When it comes to sex and gender-related differences in COPD, women certainly seem to get the short end of the stick. Studies show that women not only tend to be more prone to getting COPD, but also suffer from worse symptoms, later diagnoses, and other COPD-related health problems more often than men.

This is a relatively new revelation; back in the day, COPD used to be known as a “man's disease,” and very little was known about COPD in women. Before the early to mid 1900's, the vast majority of tobacco smokers were men, and it was rare for women to smoke or develop smoking-related diseases like COPD.

This isn't true anymore, however, and the trend seems to flipping in the opposite direction as more women than ever have been diagnosed with COPD in recent years. This shift has made it possible for researchers to study COPD in women more extensively, and this research has revealed some significant—and surprising—differences in how women are affected by this disease.

Some of these differences between men and women have biological origins, including differences in lung anatomy and how men's and women's bodies are affected by COPD. On the other hand, some differences originate from within the healthcare system, which (often unwittingly) tends to treat men and women differently during diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment for COPD.

Unfortunately, many of these disparities result in extra risks and disadvantages for women, including later COPD diagnoses, quicker lung function decline, and even a higher risk of death. However, many of these risks can be mitigated with simple preventative measures and increased awareness of these risks among doctors, caretakers, and people with COPD.

In this post, we're going to take a closer look at the scope and the nature of the problems that women with COPD face in regard to their symptoms, their healthcare, and the impact of the disease. Most importantly, we also present dozens of practical strategies—and links to other helpful resources—that women with COPD can use to minimize these extra risks.

All women with COPD deserve to know how the disease might affect them differently and what they can do in response. Knowledge is power, and the more you learn, the more empowered you will be to take control of your health and live your best life possible with COPD.

The Major COPD Risks that Affect Women, and What You Can Do About Them

In the following sections, we'll explain eight major challenges that women with COPD encounter and explore some of the biological and structural reasons for why these issues tend to affect women more than men. You'll also find a plethora of helpful tips throughout this guide for how women can overcome these challenges and get better outcomes for their health.

If you are a woman with COPD, or know someone who is, we hope that this guide will serve as a helpful tool for managing the gender-specific risks that come with the disease. For more information on COPD management, including more information about sex differences among people with COPD, check out our huge collection of helpful guides in our Respiratory Resource Center.

A quick note: We understand that sex and gender are not one and the same, and that COPD differences intersect both gender and sex. For the sake of brevity and simplicity, however, we use these terms interchangeably—or use one term to refer to both concepts at once—at times in this guide.

Women's Lungs Are More Sensitive to Damage from Smoking

How heavily someone smokes throughout their lifetime—a factor that's often measured in “pack years—influences how severe their COPD-related lung damage is later in life. For example, a person with COPD who smoked one pack of cigarettes every day for 10 years (which is the equivalent of 10 pack years of smoking) will likely have more severe lung damage than someone who only smoked half a pack a day for 10 years (equivalent to 5 pack years of smoking).

Unfortunately, research suggests that women's lungs are more vulnerable than men's to the damaging effects of tobacco smoke. This not only makes women more vulnerable to developing COPD, but also causes women to develop more severe COPD than men who have an equivalent number of pack years.

One study, for example, found that women who smoke less than men have nearly the same amount of measurable emphysema (i.e. damaged air sacs in the lungs). This was true even though the men had smoked significantly more—four more cigarettes per day, on average—than the women in the study.

It's important to note that, as a whole, men actually tend to have worse emphysema than women. However, research suggests that this is largely due to the fact that men tend to smoke more heavily; on average, male smokers in the US have a whopping 33% more pack-years than women, with women averaging 15 pack years and men averaging 20.

However, women still sustain a disproportionately large amount of lung damage despite smoking less—and even starting smoking later—than men. While researchers aren't exactly sure why this happens, they believe this phenomenon could be the result of certain biological features in women that predispose their lungs to smoking-related damage.

These biological features include female hormones like estrogen and progesterone, which have been shown to play a role in how the lungs respond to cigarette smoke. Women also tend to have smaller airway spaces than men, which some researchers believe could result in the airways getting a higher dose of toxins when they're exposed to cigarette smoke.

This effect might not be limited to smoking, however; some studies suggest that women's lungs might be more sensitive to other kinds of respiratory hazards, like air pollution, chemical fumes, and second-hand smoke. This is bolstered by the fact that even women who have never smoked before in their lives get COPD at significantly higher rates than men who have never smoked; nearly 80% of nonsmokers with COPD are women.

What Women with COPD Can Do About It:

Quit Smoking

If you are a woman who smokes, quitting smoking is one of the best possible things you can do for your health. There's no way to reverse the damage that's already done, but you can prevent additional damage—and reap a ton of other benefits—if you stop smoking now.

Check out the following guides to learn everything you've ever wanted to know about quitting smoking:

• How to Quit Smoking Part 1: Overcoming Doubts & Finding Resources to Help You Quit
• How to Quit Smoking Part 2: Coping with Nicotine Withdrawal & Choosing a Quit-Smoking Medication
• How to Quit Smoking Part 3: Taking the First Steps & Strategies for Staying Smoke Free

Protect Your Lungs from Potential Hazards

Women should also be extra careful about exposing their lungs to other respiratory hazards, since they seem to be extra vulnerable to their damaging effects. For example, women—like all people—should avoid hazardous occupations (e.g. jobs that expose you to exhaust fumes or dust) and take steps to reduce indoor air pollution in their homes (e.g. avoid using wood-burning stoves, noxious chemicals, and other products that release harmful fumes indoors).

Protecting your lungs from these hazards can also help prevent irritation, inflammation, and flare-ups that make COPD symptoms harder to control. It can also reduce your risk for COPD exacerbations, which can cause additional, permanent lung damage and lung function decline.

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We'll discuss more about how to avoid common respiratory hazards (and link you to several in-depth guides on the topic) in the sections below.

Women Have a Higher Risk of Getting COPD than Men

As we discussed in the previous section, women's lungs tend to be more vulnerable to respiratory irritants than men and tend to sustain more lung damage from each cigarette they smoke. Therefore, it should be no surprise that this causes women to have an overall higher risk for developing COPD than men.

Research suggests that this difference is quite significant; one large systematic review found that women who smoke are fifty percent more likely to get COPD than men who smoke. Other studies show that women tend to be more likely to get COPD from lesser amounts of smoking, and also tend to develop COPD earlier in life.

However, because COPD is such a complicated disease that usually develops years after the exposure that causes it, pinning down the exact reason for gender differences in COPD risk difficult. In addition to biological factors, there are likely a variety of social, lifestyle, and demographic factors at play, such as: gender-related differences in healthcare accessibility, healthcare quality, smoking behaviors, geographical location, and more.

What Women with COPD Can Do About It:

Take Good Care of Your Lungs

The only reliable way to reduce your risk for COPD is to protect your lungs from smoke and other respiratory irritants (like air pollution) throughout your lifetime. The more frequently your lungs are exposed to and inflamed by respiratory hazards, the more you put yourself at risk for lung diseases like COPD.

Because women are more susceptible to COPD, women should be extra careful about what they breathe into their lungs. That means not smoking, or quitting if you do, and doing your best to breathe clean, pollutant-free air as much as possible.

Of course, there's only so much you can do about certain respiratory irritants like outdoor air pollution. But even if you live in a place with low air quality, you can still take steps to reduce how much air pollution breathe (e.g. planning outdoor activities for times when your local air pollution is low).

Here is a list of some of the major respiratory irritants that can increase your risk for COPD:

• Second-hand smoke
• Any kind of smoke or combustion fumes (e.g. smoke from fireplaces, wood-burning stoves, car exhaust, cooking fumes, etc.)
• Radon gas (a common radioactive gas found in homes that can only be detected with a proper radon test)
• Common commercial cleaning and pest-control products
• Many crafting, renovation, and construction materials, including paints, treated lumber, adhesives, solvents, new carpets and flooring, etc.
• Occupational hazards like dust, chemical fumes, and diesel exhaust

It's worth mentioning that, even though any kind of respiratory irritant can be dangerous if you're exposed to it long term, smoking is by far the biggest hazard and the most important one to avoid. Smoking is responsible for more cases of COPD than anything else; a full 85 to 90 percent of all COPD cases are caused by smoking.

Check out the following guides for even more tips about what you can do to avoid respiratory irritants and reduce your risk for COPD:

• How Volatile Organic Compounds Harm Your Lungs, and How to Avoid Them
• How to Cope with Poor Outdoor Air Quality
• How to Protect a Child from Lung Diseases Like COPD

Reduce Sources of Pollution in Your Home

Even though we've already stressed the importance of avoiding respiratory irritants, it's important to discuss indoor air pollution specifically, especially since women tend to be exposed to this type of pollution the most. That's because, even in modern times, women tend to spend more time than men at home doing household tasks that could be hazardous to their lungs.

Cooking and cleaning, for example, two major sources of exposure to respiratory irritants at home. In fact, research shows that non-smoking women who cook more often—and have smokier kitchens when they cook—are more likely to develop COPD.

Fumes from cleaning products, especially chemicals like ammonia and bleach, can also damage your lungs and increase your risk for COPD. Luckily, there are many things you can do to reduce the risks from cooking and cleaning, but you need to do them consistently to keep the air in your home clean.

One of the best things you can do is establish a good ventilation system in your kitchen and any rooms you use chemicals to clean. The goal is to create an air flow that funnels the fumes outdoors, and you can do this with a fume hood (e.g. above your kitchen stove), a ventilation fan (which many bathrooms have pre-installed), or simply by opening up some windows to allow the fumes to escape.

You can also reduce your exposure to chemical irritants by being more selective about what kinds of products you use. Many household cleaning products can be hazardous, so it's a good idea to look at the labels of everything you buy and try to find alternative products that are safer for your lungs.

