Be Proactive: Exercising for COPD Patients

Exercise may seem daunting to your patients, but has many proven benefits for people with COPD.  It will improve their ability to do more without feeling breathless and help them to rediscover activities they could no longer do.
Exercise can bring specific benefits to people with lung disease, as well as general improvements to health and well-being.

The benefits for people with lung disease are REDUCED:

• Breathlessness for any given level of activity
• Leg tiredness
• Number of days in hospital
• Stress
• Risk of heart disease
• Incidence of infection

INCREASED:

• Ability to do daily activities that are important to you
• Possibility of returning to work

IMPROVED:

• Energy levels
• Exercise ability
• Mood
• Muscle strength
• Self-esteem
• Bone strength
• Immune system
• Suppleness
• Regulated appetite

There are different ways to incorporate exercise into your patient’s lives.  The first starts with encouragement and some moderate exercise suggestions like:

• Getting off the bus one stop early
• Walking to the local shops or park
• Walking your dog
• Doing some light gardening
• Dancing
• Bowling
• Yoga, Pilates, or tai chi
• Walking groups
• Aqua aerobics / Swimming

Help your COPD patients to be more active, by being more PROactive in their care.  Ensure you have the Gold Standard in Spirometry for the diagnosis and management of both asthma and COPD.  For more information on our offerings, please visit: https://mdspiro.com/spirometry.

References:
https://mdspiro.com/spirometry