Breathing More Easily: How Our Workouts Can Support Pulmonary Rehab

Exercise that supports pulmonary rehab

Earlier this week, I attended a local Pulmonary Rehab coffee afternoon, where I had the pleasure of meeting individuals who recently completed an eight-week Pulmonary Rehab programme offered by the NHS. This programme is designed to assist people with conditions such as COPD, asthma, bronchiectasis, and pulmonary fibrosis, which can significantly impact their ability to engage in everyday activities like walking and climbing stairs, and is making a positive difference to the lives of those who go through it.

Beyond the NHS programme

The rehabilitation programme combines exercise with information sharing to help individuals better understand and manage their conditions. Many people make significant progress during the programme, but what about afterwards?

I was invited to talk about MOVEability and how our classes can support individuals in sustaining the exercise they began during the eight-week pulmonary rehab programme.

How can MOVEability seated chair exercise help?

1. Our workouts feature aerobic, cardio, muscle strengthening and breathing exercises which together improve breathing, strength and overall physical ability.
2. These exercises help strengthen the muscles used for breathing, such as the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm, which can reduce breathlessness.
3. Over time, as exercise tolerance improves, muscles require less oxygen to move, reducing the amount of air a person needs to breathe, putting less strain on the lungs.

Our classes are also:

Low impact – so perfect for rehab

Fun and easy going – we encourage everyone to go at their own pace and exercise their voices as well as their bodies through sing-alongs during the class – no pressure to join in with the singing, and if people do, it doesn’t matter if they’re not pitch perfect! Neither are our instructors!

A chance to socialise – we run a social café after each in-person class and encourage people to interact at the start and end of our online classes.

The MOVEability Way

Check out our MOVEability Way series for demonstrations of the type of exercises we do.

Try a class

Check out our timetable of upcoming classes.

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