These are just a few of many possible steps you can take to keep your indoor air as clean as possible. For more tips about how to cook and clean more safely and reduce other sources of air pollution in your home, check out the following guides from our Respiratory Resource Center:

• How to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality for COPD
• How Cleaning Products Can Damage Your Lungs, and What You Can Do to Prevent It
• Your Complete Guide to Choosing an Indoor Air Filter to Improve Your COPD Symptoms
• Spring Cleaning Tips for Healthy Lungs & COPD

Women are Less Likely to Receive a Correct COPD Diagnosis

Unfortunately, women with COPD tend to be disadvantaged in the US healthcare system, and the problem begins at the very first step: women with COPD are less likely to get an accurate COPD diagnosis, more likely to get misdiagnosed with asthma, and tend to get diagnosed later (as in after the disease has progressed further) than men.

One of the main reasons for these discrepancies seems to be doctor bias that affects how they evaluate men vs. women with symptoms that could be a sign of COPD. As a result, women with COPD symptoms are less likely to receive a spirometry test than men, which is likely the primary reason that women are under-diagnosed compared to men.

Spirometry tests are the most powerful tool that doctors have to diagnose COPD, and getting one is vital for an accurate COPD diagnosis. In fact, research shows that the gap between COPD diagnosis rates in men versus women is reduced when doctors have spirometry test data to help them make their diagnoses.

This suggests that, if doctors just did spirometry testing in a more consistent manner, they could significantly reduce or eliminate the diagnosis divide between women and men. However, while this might sound simple, it's not such an easy task; this issue is part of a wider problem of gender bias in healthcare that sees women disadvantaged in a wide range of different ways.

Fortunately, these long-standing issues have received a lot more attention in recent years. As doctors and researchers continue to investigate these gender biases in healthcare, they can develop new strategies for addressing them and reducing the negative effects they have on patients.

What Women with COPD Can Do About It:

Be on the Look Out for COPD Symptoms

Women, and especially women who have risk factors for lung disease, need to be on the lookout for signs of COPD as they age. Never ignore any long-term changes in your respiratory symptoms, especially persistent coughing or shortness of breath.

If you do notice any changes, makes sure to bring them up with your doctor as soon as soon as possible after they occur. The earlier you get diagnosed, the earlier you can get treatment that can improve your quality of life and the long-term outlook for your health.

To learn more about how to recognize the early symptoms of COPD, check out the following guides:

• When Should You Get Tested for COPD?
• Everything You Need to Know About Lung Disease Diagnosis

Advocate for Yourself

Ideally, every doctor would always treat men and women equally and would know how to properly diagnose COPD in women just as well as men. However, this is unfortunately not the case, and the responsibility often falls instead on women patients to advocate for themselves.

Unfortunately, this isn't always easy to do, especially if you (like many people) find medical professionals intimidating or simply have trouble speaking up at the right times. Luckily, being a good self-advocate is something you can learn, and you can even enlist others to help you if you need.

One way to become a better self-advocate is to be more pro-active about your health in general. That means educating yourself about your body and common disease symptoms, and being diligent about bringing things up with your doctor if you have any symptoms or concerns.

It could also mean standing up for yourself if a medical professional doesn't take your concerns seriously. If you think that something you're worried about needs to be looked into further, don't rely on your doctor bring up the next step; if you go to your doctor with persistent respiratory symptoms, for example, you might need to ask your doctor specifically to do a diagnostic spirometry test.

If you're unable to advocate for yourself for any reason, or simply need some backup, you can always bring someone else to advocate on your behalf. Sometimes, two voices are more effective than one at getting stubborn healthcare professionals to listen to your needs.

It's also important for women to be aware of doctors potential biases and find a doctor they can trust. Your doctor should be someone who listens, respects your concerns, and never ignores

The need for a healthy diet is something that every person shares, young and old, sick and healthy, and everything in between. However, the importance of good nutrition grows as we get older, and it becomes critical for many people living with chronic diseases like COPD.

People with COPD need to be particularly careful to get enough calories and nutrients to support their lungs and other body processes that are affected by the disease. COPD also makes you prone to a variety of diet-related problems, including under-nutrition, weight gain, and weight loss.

However, health and nutrition can get complicated, and sticking to a healthy diet isn't an easy thing to do. If you're like many people, the idea of putting together a healthy, well-balanced meal might feel intimidating, or you might not even quite know where to begin.

That's why we've put together this guide to help people with COPD plan healthy meals and get all the nutrition they need. In this post, we explain not only what a healthy COPD diet looks like, but we also show you how to put together healthy meals on the fly at home.

We also present a variety of practical meal ideas and examples of healthy and versatile dishes you can prepare on your own and modify as you please. These, along with the additional guides and helpful resources linked throughout this guide, should give you everything you need to get started eating a healthier diet that improves—rather than exacerbates—your COPD.

The Cornerstones of Good Nutrition for COPD

Before we start looking at some specific COPD-healthy dishes and meal plans, it's important to have a general grasp of what a healthy diet for someone with COPD looks like. That doesn't mean you have to be a diet guru, but you should know some general principles of nutrition and how to put together a balanced meal.

You should also be aware of the different ways that your diet and eating habits can affect your COPD and worsen symptoms like shortness of breath. We'll address these and a variety of other important dietary considerations in the sections below before we dive into our list of healthy meal examples and some practical diet recommendations for people with COPD.

Balance Your Food Groups (Protein, Fat, & Carbs)

If you look up nutritional guidelines—which you can find online from a variety of government and health organizations—they contain a list of all the vital components that make up a healthy diet. They tell you everything from what categories of food to eat, down to the exact amount of vitamins and minerals you should take in on a daily basis.

Because this information is readily available from lots of great sources, we're not going to go into them in great detail here. However, we do want to highlight some of the most important principles you need to know in order to learn how to create balanced, nutritious meals.

Macronutrient Proportions

First, you should strive for a healthy balance of the three major macronutrients in your diet: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates (also known as carbs). Health experts recommend spreading out your daily calories between these nutrient groups, aiming for the following (approximate) percentages:

• About 20% of your diet should come from protein; high-protein foods include meats, seafood, eggs, beans, peas, nuts, and soy.
• About 30% of your diet should come from fat; this includes fats found naturally in foods like dairy, meat, eggs, and nuts, and also added fats like butter and vegetable oils.
• About 50% of your diet should come from carbs, which are found in a variety of foods including fruits, vegetables, dairy, and grains—however, people with COPD may benefit from a diet with fewer carbs (we discuss this in more detail the next section just below)

Healthy Sources of Nutrients

Second, you should be familiar with which foods from each of these nutrients groups are more or less healthy to eat. Here are a few examples of some healthy vs unhealthy sources of protein, fat, and carbs:

• Whole grain carbohydrates (e.g. whole grain breads and pastas) are healthier than simple, refined grains (e.g. white pastas and breads).
• Lean proteins (e.g. chicken and fish) and unprocessed meats are generally healthier than fatty proteins (e.g. beef and lamb) and processed meats (e.g. sausage, deli meat, and other cured meats).
• Unsaturated fats (e.g. oils and other fats that are liquid at room temperature) are generally healthier for you and your heart than saturated fats (e.g. butter, lard, and other fats that are solid at room temperature).

Major Food Groups and Serving Sizes

Third, you should know what the basic, top-level food groups are and how many portions of each you should eat each day. Keep in mind that what counts as a single portion varies among different types of food within the group.

You can learn more about correct serving sizes on choosemyplate.gov and in the table just below.

Here's an overview of what US guidelines for daily servings say:

As you plan your meals and snacks, make it your goal to choose foods that help you fulfill the daily requirements for each food group. You don't have to be perfect, either; approximating your portions and and getting as close as possible to these targets is a perfectly healthy goal.

Foods and Ingredients to Avoid

Finally, you should know what kinds of foods are unhealthy, or unhealthy in large amounts, and do your best to limit them in your diet. These include things like excess sodium, too many simple carbs, added oils, added sugar, and trans-fats.

Foods and Ingredients to Avoid:

• Fried foods
• Heavily processed foods
• Sugary drinks
• Foods high in salt
• Foods high in sugar and simple carbohydrates
• Foods high in saturated fats
• All sources of trans fats
• Foods with added oils and fats
• Too much caffeine
• Too much alcohol

Limit Carbohydrates for Better Breathing

Most people with COPD don't need to follow a special diet, and should be perfectly healthy following the general nutritional guidelines set by the USDA. However, there is one notable exception: some people with COPD may benefit from a diet with fewer carbohydrates.

Because of the nature of how the body processes carbohydrates, eating carbs causes your body to produce more carbon dioxide than when you eat proteins or fats. Because carbon dioxide is a waste product that has to be processed by the lungs, high-carb foods put extra strain on your respiratory system, forcing your lungs to work harder and use up more energy.

If you have COPD, this translates to increased shortness breath, since your damaged lungs are already struggling to process oxygen and carbon dioxide fast enough to meet your body's needs. In fact, studies show that relatively small changes in carbohydrate consumption can have significant effects on COPD symptoms, with more carbs causing notable increases in breathlessness and reduced exercise tolerance.

Because of this, a low-carbohydrate diet can be beneficial for people with COPD, improving their lungs' efficiency and reducing shortness of breath. That means reducing your intake of high-carbohydrate foods (such as grains, beans, and carb-heavy fruits and veggies), and replacing them with low-carb alternatives and more healthy proteins and fats.

You'll find more tips for reducing carbs later on in this guide, both in our sample meal ideas and in our section on practical diet & cooking tips.

