The Best Exercise to Raise PFT scores
- Thread starter tessa55454
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mamaScarlett
Active member
Glad you ran it out, bigstar. It helps you to not feel like a sickie. Good for you!
4hats.....keep running
4hats.....keep running
A
Adwerd
Guest
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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D
Deb
Guest
I think the best answer to this question is "Whatever you enjoy so that you will keep it up consistently". Any type of exercise will have benefits but it you don't enjoy it enough to do it regularly you won't get the benefit. I spent years knowing that I should exercise but never finding something I could stick with. I've done treadmills, stationary bikes, gyms,swimming Jazzercise, Zumba, you name it. But I never stuck with anything long term.
Then 1 1/2 years ago I tried CrossFit. (to be honest I didn't know what it was when I started-which may have been a good thing) I tried this after having my left lung removed. Perhaps it was partially knowing that with one lung exercise was even more important, but I got hooked. And the best part is my lung function improved immensely. My PFT is now better than it was when I had both lungs. And I LOVE it. Yes, it is tough. But you start out modifying all of the workouts. Most gyms (boxes) are very good about this. If you go consistently you will see great improvements. I am now doing pretty much the normal workouts and trying to keep up with 20 year-olds that have 2 lungs.
One of the best things about these workouts is that they are never the same. Every day is different so you don't get bored. And also workouts are quick. I workout can last anywhere from 3 minutes to 20 minutes (plus the warm up and cool down).
So my advice is to keep trying things until you find something you truly enjoy and are passionate about. It is different for everyone. And if you look into CrossFit; don't be intimidated.
"If it is important to you, you will find a way. If it is not, you will find an excuse."
Then 1 1/2 years ago I tried CrossFit. (to be honest I didn't know what it was when I started-which may have been a good thing) I tried this after having my left lung removed. Perhaps it was partially knowing that with one lung exercise was even more important, but I got hooked. And the best part is my lung function improved immensely. My PFT is now better than it was when I had both lungs. And I LOVE it. Yes, it is tough. But you start out modifying all of the workouts. Most gyms (boxes) are very good about this. If you go consistently you will see great improvements. I am now doing pretty much the normal workouts and trying to keep up with 20 year-olds that have 2 lungs.
One of the best things about these workouts is that they are never the same. Every day is different so you don't get bored. And also workouts are quick. I workout can last anywhere from 3 minutes to 20 minutes (plus the warm up and cool down).
So my advice is to keep trying things until you find something you truly enjoy and are passionate about. It is different for everyone. And if you look into CrossFit; don't be intimidated.
"If it is important to you, you will find a way. If it is not, you will find an excuse."