Easy and fun exercise series for people with lung conditions

It has been a difficult year to go out and exercise, with gyms closing and times when we have not been allowed outside. To make it easier for you to exercise in the safety of your own home, ELF have worked with respiratory physician, Dr Georgia Hardavella and Physiotherapist Nikitas Kampanis to create a series of easy and fun exercises you can do at home.

Are you a successful or a winner?

The exercises are designed for different groups of abilities, these are the winners and successfuls.

Winner

This group of exercises is designed for people with lung conditions who have a good respiratory and functional status. Your muscles, bones and joints work well with no major limitations in your daily activities.

Successful

This group of people are mainly beginners. You will have a lung condition and you will have recovered from an exacerbation but will be limited in terms of your daily activities. If you feel you are in this group of people, you will build up your goals and succeed gradually.

Exercise frequency

Body posture exercises, extensions and relaxation exercises can be performed every second day in both groups of exercisers (successful and winner) without any associated complications.

Cardiorespiratory exercises can be performed up to 3 times per week, for winners only.

Muscular tone exercises can be performed up to 3 times per week.

We recommend a day of exercise is followed by a day off.

Home objects to be used:

• 2 pillows (1 big, 1 small),
• a saucepan lid,
• a large towel,
• a bottle of water (capacity 1.5-2 litres),
• a chair (no stool, no armchair),
• a cardigan/ jumper (sweater)

The exercise videos

We have three videos for you to work through. These videos talk you through and show you how to perform each exercise. You can stop and rewind them to make sure you are doing the exercises correctly and pause the video while you do them yourself.

Georgia will say before each exercise whether it is for winners, successfuls or both.

Part 1

This teaches you to correct your body posture and start stretching your upper body, you do not need any equipment to do this video, but if you have a jumper or cardigan, you can try a different variation of one of the exercises.

Watch it here

Part 2

This continues with stretching but on your middle and lower body.

For this video you will need:

• Somewhere to lie down,
• 2 pillows,
• a towel,
• a saucepan lid,
• doorframe, and
• a chair.

Watch it here

Part 3

This video works your cardiorespiratory system, to get you breathing a little heavier. These exercises are for winners only.

For this video you will need:

• Somewhere to lie down,
• a pillow,
• a doorframe
• a bottle of water and,
• a large towel

Watch it here