Aim for Variety

Although daily diet recommendations can get very specific, that doesn't mean you need to go overboard tracking every little thing, nor do you need to stress about meeting the exact targets every single day. Unless you have specific instructions from a doctor or dietitian, getting the right balance of nutrients on average is perfectly acceptable, and will prevent the vast majority of nutrient deficiencies.

In fact, most people are able to get a sufficient amount (PDF link) of vitamins and nutrients without tracking their diet too closely. That's because, in general, most people eat a wide enough variety of foods to supply their bodies with everything they need.

Of course, this laissez-faire approach won't work if your diet is too unbalanced. If you're not careful, a diet that's too heavy in one thing or too light in another can lead to nutrient deficiencies, which can be particularly dangerous for people with COPD.

An easy way to prevent this, however, is to always strive for variety in your diet. That means not only eating plenty of nutritious foods, but also eating a lot of different kinds of healthy foods with different types of micronutrients, which include vitamins, minerals, and metals like iron and zinc.

It helps to familiarize yourself with the various food sub-categories, which are simply smaller groups within a food group that have similar nutrient profiles. For example, the USDA divides vegetables into 5 separate categories and recommends that you eat a certain amount from each group every week.

Here is a summary of the weekly vegetable sub-group guidelines for adults:

• Dark green vegetables: 1.5 to 2 cups per week
• Red & orange vegetables: 4 to 6 cups per week
• Starchy vegetables: 5 to 6 cups per week
• Beans and Peas: 1 to 2 cups per week
• Other vegetables: 3.5 to 5 cups per week

Knowing these different subgroups makes it easier to ensure that you pick out foods that come from a variety of different groups, instead of just one or two. Maintaining this kind of diversity in your diet will help you ensure that your body gets all the micronutrients it needs to fuel your lungs and keep your body strong.

Here are a couple links to more information about food groups and subgroups:

• A list of all the major food groups and sub-groups with examples of several foods for each category
• A list of common vegetables that belong to each of the 5 major vegetable subgroups

Choose Whole Foods When Possible

When you peruse all the boxed foods, frozen dinners, and other processed foods that make up the large part of grocery store shelves, it's often hard to tell what's good for you and what isn't. Even bold claims like “all natural” or “reduced fat” don't tell you much about a product's actual health, or what those claims even mean in the context of a well-balanced diet.

That's why it's best to cook your own meals at home using whole ingredients whenever possible. That means starting with basic ingredients that are as close as possible to their raw, natural state, such as whole fruits and vegetables, plain beans, and whole grains.

Your ingredients don't need to be “fresh” as long as they're are minimally processed and don't contain added ingredients like salt, oil, or sugar. Frozen fruits and veggies, for example, are just as good for you as the fresh (and more expensive) versions you'll find in the produce section.

Beware of Nutrient Deficiencies Associated with COPD

In ideal conditions, you could get all the nutrients you need just by eating a healthy diet. However, life is often far from ideal, and it's not always possible to get enough vitamins and minerals from the food you eat alone.

This is especially true for people with COPD, who often struggle to get enough nutrients due to both the symptoms and the biological effects of the disease. According to COPD nutrition research, up to 40% of COPD patients are underweight and undernourished.

Certain types of deficiencies are more common in people with COPD than others, including vitamin D, vitamin B12, and iron deficiency. People with disease are also especially prone to osteoporosis, which can be caused by deficiencies in both calcium and vitamin C.

Some of these nutrient deficiencies are directly related to COPD and the medications (such as steroids) used to treat it. Many of them are also associated with certain characteristics that COPD patients tend to have in common, such as age, tobacco smoking history, and other factors related to lifestyle and health.

Research also shows that undernourishment can have particularly severe consequences for people with COPD, including an increased risk of death and hospitalization, more frequent exacerbations. Poor nutrition is also associated with a variety of other negative COPD symptoms, such as reduced lung function, reduced muscle strength, increases shortness of breath, and declines in physical endurance.

Because of this, a large percentage of people with COPD need to take vitamin and/or mineral supplements to satisfy their body's nutritional needs. However, you shouldn't start using supplements without your doctor's permission; when you have a serious chronic condition like COPD, you should never take any new medicines or supplements without consulting your doctor first.

Seeing to your doctor also gives you the opportunity to undergo testing so you can know exactly what—if any—extra nutrients your body needs. Then your doctor can prescribe you the specific supplements you need in proper amounts to correct any deficiencies you currently have or that your doctor believes you are at risk for.

Know Your Calorie Requirements

Many people with COPD struggle with weight loss and undernourishment because of uncomfortable COPD symptoms that make it difficult to eat. However, another reason for malnutrition is simply not eating enough to make up for the extra calories burned through breathing, since lungs affected by COPD use up much more energy to breathe.

This extra energy has to come from somewhere, which is why people with COPD often need more calories and nutrients than the average healthy person. Because of this, many patients—especially those with advanced COPD—need to eat a high-calorie diet to satisfy their body's needs.

That's why, if you have COPD, it's important to talk to your doctor about your diet and to figure out how many daily calories you need to eat. If your doctor puts you on a high-calorie diet, make sure to take it seriously and do your best to meet your calorie target every day.

This can be difficult to do, especially if you're one of the many people with COPD who struggle with pain and breathlessness when you eat. However, there are a variety of strategies that can help, such as eating more frequent, smaller meals spaced out throughout the day (you can find more tips for adjusting to a high-calorie diet toward the end of this guide in the section on practical diet and cooking tips).

Make sure to consult your doctor if you're having trouble managing your diet on your own, and consider consulting a registered dietitian for more specialized help. Dietitians are trained to help people with special health and dietary considerations, and they can work with you to find solutions and put together a realistic diet plan that's tailored to your needs.

Limit Salt

According to US dietary guidelines, you shouldn't eat more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of salt per day. However, because salt is ubiquitous in so many types of food, most people get far too much of it in their diet.

Unfortunately, too much salt is bad for your health in a variety of ways, increasing your risk for hypertension and heart disease. It's even more dangerous for older adults, and particularly people with COPD, who have a higher risk for age-related heart problems.

A high-salt diet can also cause water retention and bloating, which can worsen common COPD symptoms like breathlessness and chest discomfort. It can also make mealtimes more difficult if you have trouble eating enough food or struggle with shortness of breath when you eat.

Unfortunately, salt can be very difficult to avoid; many popular foods contain excessive amounts of sodium, especially processed foods and snacks. There are also many seemly-innocuous foods that have lots of

One of the main priorities in COPD treatment is keeping symptoms of the disease—such as breathlessness, coughing, and excess mucus—under control. However, this isn't always an easy thing to do, and COPD symptoms can get worse without much warning, even when you do everything right.

One of the biggest culprits of symptom flare-ups are COPD exacerbations, which are periods of elevated symptoms that can last for days, weeks, or more. In some cases, they can even lead to permanent lung damage and quicker lung function loss, which is why managing exacerbations is a vital aspect of treating COPD.

Because of this, many COPD treatment guides focus on how to prevent exacerbations, which is usually done through a combination of medication, lifestyle changes, and avoiding exacerbation triggers like illnesses and environmental irritants. However, it's also important to realize that exacerbations are not always avoidable; in fact, they are more or less an inevitable part of living with COPD.

As unfortunate as this is, it's anything but hopeless. COPD exacerbations are very treatable, and there are a variety of effective strategies and tools you can use to manage the symptoms of an exacerbation even after it has already begun.

That's why we created this practical guide about how to recover from a COPD exacerbation. In the sections below, we'll introduce you to a plethora of helpful tips and proven techniques you can use to manage exacerbations at home and get better as quickly as possible.

Whether you are experiencing an exacerbation now or you're preparing for when the next one comes, the information in this guide can help. When you learn how to be proactive about treating your COPD, you'll be better able to manage your symptoms and feel even empowered to take charge of even more aspects of your health and disease treatment.

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How to Get Over a COPD Exacerbation More Quickly

Catch it Early

If you want to limit the effects of an exacerbation and recover as quickly as possible, early detection is key. The sooner you notice the signs of an oncoming exacerbation, the sooner you can take action to bring your symptoms back under control.

In some cases, early detection and quick treatment can essentially “nip it in the bud” and prevent the exacerbation from getting significantly worse. It can also help prevent exacerbations triggered by respiratory illnesses like the cold or flu from escalating into a more serious infection like pneumonia.

In fact, research has shown that COPD patients who treat their exacerbations soon after they start recover more quickly than those who delay treatment. Patients who begin treatment promptly are also less likely to be hospitalized for the exacerbation and have a higher health-related quality of life.

Because of this, it's very important to monitor your COPD symptoms and how they change from day to day. The more familiar you are with your “baseline” symptoms, the more likely you are to notice when they start to get worse.

Here are some of the signs of a COPD Exacerbation:

• Increased shortness of breath
• Increased coughing or more sputum
• Increased fatigue
• Morning headaches
• Noisier breaths or wheezing sounds when you breathe
• Fever
• Symptoms of a cold or another respiratory illness
• Change in the color of your mucus or sputum
• Swollen ankles
• Confusion

These changes can happen suddenly without much warning, so you should always be on the lookout for flare-ups; even small up-tick in symptoms need to be carefully monitored for change. It's also important to know exactly what to do when an exacerbation strikes, as directed by your doctor and your COPD action plan.

Enact the Correct Steps in Your COPD Action Plan

We talk a lot about COPD action plans on this blog because they are just so important for managing the disease. Every person with COPD should have one of these individualized plans, which tells you precisely how to manage your COPD medications and treatments from day toy day.

While action plans are important for daily COPD management, they are perhaps even more useful for managing exacerbations. They tell you exactly what to do as soon as you notice your symptoms flare up, which gives you the opportunity to respond to a potential exacerbation quickly so you can start self-treatment at home.

The self-treatment directions in a COPD action plan often include things like reducing physical activity, taking a larger dose of medication, or starting a new medication. The exact instructions will vary from patient to patient, since they are designed to account for the severity of the disease and other individual needs.

