Snot Rocket
I have a hard time breathing when I exercise. Fact is, I have asthma & crappy sinuses, and I probably need a longer term solution to it than a rescue inhaler. It makes working out miserable beyond the general strains that already exist, but really, it's just another hurdle, and like all the other hurdles already in the way, it is one to leap over. Thankfully, with fairly little time, I'm already clearing this one with relative ease.
Not being able to breathe sucks. Being mid-run and hacking up mucus, choking on it, not being able to inhale when I need to, is akin to holding your breath for a few seconds, and it is a big drawback. Don't believe me? Well, if you're running and want to try it, every 30 seconds or so, just breathe out and then don't inhale for 10 steps. But keep running. That was how my first few runs went. It still happens now and again, but in time, it is improving. A few times a mile, maybe only once a mile, maybe not at all, depending on how hard I am going.
I just wanted to share that I am really happy that, in general, my respiratory system is recovering from all the damage and neglect over the last few years. I know I am not alone in this, especially when it comes to folks who have shitty lungs like I do, and folks who just don't do much, if any cardio. Stuff will improve if you work out and exercise your body, I promise. But I can almost guarantee you that the initial steps could be some of the hardest you take. Not that it gets easier, you just get faster. Of course, some conditions are difficult, period, and just don't magically go away. I have to manage mine with medication. Some people aren't even that lucky, and I honestly just want to hug y'all that have to deal with that kind of stuff, because breathing disorders are horrendous. I only have a taste of that. But for the rest of us, we just take breathing for granted. I have, even with issues. Breath is precious, and not a guarantee. You gotta take care of yourself.
My breathing issues aren't going away, that's for sure, but I'm not going to sit behind them. That said, I am a champion snot rocket shooter. My sinuses, in addition to my lungs, were designed by committee (in that they're runny and terrible). My body is always working against me. Honestly I think it's why I lose motivation half the time. But I know I need to keep moving to live better, to do what I love to do. I want to ski tour, climb big peaks, and get after big objectives. If I am going to get lost in mountains far from home, I need to keep strapping on my shoes, and stepping out my front door.
Thing I have discovered overall about myself is that there is always, and I mean always, a reason not to go run, or bike, or hit the gym at all. "I'm tired" is basically a constant. "I feel shitty and depressed". Also a problem. "It's raining, it's cold, etc." If you're like me at all, you know what I'm talking about. I think it's fundamentally human to want an excuse to not go burn calories, and to be comfortable. To conserve energy. Having tacked on body issues absolutely doesn't help. But I am pushing through them, and I hope to keep that up. I will keep running, even if I have to shoot snot rockets until the ferns trees around me look like something from an alien film.
Not being able to breathe sucks. Being mid-run and hacking up mucus, choking on it, not being able to inhale when I need to, is akin to holding your breath for a few seconds, and it is a big drawback. Don't believe me? Well, if you're running and want to try it, every 30 seconds or so, just breathe out and then don't inhale for 10 steps. But keep running. That was how my first few runs went. It still happens now and again, but in time, it is improving. A few times a mile, maybe only once a mile, maybe not at all, depending on how hard I am going.
I just wanted to share that I am really happy that, in general, my respiratory system is recovering from all the damage and neglect over the last few years. I know I am not alone in this, especially when it comes to folks who have shitty lungs like I do, and folks who just don't do much, if any cardio. Stuff will improve if you work out and exercise your body, I promise. But I can almost guarantee you that the initial steps could be some of the hardest you take. Not that it gets easier, you just get faster. Of course, some conditions are difficult, period, and just don't magically go away. I have to manage mine with medication. Some people aren't even that lucky, and I honestly just want to hug y'all that have to deal with that kind of stuff, because breathing disorders are horrendous. I only have a taste of that. But for the rest of us, we just take breathing for granted. I have, even with issues. Breath is precious, and not a guarantee. You gotta take care of yourself.
My breathing issues aren't going away, that's for sure, but I'm not going to sit behind them. That said, I am a champion snot rocket shooter. My sinuses, in addition to my lungs, were designed by committee (in that they're runny and terrible). My body is always working against me. Honestly I think it's why I lose motivation half the time. But I know I need to keep moving to live better, to do what I love to do. I want to ski tour, climb big peaks, and get after big objectives. If I am going to get lost in mountains far from home, I need to keep strapping on my shoes, and stepping out my front door.
Thing I have discovered overall about myself is that there is always, and I mean always, a reason not to go run, or bike, or hit the gym at all. "I'm tired" is basically a constant. "I feel shitty and depressed". Also a problem. "It's raining, it's cold, etc." If you're like me at all, you know what I'm talking about. I think it's fundamentally human to want an excuse to not go burn calories, and to be comfortable. To conserve energy. Having tacked on body issues absolutely doesn't help. But I am pushing through them, and I hope to keep that up. I will keep running, even if I have to shoot snot rockets until the ferns trees around me look like something from an alien film.
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