Reply To: How to stay active with PF

[John K. Grubb]

Here is routine used at the Breathing Center.

Start off by doing 15 minutes on a hand bike while sitting down. The take you BP and Ox at the beginning and the end.

Next do group stretches and breathing exercises. Each is done for 5 reps. The basic breathing exercises are as follows. Arms thrust out – lock your hands together, hold your hands to your chest and then thrust out, expelling air as your arms go out, and breathing in as you return your hands to your chest. Arms thrust upward — again clasp your hands together, extend your arms all the way down in front of yourself, then slowly, with your elbows locked, swing your arms all the way over your head, while breathing in, then slowly return your arms to the lower position in front of you, while breathing out. Hand on back of neck –one arm at a time — put your hand on the back of your neck — this will leave your elbow at about a 45 degree angle–move your elbow around where it is in front of you, then swing your elbow out to 90 degrees while breathing in, once it reaches 90 degrees swing it back in front while breathing out. Repeat for other arm. Side knee touch — while standing erect, with arms down by the side of your legs, lean over to your right side, tilting your body to the right at the waist, and touch the side of your right knee, exhaling as you bend to your right, and inhaling as you straighten up. Repeat for left side.

Then 15 minutes on a bike or treadmill.

Finally 15 minutes doing miscellanies exercises. Weight, resistance machines, yoga, etc.

For the actual breathing exercises the Breathing Center did 5 reps for each exercise, twice a week.

The Breathing Center course is 2 times a week for 22 weeks. I did the course a total of 5 times. Medicare will pay for the course.

I now go to a health club 2 to 4 times a week. The first thing I do when I walk in is get in front of a mirror and do my breathing exercises, except instead of doing 5 reps for each exercise I do 15 reps. When traveling I do my breathing exercises in front of the hotel mirror. I am now 81, and even though I have taken OFEV for the last 4 years, like most people with IPF my numbers are slowly declining. That is the bad news. The good news I do not need oxygen., My Ox level rarely goes below 97, I am able to continue to fly long hours (9-10) at 37,000 feet, travel, work out at the gym, and lead a normal life. I attribute a lot of my ability to pulmonary rehabilitation.