At the start of an exacerbation, following the instructions in your COPD action plan can reduce your symptoms or prevent them from getting worse. In fact, research shows that COPD patients who follow an action plan recover from exacerbations more quickly, have fewer hospital visits, reduced shortness of breath, and a generally improved quality of life.

However, enacting your COPD action plan—while important—is not guaranteed to prevent an exacerbation from becoming more severe. It's important to talk to your doctor if your symptoms don't improve quickly, or if they continue to get worse.

Luckily, your action plan should also tell you when to notify your doctor of your symptoms, and how to know if you require more intensive medical care. When in doubt, don't hesitate to call your doctor and ask her for advice.

If you don't currently have a clear and complete COPD action plan, you should talk to your doctor about putting one together at your next visit. You could even ask your doctor to fill out this COPD action plan template (PDF link) or use it as a starting point for working out a more personalized plan.

The following sections include additional tips for using your COPD action plan to treat an exacerbation. For even more information on the topic, check out our previous guide on COPD action plans here.

Pay Close Attention to Which “Zone” You Are In

A COPD action plan isn't a singular set of instructions, but rather a collection of several sub-plans. Each of these sub-plans—which are often referred to as “zones”—corresponds to a different level of COPD symptom severity

Most action plans have 3 zones labeled by color: a green zone, a yellow zone, and red zone.

Here's an quick run-down of what each of these zones stand for:

• The Green Zone: This zone tells you how to treat your baseline symptoms, and it's the plan you'll follow on typical days.
• The Yellow Zone: This zone tells you what to do when your symptoms get worse, and usually directs you to take extra steps in addition to your usual treatment routine. Essentially, the yellow zone is your guide to managing the early signs of a COPD exacerbation.
• The Red Zone: This zone tells you what to do if you experience more severe symptoms; in many cases, this includes going to the hospital for professional medical care.

For each zone, your plan should have two important pieces of information. First, there should be clear descriptions of which types of COPD symptoms correspond to each particular zone. That way, all you have to do to determine which plan you should follow for the day is choose the zone with the description that most closely matches your current symptoms.

Second, each zone should includes a specific list of actions you need to take that day to manage your symptoms. These instructions may cover variety of different treatments and lifestyle factors, including diet, exercise, medications, and symptom management techniques.

However, you action plan can only help you if you know how to use it correctly, which is why it is so important to make sure that you thoroughly understand all the information it contains. Each part of your action plan is designed to help you manage a specific set of symptoms, and it will only be effective if you can accurately evaluate which zone to use each day.

Take Time to Rest

Getting plenty of exercise is a crucial part of managing COPD, and it's perfectly safe in most cases. However, when you're sick or coming down with an exacerbation, too much physical activity can make your symptoms worse.

Because of this, the “yellow zone” in many COPD action plans includes instructions to reduce or stop physical activity. Doing so allows your body to rest and prevents extra strain on your lungs, which are already more strained than usual because of the exacerbation.

It can be tempting to ignore this recommendation, especially if it means canceling plans or taking time off work. However, as frustrating as it might be, slowing down and taking it easy can help you recover more quickly so you can get back up on your feet ASAP.

Be Ready to Adjust Your Medications

There's a good chance that your COPD action plan will tell you to take extra medication when your symptoms flare up. It might, for example, tell you to take more of your usual medication (e.g. use your rescue inhaler more often) or it might tell you to start a new course of medication like steroids or antibiotics.

These medications can reduce both the length and severity of your exacerbation, but they're usually most effective if you start them early on. Because of this, you should make sure you have these extra medications on hand for when you need them.

For example, if your action plan says to begin a course of steroids when you feel an exacerbation coming on, ask your doctor for an extra supply to keep at home. That way, you can begin taking the medication immediately when you feel an exacerbation coming on, without having to make a trip to the pharmacy.

Know Your Treatments and What They are For

In order to self-treat an exacerbation and enact your COPD action plan, you need to have a thorough understanding of all your COPD medications. That includes the medications you take for daily COPD maintenance, as-needed inhalers, and medications specifically prescribed to treat COPD exacerbations.

You need to know more than just the name and dosage of your medicines; you should also know what each medication does and why you take it. After all, your overall health and your ability to recover from exacerbation depends on your ability to use them correctly.

The more you know about your medications, the better you will be able to manage your symptoms during an exacerbation, and the better you will be able to interpret the directions in your COPD action plan. It will also help you better communicate with your doctor about managing exacerbations and your COPD treatment plan in general.

Since you don't use them as often, you might not be as familiar with your exacerbation medicine as you are with your daily medications. That's why it's important to take the time to learn what they are and how they help.

Don't be afraid to use your doctor or pharmacist as a resource if you have any questions or concerns about any medicine you take. To help you get started, the following sections include a quick overview of each of the four main medications used to treat COPD exacerbations:

Quick-acting Bronchodilators

Quick-acting bronchodilators, also known as quick-relief or rescue inhalers, are as-needed medications that work almost immediately to open up your airways and make it easier to breathe. They are different from long-acting bronchodilators (also known as maintenance inhalers), which take much longer to work and need to be taken on a schedule every day.

During an exacerbation, you may need to use your rescue inhaler more often to keep your COPD symptoms under control. In fact, using your rescue inhaler more often is a common first sign of a COPD exacerbation.

Corticosteroids

Corticosteroids, sometimes simply called steroids, are medications that treat inflammation. They help you breathe better and reduce COPD symptoms by making your lungs less irritated and inflamed.

Because exacerbations worsen lung inflammation, corticosteroids are often prescribed to manage COPD flare-ups and exacerbations. Research shows that, in many cases, this treatment can reduce shortness of breath and even shorten the length of the exacerbation.

Antibiotics

Some exacerbations are caused by bacterial infections, which require antibiotics to cure. However, sometimes doctors prescribe antibiotics before an infection is known, in order to control bacteria in the lungs and prevent a more serious infection from taking hold.

These preventative antibiotic treatments can prevent a common cold or another illness from causing a secondary infection like pneumonia, which is a major risk during an exacerbation. In this way, antibiotics can help prevent an exacerbation from getting more severe and reduce the risk for serious complications.

Supplemental Oxygen Therapy

Supplemental oxygen is often used to treat low blood oxygen levels, known as hypoxemia, in people with COPD. People with chronic hypoxemia often need to use oxygen every day, but oxygen therapy is also used to treat temporary hypoxemia caused by COPD exacerbations.

Even if your blood oxygen levels are usually within a healthy range, exacerbations can impair your lung function to the point that they fall much lower than normal. If this happens, you might be have to use supplemental oxygen for a few days—or potentially longer—to ensure your body gets enough oxygen until you recover from the exacerbation.

Here are some additional guides to help you understand and manage your COPD medications:

• How to Take COPD Medications Correctly & Adhere to Your Treatment Plan
• 11 Tips for Saving Money on COPD Medications

Don't Delay Seeking Treatment

While self-treatment at home is enough to get over some exacerbations, it's not always possible to get better on your own. In many cases, COPD exacerbations require more extensive treatment from a doctor or an in-patient hospital stay.

Because of this, it's important to talk to your doctor if you have a flare-up that continues to get worse or doesn't start to get better after a few days. When in doubt, you can always reference your COPD action plan or call your doctor for advice.

What you shouldn't do is wait too long too get help, which could lead to much more severe symptoms and a longer recovery time. Delayed treatment can also increase your risk for permanent lung function loss, lung infections, and other complications.

During an exacerbation, you might also have a higher risk of experiencing life-threatening sympyoms that require emergency medical attention. If this happens, call 911 right away or get to an emergency room as soon as possible.

The following symptoms could be a sign that you need emergency medical care:

• Extremely severe breathlessness that doesn't go away with rest
• Breathlessness that leaves you unable to sleep or do light activity
• Unusual or severe chest pains
• Fever, shaking, or chills
• Confusion
• A bluish tint on your fingertips or lips
• Coughing up blood

To learn more about medical emergencies related to COPD, you can read our guide on the topic here.

Conclusion

If you have COPD, it's important to be prepared for handling the inevitable flare-ups and exacerbations when they come. That means knowing how to identify the signs of an exacerbation, enact a treatment plan, and knowing when it's time to get professional medical help.

With the right medications and a proper COPD action plan, you can self-treat the early stages of most exacerbations at home. Even if your symptoms end up getting worse, catching the exacerbation early and responding promptly can still limit how severe it becomes.

Even though exacerbations can be frightening and difficult to manage, remember that there are many ways to treat your symptoms and give yourself the best shot at quick recovery. By learning how to manage an exacerbation properly and taking a more active role in your health, you can take back a significant measure of control over your health and your COPD.

Are you newly diagnosed with COPD? Do not make these common mistakes, read this post to learn about what and how to avoid complications early on! 

Getting diagnosed with COPD can seem overwhelming, especially when it catches you by surprise. It's often even more overwhelming to get used to all the new treatments, medications and lifestyle changes required to keep your lungs healthy, especially while you're still trying to come to terms with your diagnosis.

As a chronic disease, COPD requires constant work and careful decision-making to keep the symptoms under control. Because of this, it's no surprise that new COPD patients make a variety of mistakes that can affect their health and well-being.

Between making changes to your diet, exercise routine, medications, and many other activities of daily life, there are a lot of opportunities for error. As you adjust to life with COPD, it's important to avoid making mistakes that could serious consequences for your health, or at least catch and correct them early on.

That's why you should learn and pay attention to the mistakes that other new COPD patients tend to make. It helps you learn more about your disease, what to look out for, and how to keep your body and lungs as healthy as possible.

