by Tony Iorio

Exercising when you have asthma can be a very delicate proposition, but one that will pay many rewards!

On the one hand strenuous exercise can trigger an asthma attack, but on the other hand exercise can strengthen your lungs, give you more stamina and help your body to be more resistant to colds and other sicknesses.

Catching a chest cold is one of the biggest enemies of a person with asthma. I know from my own experience that every time I landed in a hospital due to asthma it was brought on by some kind of chest cold.

So anything you can do to reduce the number of colds you get puts you way ahead of the game.

Below is a list of exercises that I have found to be very beneficial in my own battle against asthma:

• Walking and Hiking!  Walking and hiking is a great low level way to build stamina. It gets you breathing just hard enough to strengthen your lungs without getting you so out of breath that you need to reach for your inhaler every time you take a step. It's also a great way to get yourself in shape for more strenuous types of exercise.

• Swimming! Swimming is also a great way to build overall stamina while it gets you breathing just hard enough to strengthen your lungs and increase your lung capacity.

• Weight Training! This is my favorite! Proper weight training techniques really get you to breath deep on each repetition. Nothing can strengthen your lungs like weight training .

  When I first started lifting I had just come out of the hospital where I almost died of an asthma attack. I was weak, I had lost 25 pounds in a 10 day span and I was lucky to get out of there with my life. I decided I had to do something to strengthen my lungs and the rest of my body so I could be more in control of this dreaded asthma curse.

  I started lifting weights - and not very much I might add - but within just days I found myself breathing better and feeling stronger. It was amazing how great my lungs started to feel. It was like I had a new lease on life.

  Over the years I've noticed that if I laid off the weights for too long a period of time my lungs would start getting weak, and I'd begin to have more and more trouble with my asthma.

  I am now 60 years old and still lifting weights to keep my asthma in check.

• Jogging! Jogging is a little tougher on asthmatics, but if you gradually work your way into it you will find yourself getting better and better at it and you will be able to run for decent distances without getting an asthma attack. Jogging really strengthens your lungs too.

There are many other types of exercises and sports an asthmatic can do to strengthen their lungs and build up resistance to colds; things like Karate, Aerobics, Basketball, Softball, Racket ball, Tennis, etc. Whatever suits you!

The key is to do some form of fitness to keep yourself strong and to make yourself breathe deep.

Of course, always consult with your doctor before you start any exercise program, and whatever you do, start out slow and gradually build up your workload over a long period of time so your body adjusts as you go along.