Olympics athletes with asthma

 

 In a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine and reported yesterday in Science Daily, it was found that asthma is the most common chronic condition among Olympic athletes. ( I could have told them that!) They studied athletes during the last 5 Winter and Summer Olympics, from 2002-2012. Their study shows 8% of athletes have asthma.

 
That's the same rate as the rest of the population. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 8.2 % of American adults have asthma (that's 18.7 million people!) 9.4% of kids have asthma, (that's another 7 million kids!)  

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of American says that "asthma is the most common chronic illness among children." Asthma also the #1 cause of missed school days among children every year-causing about 13 million missed days of school.

For those of us with asthma, we're in good company with Olympic athletes! Many of them have asthma too, but they can still train and compete.

We shouldn't let asthma slow us down either. Know what your "triggers" are, or what causes symptoms for you. Talk to your doctor and figure out how to stay active. Cold weather really bothers me, so I don't walk outside in the winter if it's below freezing temperatures. Heat bothers me too, so I walk in the mornings when it's not as hot. Know what bothers you and figure out another way or time to exercise. It's important to take care of your lungs, we only have one set. And sometimes they don't work so well when you have asthma!

Make a plan with your doctor, and keep exercising and stay healthy!  If Olympic athletes with asthma can exercise, we can too! (Not at their level of course, but we can still stay active!) Go USA!!!!