In this guide, we're going to help you avoid common pitfalls by showing you the mistakes that new COPD patients frequently make. Along with each mistake we've provided solutions so you'll know how to avoid that mistake and do the correct thing instead.

By taking the time to learn from others' mistakes, you'll be much less likely to encounter the same problems yourself. In the next sections, we'll give you all the information you need to avoid falling into the same pitfalls that other patients end up in.

However, it's important to remember that mistakes and struggles are inevitable as you adjust to the many changes that getting diagnosed with COPD brings. But if you educate yourself now, you can easily correct these mistakes and avoid serious problems that could permanently affect your health.

A major part of keeping your lungs healthy and keeping your COPD under control is learning everything you can about your disease. It also means being an active, motivated participant in your treatment and knowing what you shouldn't do just as much as the things you should.

The Mistake: Not Using Your Inhaler Correctly

While inhalers may seem like fairly straightforward devices, a surprisingly large percentage of patients don't use their inhaler correctly. This happens to many patients who never learned the proper technique or forgot the correct steps over time. Other patients get too complacent or careless and skip steps to save time, not realizing each step is important.

Most of the mistakes patients make with their inhalers have to do with preparing the inhaler and using the right breathing technique. This is a serious problem, since these steps are necessary for getting the medication into the lungs where it needs to work.

Unfortunately, many doctors don't do their due diligence in training their patients to use their inhalers correctly. Even though doctors are supposed to check patients' inhaler technique at every appointment, it is often rare for them to take the time to do it properly in practice.

It doesn't help that many doctors don't even know proper inhaler technique themselves, meaning they can't give their patients adequate instruction. Luckily, the medical community has recently acknowledged the extent of this problem and is making efforts to raise awareness among doctors to correct it.

Here are some of the common mistakes to look out for:

• Not shaking the inhaler before each puff
• Not exhaling fully before using the inhaler
• Not holding the inhaler in the correct position
• Not timing your inhale with the spray from the inhaler
• Not inhaling deeply enough
• Not inhaling slowly enough
• Not holding your breath after inhaling the medication
• Inhaling through your nose instead of your mouth

Making any of these mistakes can result in getting too little medication or none of the medication that you need. This can be very dangerous when you suffer from COPD, because you need your full dose to prevent serious symptoms and exacerbations.

The Solution: Learning Proper Inhaler Technique

Because all inhalers are different, the only way to ensure that you're using your inhaler correctly is to re-read your inhaler's instructions and re-evaluate your technique. That means going over all the steps and guidelines in the information packet that comes with your medication.

This is important whether you're a newly diagnosed COPD patient or you have been treating your disease for some time. No matter how well you think you know it, it never hurts to double check.

You should also take your inhaler with you to every doctor's appointment so you can show your doctor exactly how you usually use it. That way, your doctor can identify any mistakes you make and show you the correct technique.

Every time you use your inhaler, make sure you follow every step and don't rush or cut any corners. Don't forget to shake or prime your inhaler if needed, and always remember to exhale before using it.

Timing your inhale with the spray from your inhaler is extremely important, but also difficult, which is why this step tends to cause patients the most problems. It may take some practice to time correctly, and you may need to use a spacer attached to the mouthpiece to help you do it right.

Studies show that when you inhale too early, then you only get about 35% of the full dose you're supposed to get. If you inhale to late, however, you end up spraying the medication in your mouth and throat instead of inhaling it into your lungs. This makes the medication ineffective and puts your lungs at risk.

To make sure you inhale at the right time and get the full dose, start breathing in slowly just before you press the button to release the medicine. Continue inhaling slowly and deeply as you feel the spray to draw the medication all the way into your lungs.

Remember that inhaling the medication isn't the last step; you still have to hold your breath to keep it in your lungs. Most recommend holding your breath for about ten seconds, then you can slowly and gently exhale.

If you are using an inhaler that contains steroid medications, then you still aren't done quite yet. To prevent the medication from drying out your mouth and throat, you need to rinse your mouth out with water before you're done.

If you ever have any questions or concerns about using your inhaler, don't hesitate to talk to your doctor. You can also ask your pharmacist to demonstrate how to use your inhaler(s) or to answer any other questions you have.

You can also find tips and information online for a variety of different types of inhalers. However, this should never be a replacement for the information you can get from your doctor and prescription information.

The Mistake: Not Knowing When to Take Which Medications

Nearly all COPD patients take two major types of medications: maintenance medications and quick-relief medications (also known as rescue medications). Both medications are delivered via inhaler, which is why patients sometimes get them confused.

This can be dangerous, because you need to use both medications correctly in order to treat your COPD effectively and keep your symptoms under control. Mixing up the two medications or forgetting to take them at the right time could make your symptoms worse or cause you to have a serious COPD exacerbation.

Other medications can be confusing to use, too, especially if you are only supposed to take them on certain occasions. For example, many doctors prescribe oral antibiotics and steroid medications for their patients to use as needed to prevent and treat COPD exacerbations.

The Solution: Following Your COPD Action Plan

Every COPD patient should get a COPD action plan from their doctor shortly after getting diagnosed. If you haven't received one yet, ask your doctor to work one up for you, as studies show that they help patients better manage COPD at home.

A COPD Action plan acts like a set of guidelines for you to follow based on how bad your symptoms are from day to day. For example, most action plans have three major “zones” that correspond to the severity of your symptoms; the first zone is for when you are feeling fine, the second for mild flare-ups, and the third for more serious symptoms and complications.

Click here to see what a sample COPD action plan looks like.

Every day, you should evaluate your symptoms to determine what “zone” to look at. Then, you simply follow the instructions in that zone for what medications and what doses you should take. Most action plans also include guidelines to let you know when its safe to exert yourself and at what point you should call your doctor when your symptoms flare up.

Because most COPD patients have several different medications to keep track of, it's extremely important to take the time to learn all of the important facts about each of your medications. That includes learning their full names, what they look like, and what you are supposed to use them for.

This ensures that you can match your medications with the instructions in your COPD action plan and use them exactly as your doctor directs you to. It also makes you much less likely to mix your medications up, take them at the wrong time, or forget about them altogether.

You should also bring a complete list of your medications with you anytime you go to the hospital or doctor's office. This will make it easier for the medical professionals who look after you to ensure you get the best treatment possible.

It is also important to bring this list with you whenever you travel, especially if you will be taking your medication with you on a bus, train, or airplane. You may need to present your list of medications to travel personnel, and it will come in handy if you need medical attention while you're away from your regular doctor.

The Mistake: Not Quitting Smoking

One of the most important things you can do for your health when you have COPD is to stop smoking. Unfortunately, too many patients believe it's too late for them to quit and continue to smoke even after their COPD diagnosis.

The thing is, even after you've developed COPD, there are still enormous benefits to quitting. In fact, having COPD makes it even more imperative to quit, since continuing to smoke can cause your disease to rapidly get worse.

COPD is a result of reduced lung function, often due to smoking, but continuing to smoke after COPD has set in will only harm your lungs even more. Smoking causes you to lose lung function at an accelerated rate compared to COPD patients who are able to quit.

Reduced lung function will make it even more difficult to breathe, do physical activities, and can significantly reduce your quality of life. If you quit, however, you may even see an improvement in your COPD symptoms, and you can enjoy the lung function and lifestyle you have for much longer.

While quitting smoking cannot reverse the damage that's already been done to your lungs, it can slow down the damage from getting worse. It can also increase your lifespan and reduce the number of exacerbations, flare-ups, and hospitalizations you experience because of your COPD.

Don't forget that quitting can reduce your chances for a variety of other serious health problems as well. For example, you can significantly reduce your risk for heart disease, lung cancer, and stroke if you successfully quit smoking.

The Solution: Making the Decision to Quit

It's important for every COPD patient to understand that it is never too late to quit smoking. Whether you are 25 or 65, you can improve your health and possibly even your lifespan by making the decision to quit today.

It's not an easy decision to make, and it's even harder to actually follow through. However, every year at least 350,000 smokers in the US are able to quit completely, and there's no reason why you can't be one of them.

Although quitting is hard, there are many things you can do to increase your chances of success. For example, using a quit-smoking medication or joining a quit-smoking program can make your quit attempt more likely to succeed.

When you make the decision to quit, remember that you are not alone and there are many ways to get support. First, you should talk to your doctor to see what kinds of medications and support programs are available to help you.

You may want to try nicotine replacement therapy, which is proven to increase smoking cessation rates. There are many different forms available, too, including nicotine gum, skin patches, tablets, oral sprays, and inhalers.

For more information on how to quit smoking, visit the CDC's website for a variety of helpful links and resources. You can also find helpful quit-smoking tips from the American Lung Association's website or from smokefree.gov.

Don't be discouraged if your first, second, or even tenth attempt to quit smoking ends up failing. It takes most smokers at least six attempts to quit smoking, and sometimes up to twenty, before they are able to quit long-term.

As the CDC puts it, “Quitting smoking is a marathon, not a sprint,” and you have to be in it for the long term if you truly want to live smoke free. Even though it is a long and difficult process, it is more than worth the benefits you will receive through improved health, reduced COPD symptoms, and your overall quality of life.

The Mistake: Not Eating a COPD-Healthy Diet

In order to keep your lungs and the rest of your body strong, you need to feed them the nutrients they need. That means eating a healthy, balanced diet every day to give your body fuel to work as efficiently as possible.

Unfortunately, many new patients find that controlling their weight and eating healthy foods is difficult with COPD. The disease can make it difficult to exercise and prepare healthy meals, both of which are vital for a healthy lifestyle.

COPD can make it difficult to lose weight and difficult to gain weight, which is why some patients struggle with being underweight while others struggle with obesity. Either situation is bad for your health and can make it more difficult to breathe.

If you get too few calories and nutrients, then your lungs won't have enough fuel to keep up with your body's needs. However, eating too much and gaining weight puts extra strain on your muscles and lungs, which can also make your COPD symptoms worse.

