the pool. I usually get out of the pool, dry off, and go directly to my car because I know my coughing will start any minute. I then spit in a bag in the car. My coughing usually continues until I get home where I use my Flutter really get it all out. I have actually had to pull over because I was coughing so hard. I guess I am lucky I get a "delayed" exercise cough.
 
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tessa55454

New member
Melissa,
A great friend of mine does Zumba all the time. She loves it. I have been almost enticed to go. Not quite there yet. I believe it could be a lot of fun. I probably just need to loosen up a bit. ;) You did a great pitch. I might just give it a try.


Sara - btw I am commenting at the bottom altogether, because when I do it separtely, the text goes away and I like to comment fully.

Anyway- I kind of wish I had a treadmill. But, but..I have a very close gym at work and near home where I can get passes, much cheaper as you know then a membership. $70 is actually one of the lowest I have seen also, although still seems high.

I have an elliptical and recumbent bike at home. They both work good for different reasons. The treadmill is great to crank it out. Problem is for me, I did that a lot when I was younger, crap for knees now. But, they have healed a lot and NOW with great running shoes that I got fitted for, wish I would had done that ages ago, I mean really. I wish someone would had pulled me to the side and said "hey, ever thought of getting running shoes that are tailored for your feet?" Nope. Incline, can't do cause it is harder. But, I can do the treadmill one a week. I have to be careful cause my knees have swelled in the past.


So, brings to the point Inhalinghope, swimming - ok. you have me convinced. A few years ago, actually, an older gentlemen at a CF conference said that swimming was the absolute best. He was post tx, and he was doing great. That always stuck in my head. Obviously, you have to have access to one. I am searching out that currently.

Yoga is great. I will start back next week. I will have to look into that particular type of yoga.

So far: yoga + swimming + running - that has to do something. Now I have to do it. My set back wasn't absolutley horrible, but the worse I have ever had and for me, it is big enough.

Exercise I believe is the key. And being dedicated for years to it. Therapies, meds, vitamins, yes. Thinking positive of course. But as we know, CF is VERY labor intensive. Exericse is key to move that crap on out.

Any other suggestions would be great. Even stories that really benefited someone.

Thank you and I will let you know how this goes.....
 
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xin

New member
Originally posted by: tessa55454 The Best Exercise to Raise PFT scores...

Any info would help, thank you. Running. Period. It gets your lungs working like crazy, gets your pulse up, and you bounce (thereby loosening mucus). Start small and work your way up.
 
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Jeana

New member
Wow, Melissa!!! How do you have time for all that? I have recently had a major decrease in lung function myself and after antibiotics quit bringing back my lung function, I was told to exercise. The problem is that with working full time, I don't have the time.
 
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jamoncita

New member
i've always liked walking and i do a lot of it, and usually pretty fast, but i don't feel that's much, and if i take it up to jogging or running i just hate it. i've started swimming recently, and i find that has been a huge help. i am learning to control my breathing and expand my lungs more which gets everything moving around in the lungs and then makes me cough a lot. and man! i can take in so much more air after a swim! it's fantastic. so far i haven't had any problems with coughing up much phlegm whilst swimming, but i tend to swallow it anyway :D force of habit. hope you find something you particularly enjoy!
 
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aaronhj89

New member
I have found that any type of cardio helps a ton and it works even better when you love doing it. I played soccer in high school and in college for intramural sports, which helped me a lot. Even when I would struggle I kept pushing myself because I loved the game. Not to mention it does a lot for the mental and emotional parts of our lives if we have some type of outlet.

My family consists of my 2 parents (carriers) and 4 kids. 3 out of 4 have CF including myself, my older brother, and younger sister. (The eldest brother doesn't have CF) We have all found different outlets of activity to help with our CF along with consistent daily treatments with the Vest. From triathlons, cross country, and sports we've been able to do a ton and stay healthy. Personally running and P90x has helped my fitness and pulmonary functions tremendously.

Hope this helps and keep fighting guys. It is a battle that we can win.
 
