Unknown to the majority, many politicians are suffering from asthmatic conditions. The list includes Bill Clinton, Calvin Coolidge, Benjamin Disraeli, Che Guevara, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and John F. Kennedy are just a few of the many politicians who are known to be living with asthma.

Being asthmatic didn’t stop these known men to run for the political office. The questions is how did they manage with a lifelong condition? There are many ways to manage asthma. One is regular medication (salbutamol, inhalers, and nebulizer. The latest portable nebulizer machine) and healthy lifestyle which includes clean environment, good diet, and regular exercise.

Exercise to improve breathing

Targeted exercise improves lung function and reduces the risk of having an asthma attack. It lifts the mood and increases the general condition. Trained asthmatics usually get by with fewer medications.

Experts advise asthmatics to have an active everyday life and consider sport to be an important component of therapy. Many sports medicine studies prove the positive effects of physical activity: With targeted training, you can also increase your lung volume and train your auxiliary breathing muscles. Relaxation units help to reduce stress and to deal with stressful situations in a more relaxed manner. This will give you a better grip on your asthma.

Top athletes with asthma

The speed skaters Anni Friesinger-Postma and Claudia Pechstein, the cycling professional Jan Ullrich and the swimmer Sandra Völker – they all show that it is possible to play in the top league and even win Olympic medals even with a chronic disease such as bronchial asthma win.

The successful athletes swear by good asthma control. They use the asthma medication prescribed for them consistently and integrate particularly long warm-up and warm-up phases into their training plan.

Around seven to eight percent of all competitive athletes in Germany are asthmatics – in the total population, the proportion is only around five percent. Sports physicians suspect that, for example, cold winter sports or swimming in chlorinated water can trigger the asthmatic symptoms in the first place. The best tip for amateur athletes is therefore: exercise under pleasant conditions and moderately.

In advance: health check at the doctor

Your doctor knows your state of health and can also do an individual stress test with you. This is how it determines your optimal training heart rate and your individual resilience. Together you put together a medication plan for training: It usually makes sense to inhale a bronchodilator medication before each workout.

You can also discuss with your doctor which sports are suitable for you. In general, endurance sports such as walking, jogging, cycling, and swimming are recommended. Moving relaxation techniques such as yoga or tai chi chuan also help to deepen breathing and to remain more relaxed in stressful situations.