Also, because COPD makes your lungs less efficient, it means they have to work harder than healthy lungs in order to get enough oxygen to your body. This means that COPD patients need more calories and more nutrients to fuel the needs of their lungs and breathing muscles.

Another danger that many new COPD are unaware of is eating a diet that's too high in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates actually put extra strain on your lungs when digested, because they release large amounts of CO2 that then has to be processed through your lungs.

The Solution: Eating Whole Foods and Balanced Meals

Breathlessness on its own can make walking, bending, kneeling, and other physical tasks exhausting and uncomfortable. And then when you add other COPD symptoms into the mix, like coughing, wheezing, muscle weakness, and fatigue, daily responsibilities like cooking can sometimes seem like too much to handle.

Because of this, conserving energy is often a necessity for COPD patients, especially when they experience flare-ups, exacerbations, or begin to lose their physical mobility as the disease progresses. That's when it's time to start looking into effort- and time-saving tools and techniques and ways to simplify and streamline daily tasks.

Nowhere is this more important than when it comes to food and cooking. Diet is a vitally important part of staying healthy with COPD, but it's also easy to neglect when you're not feeling well. Continuing to purchase and prepare healthy, whole meals can get extremely difficult when you're restricted by limited strength and energy every day.

That's why, in this article, we're going to help you find ways to continue shopping, cooking, and preparing healthy meals in spite of the difficulties that come along with having COPD. We'll show you how planning your meals and using a variety of practical tools and techniques can significantly reduce the amount of time and effort you have to spend shopping and preparing home-made food.

We'll teach you some practical shortcuts for meal planning and preparation, show you how to save energy cooking and cleaning, and introduce you to food-related products and services designed to help people with limited mobility. So without further ado, continue reading to learn about 27 useful tools and techniques you can use to simplify grocery shopping, meal planning, and cooking with COPD.

Tools & Techniques for Easy Meal Planning

Planning ahead is the cornerstone of efficient cooking. Without a weekly meal plan, shopping and preparing meals is much more stressful and you're more likely to just give up and opt for processed or fast foods.

On the other hand, putting a little extra effort into scheduling your meals helps to streamline the entire shopping, food preparation, and cooking processes. This section will give you a variety of practical tips to help you successfully build the habit of planning your meals ahead for every week.

Writing Your Meal Plan

It might seem like a pain, but taking the time once a week to sit and write down every meal you're going to eat is guaranteed to save you time and effort in the long run. It streamlines shopping, simplifies cooking, and helps you fit healthy, homemade meals into your busy week.

When planning your meals, make sure you consider how much time you have each day and do your best to be realistic. Always have a couple of quick-fix or pre-made meals in mind as a contingency plan for when your schedule changes or you just don't have enough time to cook.

Once you get into the habit of meal planning, you'll start to notice a myriad of benefits. It will remove the stress of wondering “what can I make for dinner?” every evening, and saves time when it's time to make your shopping list.

If you follow a meal plan, you won't find yourself without the ingredients you need to make dinner, because you'll know exactly what groceries you need and you can shop for all your meals for the week ahead of time. By making things as easy for yourself as possible, it will also be easier to stay committed to making home-cooked meals, and easier to resist unhealthy, lazy options like fast food.

Here are some additional tips for weekly meal planning:

• Record your meals in a weekly schedule or calendar so you can easily remember and keep track of your meal plan
  
  
• Plan the most difficult or time-consuming meals for days when you have fewer activities and are less likely to breathless or worn out.
  
  
• Avoid having to cook every single day by planning for leftovers or heating up make-ahead meals (prepared ahead of time).
  
  
• Plan no-cook meals like sandwiches and salads for busy days or use them as a fall-back for when your COPD symptoms act up.
  
  
• Plan slow cooker meals for days when you don't have time for a lot of preparation or cooking. Simply throw the ingredients in the pot in the morning, and you'll have a hot, delicious meal waiting for you at the end of the day.
  
  
• Make your shopping list while you're planning your meals for the week. That way, you can add all the ingredients you need for your meals to your shopping list and take care of two birds with one stone.

Keep Track of Recipes

It's hard to plan your meals if you don't know what to make. That's why building up a collection of your favorite recipes can really help you out.

If you often have trouble thinking of what to make or you're getting bored with your usual meals, it might be time to go shopping for a new cookbook or two. Look for cookbooks with practical recipes that appeal to your tastes and aren't too complex for you to make. Mark your favorite recipes with post-it notes or copy them into a separate notebook so you can easily find and flip through the best recipes.

It's also a good idea to spend some time searching online for recipes and recipe websites that you like. Look for themed recipe blogs that focus on types of food you enjoy and bookmark any sites or single recipes that you want to keep.

You can also use a note-taking and bookmark-organizing application like Evernote to save and keep track of any recipes you find on the web. That way, you can sort your recipes by category and easily track down any recipe you've saved.

Plan Around Themes

Assigning a theme or main ingredient to different days of the week can take some of the pressure and hassle out of meal planning. It could be any theme you want; you could try taco Tuesdays, fish Fridays,  soup Sundays, or casserole Mondays. Whatever you choose, it will narrow down your options and make it easier to pick out meals for the week.

But just because a day is dedicated to a particular type of meal doesn't mean you have to eat the same thing every time. Instead of preparing the same boring meal week after week, use your themed days as an excuse to try out new recipes or variations. For taco tuesdays, for example, you could try a different type of taco every week (e.g. beef tacos, fried fish tacos, veggie tacos, chicken tacos, etc.).

Tools & Techniques to Make Shopping Easier

The long, winding path through the grocery store can be exhausting if you have COPD. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to reduce the amount of time you have to spend shopping for food and supplies.

Whether you suffer from limited mobility or simply need to conserve energy when you're feeling breathless and fatigued, simplifying and streamlining your grocery trips can make a huge difference in your life. Take a look at some of the following tips and techniques for getting the groceries you need with less time, effort, and hassle.

Plan Your Route

If long grocery shopping trips leave you exhausted and breathless, then you should try to keep them as short and efficient as possible. The best way to do this is to have a complete list of everything you need before you go, organized in the order you will encounter the items at the grocery store.

As long as you know the store's general layout, planning your route ahead of time shouldn't be difficult to do. Simply do your best as you write your list to arrange the items into categories (e.g. produce, dairy, and frozen) and put them in roughly the same order as they occur in the store.

This way, you can save energy by taking the shortest path possible through the aisles while still getting everything you need. It also greatly reduces your likelihood of having to backtrack and walk all the way across the store for items you skipped over or forgot.

Shop Once

Almost nothing is more frustrating than arriving home from a grocery trip with more than you need and realizing you forgot the items that you went there for. Then, you either have to make do without, or muster up the energy to make another journey out to the store.

That's why you should never set foot in a grocery store without having a plan. Taking some time to sit down and make a list is absolutely essential for making your shopping trips efficient and worthwhile.

First, take a couple minutes to write down all the meals you have planned for the week and the ingredients you'll need to make them. Then, take a look in your fridge, freezer, and pantry to see what ingredients you have and what ingredients you'll need to get.

You should also make it a habit to check your cabinets for how much of any important food staples, like flour, herbs, rice, and canned goods that you have left. If you're running low on anything, it's in your best interest to buy more before you run out so you don't find yourself having to make a last-minute trip to the store on a later date.

Take Advantage of Local Grocery Store Pickup

Photo by Joe Goldberg

Did you know that many grocery stores have a service where they'll pick out your groceries for you, saving you the walk through the store? It's a great way to save energy if all of the walking, lifting, and stooping that grocery shopping requires makes you feel too exhausted and breathless to shop.

Depending on the store, you can either give them a list of the items you need or directly order them online. Then, all you have to do is drive up to the store, and employees will load up all your bags in your car for you.

Get Your Groceries Delivered to Your Door

Many grocery stores also offer delivery services you can use to get your groceries brought right to your house for a fee. This allows you to get all of your shopping done without ever having to leave your home.

There are also many online stores you can use to order groceries for delivery straight to your door. Amazon Prime Pantry, for instance, has a massive selection of groceries and cooking items to choose from and you can get most of them delivered to you in just two days if you pay the annual membership fee for Amazon Prime.

Subscribe to a Local CSA

Being part of a community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program is a great way to support local agriculture and get fresh, nutritious produce during the summer and fall.

It works like this: You pay an annual membership fee that is used to support a local farm. Then, during the growing season, you will receive regular boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables grown on that farm—your “share” of the harvest in return for your investment.

Most of the time, you can pick up your box weekly at one of a few pickup centers in your city. Most CSA's will get you a box of fresh produce every week during the summer and fall, but it depends on how your local CSA works and what kind of membership you pay for.

CSA's are a great way to work more fruits and veggies into your diet without having to pick them out yourself. All you have to do is pick up your box of produce, and you'll have most if not all of your fresh fruits and veggies that you need for the week.

Visit Local Harvest's website to see if there's a CSA program that delivers to your area.

Stock Extras

Many non-perishable foods can keep for months, or even years unopened. Use this to your advantage and stock your home with extras of all the non-perishable items you use on a regular basis.

That way, you don't have to worry about running out of ingredients as quickly and can make fewer trips to the store. It can also save you a great deal of money if you take advantage of sales and special offers or buy things in bulk.

Here are some examples of common non-perishable food items that you can stock for months or years before you use them:

• Sugar
• Flour
• Dry beans
• Rice
• Pasta
• Baking powder and baking soda
• Canned goods

Tools & Techniques to Make Cooking Easier

Simplify Your Cooking Prep Process

Oftentimes, gathering and preparing ingredients is the most difficult part of cooking. Chopping veggies, measuring ingredients, and mincing garlic not only takes time, but saps your valuable strength and energy as well.

