Exercise shortness (e.g. when climbing stairs, after running) does not have to concern only elderly people. It can even happen to a young person who is in poor condition or is pushing too hard in training. How to exercise not to be out of breath?

Exercise shortnessis a phenomenon of breathlessness and the resulting feeling of discomfort. In professional terminology, it is called dyspnea. Symptoms of shortness of breath include heavy breathing, rapid heartbeat, inability to draw enough air into the chest, and throat tightness.

The above-mentioned symptoms may indicate a serious lung disease, so if we often get short of breath, it is worth doing appropriate tests in the first place. However, if breathlessness occurs in very specific situations, e.g. during intense exercise, it is a sign that the body is not adapted to physical activity.

This state of affairs is not favorable for us, because the problem will only worsen with age and may ultimately contribute to the development of circulatory failure. The only way to get rid of shortness of breath is regular exercise, but be careful - not too intense (at least at the beginning), because exhausting training can also cause shortness of breath.

See how to train and what exercises to do, so that you will not have problems with shortness of breath during exercise.

Short of breath when climbing stairs? Get in shape

If you feel out of breath after everyday exertion, such as climbing stairs to a high floor or running to the bus, just work on your condition. Start by changing your daily habits - replace driving by public transport or on foot, instead of using the elevator, go up the stairs (but so that you feel tired after reaching the floor, not completely out of breath), take at least a half-hour walk every day .

Introduce regular workouts after approx. 2 weeks of light activity. Initially, exercise 3 times a week for about 30 minutes.

After about a week and a half, start introducing additional cardio exercises. This can be, for example, cycling, walking, stepper or elliptical training. At the beginning, the workouts should last about 30 minutes (unless they concern less strenuous activitieslike walking) and should not cause exhaustion, let alone breathlessness.

It is also worth using exercises that quickly raise the heart rate, increase endurance, and at the same time strengthen the entire body. These include burpees, i.e. a combination of a squat, plank, push-up and jump. Mountain climbers, or "horizontal climbing", also give good results.

This will be useful to you

Mountain climbers to improve fitness and endurance

Provide front support on straightened arms. Lift your knees off the ground so that you rest your feet on your toes only. Dynamically pull one knee or the other to the chest in imitation of the climbing movement. When pulling your leg, do not catch your feet on the ground.

Don't raise your hips too high. Repeat the exercise at a steady, quick pace for one minute (if you are unable to withstand that long, reduce the time to half a minute, then increase it by 10 seconds with each subsequent training).

Shortness of breath during training? Adjust the pace to your abilities

People who have already started training may also feel out of breath. It happens when the exercise intensity is too high for the training person. In such a situation, you need to remember about a few rules:

  • don't overexert yourself - it's not about falling out of fatigue after each training session. Gradually increase the load, starting with short distances. It is very helpful to plan your effort day by day and stick to it over the coming weeks. Such a plan can be useful primarily for runners;
  • slow down - do not try to keep the same high pace throughout the training at all costs. If you feel that you are about to run out of strength and become breathless, slow down, let your pulse calming down a little. You can even stop and drink a few sips of water. Taking short breaks is definitely better for the body than overtraining;

If you feel that it is getting harder and harder to breathe through your nose, breathe in the air through your mouth. Contrary to appearances, it does not hurt at all, and it oxygenates the body very well.

  • Breathe deeply - shallow, jerky breathing during training almost guarantees you'll be breathless. Although breathing is an involuntary reflex, it can be improved through special exercises. Do them regularly, and you will oxygenate your body better and get rid of shortness of breath. From time to time, during exercise, also inhale and exhale as deeply as possible to replace the so-called residual air;
  • Make sure you warm up before training - warming up helps your body switch from rest to active mode. This keeps the muscles and circulatory system inable to endure greater loads during exercise, and thus the risk of shortness of breath is reduced;
  • do not eat anything 2 hours before training - the contents in the stomach reduce the body's exercise capacity;
  • remember to hydrate - water thins the blood, thanks to which it can circulate faster and effectively supply the cells of the body with oxygen. When training, always have a bottle of water on hand, replenish fluids also after finishing exercises;
  • practice with music - the catchy melody allows you to forget about fatigue.

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ABC of exercises