Physical activity and your lungs

Regular movement is good for your lungs because it increases the strength of the muscles around your lungs and the rest of your body. As you build strength, your muscles need less oxygen to work. This means you will be able to breathe more easily when you're active.

If you have a lung condition, being active can help to manage your lung condition, improve your quality of life and feel better.

There are many other benefits of physical activity more. It can:

• improve your immune system, helping you to fight colds and flu  
• help you to manage and maintain a healthy weight
• lower your stress levels, which can be a trigger for some lung conditions like asthma
• reduce anxiety and depression
• strengthen your muscles, helping you to walk further and reduce falls
• help improve your sleep
• improve your brain health, so you can learn and remember more
• reduce your risk of other health problems such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoarthritis, dementia, and some cancers
• create opportunities for you to meet new people and feel part of a community.

The fear of getting out of breath may put you off doing any activity that makes you more breathless. However, getting out of breath when you’re active is completely normal and can help improve the symptoms of your lung condition.

What happens if you're not active?

If you avoid activities that make you breathless, your muscles become weaker. Weaker muscles need more oxygen to work. Over time you feel more and more breathless. This is called the cycle of inactivity, or the cycle of breathlessness.

How can being active help my breathing?

The good news is that you can break this cycle of inactivity. By becoming more active you can make your muscles stronger, including your breathing muscles. This will help you feel less out of breath when you do everyday tasks.

How to manage and recover your breath when you’re active

It’s completely normal to get out of breath when you’re active, but people with lung conditions tell us that they feel anxious about being breathless. It’s important to stay calm and learn ways to manage and recover your breath. If you panic, it can make you feel even more breathless.

Watch our videos to learn how to manage and recover your breath when you're active or feeling anxious.   

You can choose to be active in lots of different ways. You could start walking more, take part in group activity, or ask your GP about pulmonary rehabilitation. You can also be more active by making small changes to your daily habits. The main thing is to choose activities you enjoy at the right level for you.

Speak to your GP or healthcare professional for advice before you start exercising. They will advise you on the best activities for you.

They can also support you to make sure you're being active at a level that's right for you and allows your body to get used to moving more.

Try moving more

An easy way to start getting more active is to try to move more during the day.

Sitting down less and moving a bit more can make a big difference. If you usually spend a lot of time sitting down, think about ways you can get up and move about more.  

Any movement is good for you and can be part of your daily routines. You could:  

• stand up and stretch during TV breaks  
• try our Keep Active videos – they include step-by-step exercises and stretches you can do at home to help you feel stronger and more energetic
• do some housework
• walk your dog  
• play with your children or grandchildren  
• get off the bus one stop early  
• walk to work, school or the shops – if you usually drive or get the bus, try walking instead. You can get the bus back if it’s too much.  

You could track your steps with tools like a smartphone, smartwatch, or pedometer. Even walking 1,000 more steps a day can help you improve your fitness.

Set yourself goals with achievable steps. When you reach your goals, you can continue to set yourself new goals. Our Keep Active handbook includes resources to help you set goals and track your progress over time.  

Get your heart rate up

Aerobic activities warm up your body, make your heart beat faster, and make you breathe quicker and deeper.

Try to do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity every week. That works out at about 20 minutes a day.

Activities that get your heart rate up include:

• brisk walking
• jogging or running – you could try the couch to 5K challenge, or joining a parkrun
• swimming
• cycling
• playing tennis
• playing football
• you could try our Keep Active: exercises to help you feel more energetic video. 

Activities like gardening can also get your heart rate up. Weeding, digging or mowing the lawn can improve your breathing and overall fitness. If you find pollen and mould trigger your symptoms, you could take an antihistamine and wear a mask when gardening.

Use the talk test to make sure you’re working at the right level for you.  

Strengthen your muscles

Stronger muscles will help you manage your breathlessness. If your body muscles are weak because they’re not used enough, they need more blood flow, which makes your heart and lungs work harder.

Try to do activities that improve your muscle strength at least twice a week. You can fit this into your daily life, for example by:

• carrying shopping bags  
• doing yoga  
• using weights – you could use cans of soup or bottles of water
• climbing stairs  
• cycling or using an exercise bike
• you could try our Keep Active: exercises to help you feel stronger video. 

If you have problems getting out of chairs or are worried about falls, try to strengthen the muscles around your hips and thighs. Climbing stairs and using an exercise bike can help strengthen these muscles.

Improve balance and flexibility

Improving your balance and flexibility will help you to manage aches and pains and improve your posture. Along with strength training, it can also help to reduce the risk of falls in older people. Try to include balance and flexibility activities at least twice a week.

Our Keep Active programme includes exercises to help improve your balance and flexibility.

The NHS also has a number of exercises to help improve your balance. 

If you’re not sure where to start with moving more, find out about the different activities you could:

• Try our Keep Active programme – a series of videos to help people with lung conditions move more.  
• Download our Keep Active handbook – try different exercises and record your progress as you go.  
• Try the NHS home workout videos – cardio, strengthening and stretching exercises. 
• Find out ways to move with We Are Undefeatable – they have advice on exercising while managing a long-term health condition. 
• For more about ways to strengthen your muscles - Stronger My Way has exercises and tips from physiotherapists.

You could also try joining community groups so you can exercise and meet people at the same time:

• Try our Singing for Lung Health classes – for everyone with a lung condition, singing is a great workout for your breathing muscles. 
• Join our Feel Good Friday Zumba sessions – designed to be fun, improve mobility and improve your general wellbeing. 
• Ask your GP for a referral – they can refer you to an exercise referral scheme or pulmonary rehabilitation. 
• Find a local walking group – search the Ramblers website to find a walking group or follow a route. 
• Find a local walking sport group – search the Walking Sports website to find clubs near you. 
• Find disability inclusive exercise from the Activity Alliance – they have a list of inclusive gyms that you could join.

If possible, you should aim to be active every day. But we understand that living with a lung condition can mean you feel differently from one day to the next. Start small and do what’s right for you each day. The most important thing is you work at a level that is right for you.  

The NHS has guidance on how much exercise different age groups should do:

• Children and young people
• 19 to 64 year olds 
• Older adults

If you’re not very active at the moment, you could start with small amounts of movement, and slowly do more. Over time, your ability to move will increase, and you’ll be able to do more.

It’s important to look after yourself while you’re being active:

• Start slowly and build up gradually. Be active at a level that’s right for you. ​
• If you have a reliever inhaler, always carry it with you and use it when you need to. If you have a GTN spray, have this with you as well.
• If you normally use oxygen therapy when you move, then make sure to use it on your usual setting for the exercises. Ensure you have enough oxygen to complete the session. Speak to your oxygen team if you have any concerns.
• Wear loose, comfortable clothing and supportive non-slip shoes, like trainers. ​
• It’s a good idea to wait around 1-2 hours after eating a meal or 30 minutes after eating a snack before you start doing any physical activity.  
• Have some water close by when you’re active.