Here are some tips to help you reduce the amount of time and effort you put toward preparing ingredients for meals.

Rearrange Your Cooking Space

Many cooking inefficiencies stem from a messy or poorly organized kitchen. If you take some time to tidy up your cooking space and arrange your kitchen supplies for maximum utility, you can noticeably reduce the amount of hassle and time it takes to cook.

For example, put items and ingredients you use often front and center in your cabinets and make sure everything is within easy reach. Have a stool handy to help you reach higher shelves and use a grabber tool to avoid bending down for items in lower cabinets and drawers.

Prepare Ingredients Ahead of Time

Instead of doing all your prepping and cooking at once, which can be exhausting, split them up and do them at different times. For example, you could prepare the ingredients for your dinner in the mornings and then cook in the evening, or pre-chop lots of fruits and veggies on the weekend, when you have some extra time and energy.

It can also help to make large batches of meal staples like rice, beans, pasta, or potatoes ahead of time to use throughout the week. If you store them in air-tight jars in the fridge, most foods will keep for at least 3-4 days after you prepare them.

Find Recipes with Fewer Ingredients

Photo by Tim Sackton

Have you ever looked up a recipe online, only to find two recipes for the same dish that have vastly different ingredients? That's because there's more than one way to cook just about everything, and some ways are much quicker and easier than others.

That's why you should look specifically for simpler recipes with fewer ingredients if you want to save energy preparing your meals. Fewer ingredients not only means less dicing, mincing, and measuring, but also means fewer trips to the store for fringe ingredients that you don't keep on hand.

There are several popular three-, four-, and five-ingredient cookbooks out in bookstores and online that are full of tasty recipes that are simple to make. There are also websites and food blogs dedicated to simple, easy cooking that are full of recipes that only use a few main ingredients.

Here are some great recipe websites you could try:

• Stone Soup: A blog full of 5-ingredient recipes and simple weeknight dinner inspirations.
• Six Sister's Stuff: A list of 50 easy recipes with six ingredients or less.
• Good Food from the BBC: A list of 40 quick recipes with five ingredients or less.

Buy Pre-Prepared Produce

Most grocery stores have coolers full of pre-washed, pre-chopped, and pre-peeled fruits and veggies in their produce section. While they are a little more pricey than their un-processed counterparts, buying pre-prepped produce can save you several steps and a significant amount of time when you cook.

Drink Green Smoothies

Green smoothies are a great way to get more healthy fruits and veggies in your diet without having to cook. The only prep work you have to do is washing whatever healthy produce you have on hand and tossing it into a blender.

Smoothies are also a great way to use up extra fruit and veggies that are close to going bad. You can make them anytime you're in a pinch for time or make them a regular part of your everyday diet.

You can make fruit or green smoothies with just about whatever you have on hand, depending on your tastes and nutritional needs. Here is an article with 25 easy green smoothie recipes to help you get started.

No-Cook Meals

There will be days when you're just too tired, too breathless, or too lazy to slave over the stove. Luckily, there are plenty of simple, healthy meals you can whip up that don't require any cooking at all.

No-cook meals are often easier to prepare than hot foods and almost always take less time. They are also great for hot, summer days when you don't want to heat up your house by using the stove.

Here are some ideas for no-cook meals and snacks you can try making at home:

• Green Salads: Use whatever veggies and salad greens you have on hand with a light dressing for a delicious meal or side dish. Try adding fruit, nuts, hard-boiled egg, or meats like salmon and chicken for a heartier, more flavorful meal.
• Chickpea Salads: You can make a delicious Mediterranean salad with nothing but canned chickpeas, veggies, and hummus dressing. Add some pre-cooked quinoa to make it even better.
• Sandwiches
• Lettuce wraps
• Tortilla wraps
• Veggie nachos
• Fruit salads

You can also find a variety of no-cook, cold meal recipes online, like on this list from Southern Living.

Single-Pan and Single-Pot Meals

Cooking everything in one big pot or pan can save you a lot of time and energy. It means fewer steps, fewer dishes, and a much simpler cooking process.

Single-pan and single-pot meals can include skillet dinners, casseroles, dutch oven dinners, and slow cooker meals. You can find tons of recipes for one-pan meals online, or easily whip up an improvised meal on your own.

Just about any combination of meat, veggies, and potatoes in a skillet can work to make a delicious, well-balanced meal. Another easy option is to stir-fry whatever vegetables you have on hand and serve them over rice, quinoa, or another healthy grain.

Choose Simple & Easy Foods

If you want to reduce the amount of preparation you have to do to for meals, get the simplest version of the ingredients you can. For example, use frozen or canned carrots instead of peeling and chopping them yourself, or get pre-washed, bagged lettuce instead of a whole head.

Also, consider how difficult a fruit or vegetable will be to prepare before you buy it. For instance, pomegranates, pineapples, and melons take a decent amount of time and effort to prepare for eating. On the other hand, bananas, apples, and berries are require min

Changes are occurring within us, both physically and emotionally, our entire lives and yes, one day those changes become stressful and even hard to manage, we call it old age.

Vitality you once had as a young man or woman seems to be fading away, however, it is not gone. This does not go without saying that the aging process can be physically and mentally exhausting even painful, but there are measures you can take to manage the changes that are happening in your body and mind.

In this article, we will take an in-depth look at a few of the changes occurring in your bones, heart, and lungs as you age.

Once you understand some of these changes, you can begin implementing goals into your daily life to make the most out of the vitality in you.

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Your aging bones, why are they thinning?

Age-related bone loss is a gradual decline in bone mineral density. This means that with increased age there can also be a reduction in bone formation, which can result in osteoporosis, bone thinning, and it is perfectly normal.

Bone thinning can occur in men and women, and it puts so many people at risk of breaking bones more easily. Of course, more broken bones means limited mobility and less independence which is something you can work to avoid.

By using the research below, you will have the tools to set goals to in the form of exercise and diet geared towards improving your bone health.

Pursuing one or all of these goals will help you to maintain your bone health and density as you age.

#1. Start doing these effective exercises for enhancing your bone density and bone health

As we grow older it becomes exceedingly harmful to associate older age with a decline in our physical activity, especially when healthy bone density depends on how much you work out your bones.

By exercising regularly, your bones adapt to the changes in force, and your body will generate more cells which strengthens bone density and your overall health.

There are specific types of exercises that will offer the most effective results for building and maintaining strong bones; weight bearing exercises and strength-training exercises.

• Weight Bearing exercises describe any activity you do on your feet that works your bones and muscles against gravity. Activities include:
1. Brisk walking
2. Climbing stairs
3. Jumping up and down or jumping rope
4. Hiking
5. Jogging
6. Step aerobics
7. Tennis
8. Yard work
   
   
• Strength-training exercises involve resistance added to movement in order to make muscles work harder. This can involve:
1. Using free weights
2. Resistance bands
3. Weight machines
4. Push ups
   
   
• Flexibility exercises are to be performed when your muscles are warmed up so that your joints are able to move gently and slowly without pain. For a person at risk of osteoporosis, avoid bouncing, twisting, flexing your spine, and bending at the waist while stretching.
  
  
• Stability and balance exercises will help your muscles work in conjunction with your brain. This is very important to reduce the risk of falling. Try some of these exercises:
1. Standing on one leg
2. Closing your eyes and standing on one leg
3. Tai chi
4. Modified yoga poses

If you are eager to create an exercise training program specific for enhancing your bone density and strength, start by incorporating one of each of these types of exercises into your daily routine. By doing so, you can prevent or reverse almost 1% of bone loss per year.

Your program should be personalized to your body, and should avoid high-impact exercises, bending, and twisting. Also, it is always prudent to speak with your doctor or physical therapist to ensure the exercises you want to accomplish everyday are a good match for your body and bones.

#2. Incorporate calcium and vitamin D rich foods in your diet for stronger bones

Food and drinks can play a critical role in osteoporosis prevention, and by incorporating these foods into your daily diet can prevent further bone thinning.

Important nutrients for strong bones include: Calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin K.

Here is a table with foods that are rich in bone heathy nutrients:

Changing your diet entirely can be intimidating. So try making it more simple by adding one food source from the table above into one meal a day.

From there try starting a meal plan, you can begin your research by searching the most cost effective ways to prep meals for your dollar and your body.

Time to take better care of your aging heart

The most common threat aging has on the heart is increased stiffness of the large arteries, called arteriosclerosis, and this will often lead to heart disease.

This happens when plaque builds up in the coronary arteries and reduces blood flow to your heart muscle, it can cause high blood pressure, or hypertension.

With all of the evidence and information surrounding the causes of heart disease, comes a plethora of preventative and manageable measures one can take everyday to relieve some symptoms and maintain your livelihood with heart disease.

#3 Start doing more physical activity for a healthier heart

Physical activity is one of the most important aspects of preventing and even reversing some risk factors associated with heart disease. Your heart is a muscle, and like any other muscle they must be utilized regularly or they will fatigue and weaken.

Cardiac based exercises aim to restore people with heart disease to health, and exercise has been found to reduce the likelihood of dying from heart disease.

So the question remains, how much exercise is right for you and your heart?

Of course this can be discussed with your doctor, but a basic 30 minutes a day five days a week is recommended by the American Heart Association.

Physical activity can be defined as any type of movement, if you’re moving, you’re likely burning calories. However being physically active when you struggle with heart disease can be daunting.

