Exercise is an essential component to CF health and wellness. Think of exercise as beating the mucus out of your body. It all starts with the lungs--the more you breathe, the better you succeed. In honor of the last week of CF Awareness Month, here are 5 exercises & stretches that help clear the lungs. Age, gender, health status, fears about exercise, having a hectic schedule---I promise you there are no excuses when it comes to beating CF. Even for those who are stuck in bed reading a book if not feeling well-->do arm punches overhead (It will get your heart rate up more the higher you punch). Do ANYthing to keep Breathing and Beating.
5 Exercises & stretches
1. the Wake Up stretch: stand in a "horse" stance, with feet spread far apart like you'd sit on a horse and squat down. Staying in that stance, bring both arms overhead and then "spread" them down like you're smearing paint on a flat wall behind you. This stretch targets a lot of muscles in the front of your body especially those chest muscles that help you breathe strong. To use them, you gotta stretch them!
2. Push It exercise: Lay on your back, knees bent, and a light dumbbell in each hand. Keeping arms straight the whole time, punch the ceiling, hold for a few seconds and bring back down. I find that this strengthens both my chest and upper back muscles, allowing you to breathe harder and faster.
3. Carve your core: OK in all honesty, I've been doing my mom's "10 minute abs" videotape from 1985 almost every day since I was 15, and I am no where near "carving" my abs to that 6 pack we all desire. But keeping the core strong is essential to give you not only a more forceful cough, but also to help keep consistently good posture. By having strong abs to keep you upright, you put less stress on your back muscles that are also trying to keep you up. Less stress = better posture = stronger cough!
Best ab exercise ever: sit in a "V" position, like you're trying to bring your upper and lower body together to sandwich your abs--once you get balanced on your butt, clasp your hands together and move them to the right side, then the left, then right, left…hitting your hands to the ground each time. Do this 50 times. When this gets easy, do 100. Then 200. Keep going!
4. Run and Swim: these are two activities that get your heart rate up and are especially good for those with CF. Don't like either? Try biking, kayaking, kickboxing--anything to get your heart rate up!
5. Yoga: The best thing I get from Yoga is the breathing--it literally forces you to take controlled deep breaths in order to hold your positions.
B&B,
Meghan
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