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imported_Momto2

New member
Wanted to chime in again on the swimming...try it with a snorkel. That way you can get great exercise, get your breathing rate up, and COUGH while you are still swimming (yes you can cough and breathe at the same time in a snorkel). I have found it really helpful and the snorkel eliminates the feeling I am going to drown any second because my breathing is getting fast or tight. Just make sure you disinfect the snorkel after each swim.
 
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Tisha

New member
I love swimming, but the greatest thing there is to have a nearby pool, which I did have at university.

I currently work out at a gym (I paid 399 euros for the whole year) where the ellyptic machine is my top favorite. I also do bike and some weightlifting to help straighten my back.

My highest PFTs have been when I lived in dry climate and exercised regularly, so now I moved back to dry climate and got this gym... Things go promising!
 
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24hrs4cf

New member
My son Josh, 24 and DF508 was advised by Dr Bob Kramer of Dallas Children's Hospital Cf unit when he was just 18 months (well we were advised!) to run his legs off and when he collapses, run them off again. He did this anyway and at school became captain of Football, Rugby, Athletics and Long Distance champion and record holder for 5 yrs running. He climbed to the top of Kilimanjaro when he was 17 and at the 20,000ft summit stripped off to his waist at minus 15 degrees and boxed with heavyweight champion of Europe for 5 minutes.He is now attempting a <STRONG>24hr non stop</STRONG> exercise challenge next year in London to raise funds for CF. He aims to complete:
10 mile run
10 mile walk
10 mile cycle
10 mile row
10 mile cross train
2 mile swim
1000 sit ups
1000 press ups
3000 stomach crunches
Lift 100 tons
Apparently he will need to consume 18,000 calories during the 24 hrs.
He is determined to do it and those who know him are confident he will.
Not all Cf sufferers have the same symptoms but there is no doubt in our minds that exercise has been the most beneficial treatment for Josh. He is very competitive and pushes himself to the limit. It's not for everyone but if you can do it it should help your symptoms a great deal.
(In the meantime he needs all the support he can get and if you could pass on the details of the event then it can only help to raise money and hopefully act as an inspiration to other CF sufferers and their families.)
<A href="http://www.24hrs4cf.com/">http://www.24hrs4cf.com/</A>
 
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Iamqueenofeverything

New member
I heard the best thing is to switch up your exercise routine everytime you go. Pick a few of your favorite exercise activities and do one per day and as much as you can handle. Heard that switch things up keeps your body guess and will get the most of the benefits. when you do the same thing on a regular basis it gets boring and your body will get use to it.
 
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AH11201

New member
Originally posted by: Jeana Wow, Melissa!!! How do you have time for all that? I have recently had a major decrease in lung function myself and after antibiotics quit bringing back my lung function, I was told to exercise. The problem is that with working full time, I don't have the time.

Jeana,
I honestly believe anyonehas time to exercise, if you do it right. Can you find 15-20 minutes a day in your schedule, a few days a week? Then you can definitely improve your lung function. Try high intensity interval training (referred to as HIIT if you want to look it up more). Go as hard as you possibly can (usually cardio, but it can also be done with safe strength exercises) for a small period of time (say, 30 seconds), then take a recovery period (about a minute, or more if you need). If you really push yourself in those bursts, you only need short sessions to improve your aerobic functioning. Try it out, and I think you'll feel the difference quickly!
 
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Twistofchaos

New member
Weightlifting all the way. My lungfunction would continue to drop even when I've always been fairly active (I would mostly run and skate/rollerblade.) till down into the 30%'s and came to a point Ijust had to find something and change something around somehow.
Iread a ton of stuff to figure out how all this stuff works and by means of experiment started putting my energy just into weightlifting. Well it was a big turnaround for me, although I could not get back what I lost my lungs fully stabilised since (many years now) and I've beensignificantly sickless often andeverytime got back on track faster. I'm heavier, much stronger,daily activities seem lighter and my endurance has gone up significantly as well which you might not expect. (hallelujah etc. )
My theory is that because of the nature of weightlifting, ie. loading the body in short sets you can load your body and heart much harder before you run out of oxygen, and then get saturationlevels back up between sets. Instead of cardio where we get completely limited byour lungs before ever really being able to loadthe body. So especially for more severe CF'ers this to me would seem the way to go. YMMV.
 
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