Take expert advice and start small by integrating some of these steps into your daily routine:

• Start slow:
• do less reps (repetitions of movements), use light weights or no weights, go short distances, move at a slow pace
  
  
• Always begin you workouts by warming up your muscles and bones
• take a short brisk walk around your house or neighborhood. Light jogging or biking are other options for more advanced exercisers
  
  
• Allow yourself to rest after aerobic exercise
• Give your heart time to come down to a normal heart rate. Try stretching and deep breathing exercises in-between activities
  
  
• When it is hot outside, exercise in the morning or evening, or consider walking around the grocery store
• Adding heat to a workout can rapidly increase your heart rate
  
  
• When it is cold outside, cover your nose and mouth when exercising, or consider walking around the grocery store
• Breathing in cold air can cause discomfort in your lungs, making it harder to breath
  

#4 Maintain a heart healthy weight

It is very important to maintain a healthy weight when your heart is at risk of arteriosclerosis and heart disease, this means balancing the calories you eat and drink with the calories burned by being physically active.

If you are determined to maintain a healthy weight, ask your doctor or research the ideal weight for your gender, height, and age. Find out if you need to gain or lose weight or stay relatively the same.

Maintaining a consistent and healthy weight over a long period time of has extremely important health benefits that your heart will thank you for:

• Controlled blood sugar levels
• controlled blood sugar levels are connected to reduced blood pressure and cholesterol levels and subsequently reduce the risk for heart attack, stroke and heart-related death
  
  
• Effectively burn fat
• Burning fat reduces the level of unhealthy cholesterol in your blood.
  
  
• Regulated cholesterol levels
• With high cholesterol, you can develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels and it becomes difficult for blood to flow through your arteries

#5 Start a diet focused on heart health

Diet is critical when heart health is in question, and what you eat has a large impact on how your heart functions. Nutritionists recommend fiber as the most essential nutrient for a healthy heart.

Soluble fiber: Is found abundantly in oats, barley, beans, apples, citrus fruits and carrots. Soluble fiber is so imperative for a healthy heart because its properties bind to cholesterol and sugars preventing their absorption into your bloodstream. Bottom line, It helps reduce cholesterol.

Insoluble fiber: comes from whole grains like whole wheat flour, wheat bran, nuts, beans and vegetables, such as cauliflower, green beans and potatoes.

Beyond fiber, you can follow this list below to incorporate other heart healthy nutrients in your diet like omega 3 fatty acids, monounsaturated fats, folate, quercetin, lycopene, magnesium, plant sterols and stanols.

1. Leafy green vegetables supply a wealthy dose of vitamin k and will help protect your arteries and prompt proper blood clotting.
   
   
2. Dark green vegetables are packed with nitrates that can reduce blood pressure and relieve arterial stiffness.
   
   
3. Whole grains such as oatmeal, whole wheat bread, brown rice, and quinoa have been proven to improve heart health because of the high fiber content and subsequent reduction of systolic blood pressure.
   
   
4. Berries like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are packed with antioxidants and protect against oxidative stress and inflammation which contributes to heart disease.
   
   
5. Avocados are a source of monounsaturated fats
   
   
6. Fish like salmon are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids 
   
   
7. Walnuts contain fiber and micronutrients like magnesium and copper
   
   
8. Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants including flavonoids
   
   
9. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, and lots of antioxidant properties
   
   
10. Almonds are an incredibly good source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and fiber
    
    
11. Seeds including chia seeds, flaxseeds, and hemp seeds are all great sources of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids
    

#6 Get a goodnight's sleep

Sleeping better and sleeping more are underrated goals associated with promoting heart health, but it should become a high priority if you are dedicated to improving your heart and your livelihood.

Lack of sleep leads to health problems that will negatively impact your heart, these include:

• High blood pressure. During normal sleep, your blood pressure goes down. If you are not sleeping well your blood pressure will stay high for a longer amount of time. High blood pressure is one of the leading risks for heart disease and stroke.
  
  
• Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that causes sugar to build up in your blood, a condition that can damage your blood vessels and subsequently your heart. Getting more sleep and better sleep can help improve your blood sugar control.
  
  
• Obesity. Not getting enough sleep can affect a part of the brain that controls hunger, leading to unhealthy weight gain and more heart issues.
  
  

Sleeping is not always an easy goal to task yourself with, even if you do not have a sleep disorder, sleeping better and sleeping more is a job that requires discipline and consistency.

Now that you understand how impactful a restless night’s sleep can be for your aging heart, here are some ways you can sleep through the night, fall asleep quicker, and sleep more consistently:

• Find a pattern in your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. Try to go to sleep and get up at the same time every day, avoid sleeping in, even on weekends, limit naps to 15 to 20 minutes, fight giving into drowsiness before bedtime

• Control your exposure to light, and blue light in particular. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone controlled by light exposure that helps regulate your sleep-wake patterns. Your brain emits more melatonin when it’s dark, making you sleepy, and less when it’s light, making you more alert.
  
  
• Exercise during the day. Even light exercise such as walking for just 10 minutes a day improves sleep quality
  
  
• Keep your room dark, cool, and quiet

#7 Oxygen therapy may benefit heart patients with intense breathing complications

Congestive heart failure means that your heart can no longer pump blood as well as it should. It is most common as you age, because over time your heart begins to weaken.

There are 4 stages of heart failure and treatments vary based on the stage and condition of an individual's heart. Oxygen therapy or supplemental oxygen is commonly prescribed for patients in certain stages of heart disease.

While this is not a cure for heart failure, oxygen therapy can help you breathe in the extra oxygen your heart is unable to pump on its own. Utilizing supplemental oxygen could be a wonderful option for you if you are eager to be more active and mobile by reducing your shortness of breath.

There are a lot of personal goals you must be willing to set in order to reap the benefits of supplemental oxygen therapy. One place you can start is understanding the benefits of using a portable oxygen concentrator.

The first several, most obvious, benefits of using a portable oxygen concentrator:

1. You won’t have to worry about a lack of oxygen or your oxygen tank running out- this peace of mind alone will open reduce anxiousness and open up space to care for your loved ones and expand on new and exciting endeavors
   
   
2. It is much more discreet and lighter weight than bulky oxygen tanks
   
   
3. You can find a sense of independence just being able to move about the house more easily
   
   
4. You will have the ability to exercise without shortness of breath, improving your heart beat, bone structure, and mental health
   
   
5. Sleeping better is very important for avoiding heart problems associated with high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.
   
   
6. Stamina and vitality boosts when you are capable of accomplishing tasks you couldn't do before due to breathing implications and tiredness
   
   
7. Overall mood increases when steps 1-6 kick in

Aging lungs

Lung health requires growing attention as we get older, but it is not something to become discouraged or shy away from.

The loss of strength and ability to breath easily as we age is a normal development in many people’s bodies, whether it is due to genetics, inhaling smoke, or working in a hazardous environment.

While there are natural effects of aging lungs, you do not have to accept a fate that leaves you immobile, unhealthy, and bored. Instead use the goals listed here to help you reduce the breathlessness associated with lung disease, and reduce your risk of lung problems over-all.

#8 Your lungs need more physical activity

If you are struggling with COPD or any long-term lung conditions, regular exercise and physical activity can help improve your breathing threshold, allowing you the freedom to breathe more easily while going about your daily activities.

It can be very uncomfortable to become quickly out of breath for anyone with or without healthy lungs, and motivation to exercise is sometimes hard to muster up.

That being said, It is important for the health of your lungs to avoid temptation of letting another day go by with no exercise. By accomplishing more physical activity, you become more fit and capable to handle daily activities with ease.

The first step towards a more active lifestyle, is to ask your doctor or physiotherapist for the best exercise plan that falls within your lung capacity and is safe for you. From there, you can begin to develop a high quality exercise program. It should be built up over time to allow your body to adapt and strengthen at your own pace.

If you reach a point where you are too breathless to talk, slow down the pace, or take a short pause, don't feel discouraged. Instead, remind yourself that the more you do, the more you will be able to do!

Intermittent exercises can help you to deal with shortness of breath when you are beginning to implement physical activity into your life. To accomplish these exercises, you will move for 1–2 minutes, and in between movements you rest or slow down your pace.

Aerobic exercises are the best form of physical activities for lung disease patients because these exercises involve large muscle groups moving in rhythmic and steady movements.

By using multiple muscle groups at one time, your heart and lungs will be working hard to move oxygen to all of your muscles involved, and subsequently enhancing the capabilities of your lungs.

Here are some examples of great aerobic exercises for your lungs:

• Walking
• Biking
• Swimming
• Jogging/ running
• Elliptical
• Low-impact aerobics works outs
• Water aerobics
• Dancing 
• Hiking
• Low intensity kick boxing

#9 It is never too late to quit smoking, even if you already have COPD

While quitting smoking won't cure COPD, kicking the habit can stop the rapid rate of decline in lung capacity that happens in smokers with COPD.

By quitting smoking, you're giving your lungs more capacity, this means more chances to exercise, and more exercise leads to more freedom accomplishing daily activities with less shortness of breath.

Studies show that COPD smokers who quit:

1. Have fewer COPD exacerbations
2. Have fewer hospital admissions
3. Have less risk of dying from COPD

Quitting is much easier said than done, and like kicking any habit, it may take a few attempts before anything really sticks. Oftentimes, hearing your doctor tell you, “Quitting is your only option” will get the ball rolling in the right direction.

And for patients with COPD, quitting is a nonnegotiable treatment plan.

There are countless efforts you can take to kick the hardest habit in the book, and it may take time and research to find the right process for you.

Here are some places to start:

• Do not smoke at all
• Stay busy
• Attend a stop-smoking group or follow a self-help plan
• Drink more water and juice
• Drink less or no alcohol
• Avoid individuals who are smoking
• Avoid situations wherein you have a strong urge to smoke
  

#10 Limit exposure to air pollutants

As you age, you must also grow aware of the air surrounding you. Over-saturation in the air, usually meaning relatively high humidity or pollution, can introduce a variety of respiratory issues.Those with pre-existing lung issues are particularl