How to Improve Your Lung Health Through Running

When your lungs are healthy, you may not even notice the around-the-clock support they provide. Quietly exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide, your lungs ensure your blood gets the fresh air it needs to keep the body’s systems going.

But when you’re sick, managing a chronic pulmonary condition or have a lower lung capacity, symptoms can quickly start to stack up. Fortunately, even small improvements in your lung health can go a long way toward boosting your cardiovascular fitness and overall well-being.

Read on to learn more about how to improve your lung health — and how running can help you take steps toward a stronger body and mind.

Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Exercises

To make a muscle stronger, it has to be used and challenged over time. The same is true for your lungs: physical activity makes them work harder, which eventually helps them become stronger and more efficient.

Both aerobic exercises (like walking, swimming and running) and anaerobic exercises (like weightlifting, sprinting and resistance training) play a role in your overall lung health. While aerobic exercise expands your lung capacity, anaerobic exercise helps build the muscles that support breathing and posture.

A balanced routine may include both types of activity. You might take brisk walks or light runs several days a week and add strength training two days a week. Together, aerobic and anaerobic exercises can help build endurance, strength and confidence as your body adapts. If you’re managing a chronic condition or recovering from an injury, be sure to check in with your doctor before adding to your exercise regimen.

What Healthier Lungs Can Do

Your lung health is directly related to your whole health. When you increase your lung capacity and strength through exercise, your body can move more oxygen into your bloodstream more efficiently. This can even encourage your body to grow more blood vessels, allowing more oxygen-rich blood flow into your organs and tissues.

Your heart and lungs are a powerful team supporting your circulation. And this pair can help support:

• Better stamina during exercise and daily activities
• Improved oxygen delivery to muscles, organs and tissues
• Stronger cardiovascular fitness
• More efficient breathing during physical activity
• Faster recovery after exertion
• Greater confidence and independence while staying active as you age

As your lungs become stronger and more efficient, everyday activities may start to feel easier. Climbing stairs, carrying groceries, keeping up with your kids or completing a workout may require less effort because your body is getting and using oxygen more effectively. Healthier lungs can also support better endurance, helping you stay active longer before feeling winded.

Running With Asthma

If you’re not a runner, having asthma might discourage you from trying. But regular aerobic activity can actually improve your cardiovascular fitness and may help improve your lung efficiency over time. If you have or suspect you have asthma, talk to your doctor about starting a new fitness regimen so they can help you determine the right pace and any supporting medications you may need.

A warmup, gradual training plan and rescue inhaler can make running safer and more comfortable for people with asthma. You may need to move your runs indoors if the weather is especially cold, humid or allergen-heavy.

People in high-intensity training, or those who have environmental factors affecting their respiratory system, may be at risk of developing exercise-induced asthma. Also known as bronchial hyperresponsiveness, it causes the airways to constrict after exercise. Most exercise-induced asthma can be managed with bronchodilators, medications that make breathing easier by relaxing the muscles around the airway.

Challenging exercise can be good for the lungs, but if you find yourself wheezing, feeling faint or taking a long time to recover from activity, don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor to ensure you have what you need to stay active safely.

Why VO2 Max Matters

Runners and endurance athletes looking to improve often begin exploring their VO2 max, which measures how much oxygen the body uses during exercise. The V (volume) of O2 (oxygen) is measured as ml/kg/minute — milliliters of oxygen consumed per kilogram of body weight per minute of exercise.

Smartwatches and online calculators can estimate VO2 max, but a true measure requires a visit to an exercise lab. A higher VO2 max means your heart and lungs are more effectively supplying blood to your muscles, and your muscles are efficiently extracting and using oxygen from your blood.

If you’re able to improve your VO2 max over time, you could reduce your risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancer and stroke — in addition to enjoying stronger runs and potentially faster recovery.

Exercises That Improve VO2 Max

Even if you aren’t tracking your VO2 max, you can still work on improving it through some adjustments in your routine:

1. Pick up the pace: When it comes to VO2 max, activity is good; vigorous activity is better. If you aren’t very active, even a comfortable walking pace can be enough to boost your numbers.
2. Try intervals: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help runners improve VO2 max and incorporate variety into a routine that usually involves only paced runs.
3. Cross-training: With both physical and mental health benefits, cross-training helps athletes stay well-balanced and avoid overuse injuries. You may discover that swimming challenges your lungs while giving your feet a break, and cycling lets you explore new trails.

Breathe Easier Knowing Help is Always Here

Whether you’re concerned about new lung symptoms or looking for ways to stay active with asthma, we’re here to help. Learn more about pulmonary care at AdventHealth and how we can help you reach your health and fitness goals.