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Home » Exercise Programs » Have COPD? Exercise Helps Keep You Out of the Hospital – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic (blog)

Are youliving with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)? Then you know a flare-upcan land you in the emergency room.

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But you can take steps literally to avoid that trip by adding regular exercise to your weekly routine.

COPD is a family of chronic, progressive lung diseases that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The symptoms of COPD include shortness of breath, chronic cough, fatigue, wheezing and chest tightness.

These symptoms can make exercise a challenge. But whether your COPD is mild, moderate or severe, regular exercise will not onlyease your symptoms.It will also boost your quality of life, says pulmonologist Kathrin Nicolacakis, MD.

For mild COPD, Dr. Nicolacakis recommends alight cardio program, such as walking or swimming. Try to work up to 30 minutes a day, five times a week. This benefits you in three ways:

If your COPD is moderate or severe, a pulmonary rehabilitation program can be a life-changer, says Dr. Nicolacakis.The hardest part of my job is convincing people to go to pulmonary rehabilitation, she says. But Ive never had anybody who went to rehab who didnt love it.

An expert team helps get you up to speed with exercise. A respiratory therapist trained in exercise physiology first tests your exercise capacity. Then the team creates a program tailored to your needs.

Most pulmonary rehabilitation programs focuson breathing exercises, cardio exercise and resistance training. Typically, you participate in three weekly sessions for eight to 10 weeks.Once you complete the program, your exercise capacity is reassessed. The team then helps you develop a year-long exercise plan to sustain your progress.

Dr. Nicolacakissays the benefits of completing a pulmonary rehabilitation program are many and lasting:

Questionnaires from patients completing pulmonary rehabilitation programs attest to their improved quality of life. Patients report feeling better at the end of the program. They also have fewerhospitalizations than patients who dont complete rehabilitation, says Dr. Nicolacakis.

If youre not a candidate for pulmonary rehabilitation,regular exercisesuch as walkingwill still benefit you, she says.

If youre interested in pulmonary rehabilitation, ask your doctor to refer youto a program that follows American Heart Association guidelines. Choose either a COPD program or one that is staffed by people experienced in COPD, says Dr. Nicolacakis.

Exercise can seem daunting, but it can make living with COPD much easier. You may think youre not up it but you wont regret it, she says.

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Have COPD? Exercise Helps Keep You Out of the Hospital - Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic (blog)

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Home » Exercise Programs » Have COPD? Exercise Helps Keep You Out of the Hospital – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic (blog)