How Beneficial is Brisk Walking for COPD Sufferers?

If you have been diagnosed with COPD or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, you’ve probably experienced what it’s like to be breathless all the time. You have episodes of wheezing accompanied with chest tightness and a cough that seemingly won’t go away. There are also people who are affected with the disease in their adult stage and consider the symptoms as just a “normal” part of aging. These people can’t be blamed because the early stage of COPD can go for years without overt physical signs and symptoms. However, if you are lucky enough to see a doctor and have the disease managed during its early stage with the help of the services from a Home Care in Homestead Florida, you are confident to prevent any major loss of your lung’s normal function.

With the difficulty in breathing and chest tightness, you would probably think of putting any strenuous and sports-related activities on the back-burner. Your instinct would tell you that since you have difficulties in breathing, you’d better do away exercise and exertion. The crux of the matter is that lack of physical activities and exertion will only exacerbate your current condition. It’s really counterintuitive if you believe that activities have to be at all times avoided and just opt to rest so as not to overwhelm your lungs.

You don’t have to dwell on sedentary lifestyle. You are not expected to jog around a wide field like a soccer player just so you can control the exacerbation of COPD because as simple as brisk walking a few times each day will bring positive outcome to your current physical condition. Look at these benefits of brisk walking compiled by Courage Living Care & Services, Inc. so you’ll be inspired to take those trainers again and walk around your neighborhood:

• Keeps you fit.

  When you constantly exercise, you are keeping your weight in check. Remember that being overweight will worsen your COPD because excess weight will make it hard for you to catch your breath even with just a simple movement. By walking and doing exercise, you can improve the way you breathe and enhance your lung capacity to take in air.

• Stabilizes your mood.

  When you are having troubles breathing, you’ll constantly be in state of stress because the body reacts to it by releasing stress hormones to overcome the troubles of breathing. This is a normal response that the body will do to maintain internal equilibrium. However, this is only good if done for a short period of time, if it becomes chronic, it will result in physical and emotional troubles where you’ll feel constantly anxious. You can’t also even explain where the sudden mood changes are coming from. Doing simple exercise such as brisk walking will immediately metabolize the stress hormones to make you feel calm and compose. Through exercise, endorphins are released by the brain which can improve your level of happiness.

• Improves brain function.

  Whenever you are walking, you also are sparing time for mindfulness. This will help you become even more aware of the world around you. You will begin to have an improvement in the way you plan and organize, as well as remember different things.

It’s important that you will reframe your idea about doing exercise when you have COPD. Although you might think that you’d probably run out of breath and experience lack of energy the more you do exercise, these are all unfounded in the context of your current physical condition. Understand the basics of exercise and how it can improve your condition through the help of a Personal Care in Florida to give you a healthier life.