Living Healthy & Fit with COPD

Living with COPD

You may have been told that you have COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). It is a disease in which your lungs get affected by chronic bronchitis or emphysema, or both.

You may not know much about COPD. You have taken the first step towards knowing your disease by seeing your doctor. The key is to manage your disease and live better with it. COPD cannot be cured. Together with your doctor, you can learn ways to improve your breathing & fitness and prevent acute worsening of your disease.

By taking an active role in your health and taking your medicines as you were told, you will better manage living with COPD. A big part of staying well is making healthy lifestyle choices. What you eat, what you do, and how you cope day to day all have a big impact on your health.

COPD can be managed and you can increase the longevity of your life. You can live well with COPD.

Healthy Diet for COPD Patients

How does what you eat affect COPD?

When you have COPD, you use more energy to breathe. You may use 10 times more than someone whose lungs are healthy. Eating a healthy diet will not cure COPD, but it may help you

• Have the energy you need to be more active
• Improve the way your lungs work
• Fight infections
• Keep a healthy weight

What should you be eating?

For most people who are living with COPD, a healthy diet  is made up of foods from each of the basic food groups, including

• Fruits and vegetables
• Cereals and whole grain foods
• Dairy products
• Proteins such as meat or fish

How does your weight affect your COPD?

You need to maintain the weight advised by your doctor because,

if you weigh too much…

• Your heart & lungs have to work harder
• Breathing is harder

And if you weigh too little…

• You may have less energy
• You may feel weak and tired
• You may be more likely to get an infection

Staying Fit When Have COPD

How does keeping fit help your COPD?

It may come to your mind that exercise will make your breathing worse. But the opposite is actually true. In fact, lack of activity can make it worse. Getting in some physical activity may

• Help you feel less short of breath
• Give you more strength & endurance while you do your daily activities
• Improve heart health
• Keep you away from depression

Talk to your doctor about what and how much exercise you should do. Your doctor may suggest

• Stretching
• Walking
• Riding a stationary cycle
• Breathing Exercises

Breathing & Coughing Exercises for COPD Patients

There are some breathing exercises that may help make it easier to breathe. Below are few exercises which you should keep doing until they are easy for you. Coughing is also important to keep your lungs clear.

Pursed-lip Breathing Exercise

Pursed-lip breathing can be used when you feel short of breath.

1. Sit in a chair with your head supported.
2. Breathe in slowly through your nose until your lungs are filled up.
3. Don’t hold your breath. Purse your lips as if you were going to whistle, and breathe out slowly.
4. Take twice as long to breathe out as you did to breathe in.
5. Repeat.

Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise

Diaphragmatic breathing lets you take more air into your lungs and makes breathing easier.

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent. Put a pillow under your head. After you do this exercise for some time, you can try it sitting in a chair.
2. Put the palm of one hand on your belly. Put the palm of your other hand on your chest.
3. Breathe in slowly through your nose. Your belly should push out against your hand. Your chest should not move.
4. Tighten your belly muscles. Breathe out slowly through your mouth. Keep your lips pursed. You should feel your belly go down.

If you feel dizzy as you do this, breathe more slowly.

Start by doing this exercise for 5 to 10 minutes, 3 or 4 times a day. You can slowly increase the amount of time you do this.

Get in a Position to Breathe

The way we sit or stand can sometimes make breathing easier.  These positions can help you avoid getting tired & having shortness of breath.

When you are standing,

• Lean forward & put both hands on an object 3-4 feet high, like the back of a chair
• Tighten your upper arms & shoulders

 When you are sitting,

• Keep your back straight & lean forward
• Place your hands, elbows or lower arms on your thighs or knees or over a table.

Coughing Exercise

Follow the steps below to clear the mucus from your lungs.

• Sit comfortably in a chair
• Lean your head forward slightly
• Place both feet firmly on the ground
• Breathe in slowly and deeply
• Try to hold your breath for 3 seconds
• Take a breath and repeat 2-4times.
• Keep your mouth slightly open and cough twice.

Take a breath and repeat 2-4times.

Know Oxygen Therapy

Eventually, many people with COPD need supplemental oxygen. Oxygen Therapy  usually improves energy and breathing so that your quality of life is better. Use oxygen as directed by your doctor. It will improve your quality of life, and you will live longer.

Lately, there have been new developments in oxygen delivery system that make it much easier and convenient to use. Nowdays, Oxygen Concentrators have gained popularity as an oxygen delivery system due to the convenience they offer. Oxygen Concentrators are medical devices that deliver upto 93% pure oxygen through a nasal cannula. Air generally contains 21% oxygen; the rest is mostly nitrogen. Concentrators remove the nitrogen, leaving the remaining air 87-95% oxygen. Then the oxygen concentrators deliver the oxygen to the patient.

You can do a lot to live better with COPD.
You may find changing some habits a bit difficult at first. Small changes day by day can make a big positive difference in how you feel. You can help control your symptoms and enjoy life! Take that first step right now.

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