What kinds of seated exercises are best for COPD?
People with COPD should definitely exercise, and if you have COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), you’re most likely wondering if certain types of exercise, including seated, are better than others.
And the answer to that question is definitely yes.
First of all, be assured that if you have COPD, this does not mean you should avoid exercise.
Exercise is one of the best things for COPD, and one of the best kinds of seated activity is that of using a stationary bicycle — but not the way you’re now perhaps thinking.
The disease makes it difficult to exhale completely. This discourages physical activity, and more inertia will only make the disease worse.
You can improve your fitness, however, by using one leg at a time on a stationary bike, say studies from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), headed by Professor Jan Helgerud.
When someone with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease works out, oxygen saturation in the blood may drop beneath 88 percent.
One way to get around this is with supplemental oxygen. However, availability of supplemental oxygen to every COPD patient is not realistic.
The solution? One-legged stationary cycling, either seated upright or recumbant.
Freepik.com
You pedal with one leg while the other leg rests. One-legged cycling greatly improves fitness in people with COPD, says a study from the NTNU Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging.
Oxygen supply to muscles is maximized with the one-legged approach, and the effects of reduced lung capacity are minimized.
In late 2010, the European Journal of Applied Physiology reported the benefits to lung capacity to COPD patients pedaling with one leg at a time.
Stationary bikes at gyms and recreation centers usually come with straps that can be attached to the pedals.
Have a seat, and get pedaling. The free leg can be propped up on the bike’s centerpiece.
You can pedal very swiftly at a light resistance, or slower at a harder resistance, or some combination in between; mix things up for variety.
