Exercise for Pulmonary Patients

Summary

This video uses new patient demonstrations to explain the benefits of exercise and encourage patients to integrate exercise into their daily activities. It addresses patients' fears stressing safety and "what they're capable of doing." The benefits of getting started, even at a very slow pace, and then increasing activity are compared to the damaging effects of inactivity.

Details

• Effects of a Pulmonary illness on the body:
  • Work harder and use more energy to breathe.
  • Less oxygen is available to perform everyday tasks.
• The Benefits of Exercise:
  • Physical Benefits:
    • Exercise improves the strength and efficiency of muscles. The stronger and more efficient muscles are, the less oxygen they need.
    • Exercise helps the body process oxygen better.
    • Increases your endurance level, which leads to less fatigue and shortness of breath.
  • Emotional Benefits:
    • Increases your sense of independence
    • Helps you feel better about yourself
    • Gives you greater confidence in your abilities
  • Exercise improves your overall health:
    • Improves the heart’s pumping ability
    • Helps with weight control
    • Strengthens the immune system

• Safety Concerns:
  • Develop an exercise program with your healthcare team.
  • Start exercising in a pulmonary rehabilitation program.
• Exercise Tools:
  • Tools:
    • Oximeter is a device that monitors your blood oxygen level and help determine safe levels of exercise intensity.
    • Borg Scale, or Perceived Level of Exertion Scare monitors how hard to exercise (details).
    • Modified version of the Borg Scale (details)
    • Target Heart Rate
  • Exercise tools can help guide your exercise.
  • They should never prevent you from exercising at a comfortable level, or push you to exercise at level you feel uncomfortable with

• Warm-up:
  • Loosens your muscles and gets the blood flowing.
  • Includes stretching exercises like twisting, calf stretching, and side bends.
  • These should be performed for at least 5-10 minutes.
• Strengthening Exercises:
  • Include weight lifting and resistance training.
  • Improve muscle tone, strength, and endurance.
• Aerobic Exercises:
  • Include cycling, swimming, and walking.
  • Helps your heart, lungs, and blood vessels move oxygen more productively.
• Cool Down:
  • Light Stretching.
  • Helps get your breathing and heart rate back down to pre-exercise levels.
• Exercise Guidelines:
  • Work with your healthcare team to develop a home exercise program.
  • Start slowly, but be consistent.
  • Small gains are important.
  • Once you are comfortable at one level, gradually increase your intensity and duration of exercise.
  • Include both upper and lower body exercises.
  • Talk to your healthcare team about how medication may affect your exercise.