Description

Physical Exercises for Asthma

As “Physical Exercises for Asthma” could be called ‘medical’ instruction, please be very careful if you ARE asthmatic. None of the exercises in this booklet are new to me, indeed many of them appear in modern routines such as Radio Taiso, and the similar Chinese Broadcast Exercises, but I am by no means an expert on what asthmatics should and shouldn’t do.

Exercises for Asthma

Since my mid to late 30’s I have presented with mild asthma symptoms; wheezing and shortness of breath (along with worsening hay fever – getting older is no fun!) and am very fond of these exercises, and since acquiring this booklet have added many of them to my daily regimen. So, while not necessarily looking for exercises for asthma, I enjoy them anyway!

Breathing Exercises

To me, the ‘asthma’ element of this book is secondary to some very good exercises to encourage good BREATHING, a skill that amazingly we seem to be losing. Diaphragmatic breathing, which is the first ‘elementary’ exercise in this book is suggested by many to be the first ‘key’ to improved health and well-being. I am inclined to agree, because if you aren’t even breathing properly, then no amount of other exercise is going to help you.

Sample Exercise – Abdominal Muscle Exercise:

This is the final image to go along with Exercise 6: Abdominal Muscle Exercise –

(iv) Draw both knees up towards the chin, again breathing out and fully contracting abdominal muscles. Lower the knees quickly and then breathe in, as in the second photograph, before starting again.

Repeat the whole exercise three to four times (i.e. nine to twelve knee-raisings).

The whole book is written in that kind of language – simple and straightforward!

100% Reproduction

I haven’t added any extra information to this reproduction, what you see written is what was written back in 1949 when this eighth edition was published by the Asthma Research Council. As always though, images are straightened, the text is printed and formatting is improved. The Asthma Research Council was set up in 1927, going through a few name changes before becoming Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Partnership in 2020.

Good luck!

Richie Neville | Director

Internal Force Fitness