Improving Lung capacity while suffering from reduced Lung function
Anyone, can benefit from improving their lung capacity. Any improved lung capacity means easier breathing, improved stamina, increased endurance, and even improved athletic performance. However, for those suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder) or other respiratory disorder improving lung capacity can greatly improve quality of life.
Living with COPD can be physically draining as even simple activities like getting dress can leave you feeling breathless. Once your lung function has deteriorated it is impossible to improve but you can improve your lung capacity which will make breathing easier and as result make regular physical activity less of challenge.
According to the Lung Institute “ Lung Capacity (is) the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use. (While) Lung Function (is) a metric determined by how much air your lungs can hold, how quickly you can move air in and out of your lungs, and how well your lungs put oxygen into and remove carbon dioxide from your blood. In short, lung capacity is how much air your body can use while lung function is how your body uses it.”
The most effective way to improve your lung capacity is through exercise. Both regular cardiovascular exercise, as well as breathing exercises that specifically strengthen your respiratory muscles are great ways the improve your lung capacity.
Regarding cardiovascular exercise the Lung Institute explains that “As exercise begins to promote smoother blood flow and oxygen delivery, the body is able to function at a higher level. This means that the daily exercise of taking a shower or walking to the mailbox can be done with less effort as regular exercise continues.
In comparison to someone who doesn’t exercise, an exerciser typically has a larger blood volume and a better ability to extract oxygen from the lungs and blood.” It is recommended that you do atleast 30 minutes of cardio a minimum of five times per week. Even walking can be considered cardio as long as you walk quick enough to get to a state where you feel moderately out of breath. Other options include but are not limited to: swimming, cycling, running, dancing, or cardio based group fitness classes.
In addition to improving your overall cardiovascular health through physical exercises you can also specifically target your respiratory muscles using breathing exercises. These breathing exercises use threshold or resistance techniques that strengthen your diaphragm and your intercostals which over time improves our oxygen intake. Expand-A-Lung is a great device to use for breathing exercises as it provides variable inspiratory and expiratory resistance making it more efficient than breath training without a breathing resistance exercise. It only takes a few minutes a day and can be practices almost anywhere. Detailed exercise instructions here: improving lung capacity .
“Once lung function is gone, it’s gone for good. However, lung capacity can be controlled and improved by 5 to 15 percent through aerobic workouts. Though exercise does not improve lung function, training can improve endurance and reduce breathlessness by increasing oxygen capacity. This is critical because those with COPD use more energy to breathe than those without. “-The Lung Institute. While there is no solution to depressed lung function taking steps towards improving your lung capacity can reduce shortness of breath, make breathing easier, and make daily activities less stressful.
