The Best Exercise to Raise PFT scores

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lauraklein

New member
Hi ..
I am very happy to hear excercise does well for you you look great with yr family in the picture. I am a mom for a 22 yearold son that does not understand ho much excerxise is important for him. Has no beleif in it , coughs so much up, low grades of fever. I wish he would get it through his head.............anything that you can suggest me to tell him from someone with cf. Thank you for the support.

laura
 
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Radies

New member
I have to say that I love to hear about everyone's working out plans. Lifting weights and bike riding is what I like to do. In 2008 I participated in the MS150 ride from Houston to Austin which is a two day 180 mile bike ride. I enjoyed it, and it gave me the motivation I needed to get out and exercise. However, when I road my bike that much I found that I was loosing weight which is not what I need to do. That's why I now shy away from all cardio, and keep weight lifting in the mix.

Weight lifting helps to build body mass and that's what many of us need. I was able to take my BMI from 18% to over 23% in about 3 months with weight lifting and loading calories (avg. 3,500-4,000 per day). No matter what you do, consistency is the key. I felt great when I was working out regularly, but when I stopped because I was feeling good, my weight was up, and I got complacent I found myself slowly declining. First my body weight started going down, the cough started coming back, and now I'm on IVY's and not feeling well. So with that life lesson, I believe the key is consistently working out, eating right, and taking your meds to beat CF.

We all know that CF is consistently attacking our bodies and waiting for us to get complacent so it can thrive. It really shouldn't matter what work out you do, as long as you're doing something to get your heart rate up and make you cough in a productive way. Good luck to everyone in the fight against CF.

I heard a great quote "be as determined as a weed"
 
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all4Eden

Guest
Here is my two centavos. I have numerous books and reasearch thru a lot of medical reports, studies, articles on sport magazines; like muscle and fitness, runnersworld, etc. I have our 10 year old daughter on a path to be a fitness nut. At this time, she is doing martial arts, running and swimming at any opportunity. 2 weeks ago, her PFT is at 102%. I seriously beleive and convince that extreme physical fitness is the way to go to increase your PFT and extend your life. Look up at all of those individuals have live beyond their life expectancy and by the Grace of God, this is one of the things is very common among them....Mel
 
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witzersmom

Guest
Originally posted by: mamaScarlett 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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jdmd

New member
Here is what I do at 51 yrs of age (DD f508):
High intensity interval training, 2-3 days per week, 10-20 minutes max. (the good news about this is that "high intensity" is subjective...go as hard as you can, safely--if this means wear an O2 sat device or even use O2, so be it).
Weight training with HEAVY weights, 3 days per week. Using heavy weights, resting between sets as much as needed to go heavy for each set of 4-6 reps. These sessions last about 45 min, and I cover each major muscle group at least once a week (legs twice). I combine this with eating a TON and manage to keep weight on. Good programs to check out are Wendler's 5-3-1, or Rippetoe's Starting Strength. Do not think that you can't get strong if you have CF. Not true at all!
Mobility work every day...I am old, after all.
 
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anGEl34

New member
My family includes my 2 mother and father (carriers) and 4 children. 3 out of 4 have CF such as myself, my mature sibling, and youthful sis. (The oldest sibling doesn't have CF) We have all found different shops of action to help with our CF along with constant everyday therapies with the Jacket. From triathlons, cross-country, and activities we've been able to do a ton and remain healthy. Individually operating and P90x has assisted my physical fitness and health and lung features extremely.
 
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running4life

New member
I'm a personal trainer and fitness is my passion and my life. Here is a combination that I do and recommend: Swimming (good for expanding the lungs and stretching the muscles of the lungs and upper body), running (good for expanding the lungs and the pounding loosens the mucus), strength training with heavy weights (increases bone density, put on healthy muscle weight, strengthens muscles for other activities, and so many other healthy benefits), and yoga (good for breathing and expansion of lungs and stretching muscles).
 
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mamaScarlett

Active member
I began a running program recently with my sisters. After a bad bout of pneumonia I decided it was not going to permanently alter my lung function or take me 6 months to recover from. I never tried running before because I thought "What if I just cough the whole time?" Well, I did cough the whole time initially, and got alot of gunk out. After time you build more and more stamina and breathing improves. Now when I cough, I run through it (and keep tissues handy). I have tried other workout routines in the past, but nothing has helped me this much physically or mentally.
 
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mamaScarlett

Active member
4hats said:
Mamascarlett you, my sister and wife inspired me to run 5 miles today! Keep up the good work!
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Happy to hear that, 4hats! Great!
Having inspiration and running buddies can really help in pushing yourself. My awesome brother pushed me to do an extra long run myself today. Whatever works! :)
 
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CrisDopher

New member
I've come to believe that a variety of exercise is important because they all exercise our lungs and diaphragms in different ways and each way contributes to mucous clearance. However, I do believe running tops the list. And not a short distance, either, or a minimum 20 minutes, but an hour or more.

It used to be very predictable for me that I'd have completely cleared my lungs of phlegm in about six miles. I can't do that distance right now, but am hoping to work back up to it. I just went on oxygen and have to figure out how to run with it and get my body trained up again. If nothing else, I have a 10K in June I absolutely must do and I absolutely must turn in my best time for that race, meaning I need to crank out 12-minute miles or better.

I too belong to a NY area gym, but only pay $20/month. It's no-frills, that's for sure, and no classes either. But they own the treadmills, stationary bikes, and weights and I don't have to maintain all that - I just get to use it! So that seems a pretty good deal to me.
 
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keefer11

New member
Running/playing soccer! Growing up, my dad made us run a mile every day beginning in kindergarten. I believe that is what kept us so healthy as children.

I busted my knee years ago, so I can't run anymore, but of all the types of exercise I've tried running is by far the best. Now I just hike, bike, and do yoga. I think the combination of yoga & a cardio routine is the best combination. I haven't found swimming to be that amazing for airway clearance, nor dancing. Both are good workouts but do nothing for me airway clearance-wise.

Exercising at least 5 days a week is essential!
 
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ladeedah

Guest
My daughter's doctor recently told us that if she used a stationery exercise bike at the same time that she was doing her vest treatment that it would help to clear out her lungs.
 
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bigstar

New member
I was wondering if you guys are going for a run when you are sick. I had a congested nose and a sore throat yesterday and today but the day was sunny here and kinda warm, so it thought some running would help me feel better. I wasnt feeling too sick. Would you do it?
 
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mamaScarlett

Active member
bigstar said:
I was wondering if you guys are going for a run when you are sick. I had a congested nose and a sore throat yesterday and today but the day was sunny here and kinda warm, so it thought some running would help me feel better. I wasnt feeling too sick. Would you do it?
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Actually if I'm starting to feel run down, thats the time I want to run even more. Nothing clears it out better than running. I just stay extra hydrated and bring lots of tissues. If I felt I was contagious though of course I'd avoid others. And if I feel too sick to do something, that means I probably am.
 
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4hats

New member
MamaScarlett, I agree with you. Monday I was not feeling too great. Went running and it cleared out a lot of stuff. I improved since then, I think in part to the run. If you can exercise while not feeling great, it helps.
 
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