Exercising after Illness & Asthma

You know exercise is great for the body, but getting back at it after being sick or a bad asthma flare up isn't easy. You've spent a week (or weeks) under the weather just trying to survive daily tasks; your body is drained- physically and emotionally. During that down time, your fitness slowly decays. Muscles weaken and cardiovascular strength diminishes. If you've been sick long enough, you might even find your breathing heavy just by walking up the stairs.

Getting Sick Throws off Your Routine

It happened. After the main flu epidemic passed and I thought I was in the clear, I got sick. I'm not talking about a stuffy nose and minor headache. I mean really sick. I had the flu. Gasp! Before getting sick, I had a great workout routine going. Getting up before the kids, reading, getting a little work done, and exercising.

Just when I thought I was getting better, asthma decided to show its ugly face. The wheezing and late night coughing spells really take their toll. Almost two weeks later and armed with a brand new inhaler, I was finally feeling better. Not good, but better. I was ready to get back to my normal routine, but my body wasn't.

Start Slow: Build up Your Strength

When you've been down for an extended period of time, you need to ease your way back into exercising. Don't expect to jump in where you left off. Maybe as a teenager that was possible, but we're getting older and our bodies just don't rebound the way they used to. It takes time and patience.

The best way to work your way up is to focus on building strength. Your lungs and heart need more time to heal than muscles do. By focusing on strength training, you'll still be exercising and giving your lungs the time they need to recoup.

Good Old Fashion Iron Pumping

Lifting weights is the classic way to build strength and tone muscle. If you have access to a local gym full of fancy equipment than go ahead and get started. Take a 5-10 minute power walk on the treadmill, stretch, and start lifting.

For the rest of us, exercising sans gym is the only option. Big, shiny machines are nice but not required to get a good workout. Stronger muscles can be obtained with just a few pieces of equipment or none at all.

Kettle bells, resistance bands, and dumbbells are easy to keep at home. They are small enough to fit in the closet between uses, and my Littles have even been known to "exercise" with the smaller ones. Resistance bands and dumbbells are interchangeable for most exercises. If you're looking for the most versatile and compact equipment, I highly suggest resistance bands. Maverick and I have used these for years.

Not into equipment? No worries. Bodyweight exercises are just as effective.

Darebee: Ultimate Home Workout Resource 

I have used workouts from Darebee off and on the past few years. They're simple yet effective, and there is a routine for everyone. Maverick enjoys their katana exercises. (He is a black belt in karate.) Here are a few of my favorites:

Athena

The circuits in this routine are great for full body toning. The progression from legs to arms to core builds strength and burns fat.

Dirty 30

You can't get much simpler than the Dirty 30. My legs and chest were sore after this one. If you can't do 30 push-ups at once you can break them into chunks of 10. Modified push-ups are another option.

Code of Abs

Ready to work on your bikini belly? This routine really works your abs. I like the variety of moves in it.

Fit Mom

Of course I had to throw this one into the mix. Moms rarely get to do ANYTHING alone. Even exercise. Next time your little one insists on being apart of your work out you can use these exercises.

Actual picture of me doing code of abs. These workouts are tough if you put in the effort. I'm just an everyday mom working to improve my health and my family's. You probably won't find me on the cover of fitness magazine 😜

Between a doctor's appointment, catching up on laundry, and a meeting it was hard to get time for a full workout. Instead I opted for a 5 minute plank challenge. Whew! . Hope everyone is having a great Thursday! . . . #determination #photooftheday #thursdaymotivation #picoftheday #motivationalfitness #goals #lifestyle #motivation #thursday #fitness #workout #exercise #thursdaythoughts #workoutmotivation #motivational #inspiration #thursdays #fitnessmotivation #thursdayfun #fit #workoutoftheday #health #workouts #instagood #training #workoutfit

A post shared by Shannon Walter (@traditional_mom) on Mar 29, 2018 at 1:51pm PDT