After being diagnosed with asthma, and knowing I need to lose a significant amount of weight, including belly fat (ugh – how’d that happen?), I decided to research the correlation between asthma and obesity. Recent studies have shown that overweight and specifically, obese people are more likely to develop asthma than thinner folks.

The studies were done on both central obesity (belly fat) and overall obesity. The centrally obese group were found to be 1.44 times more likely to develop asthma and overall obese people were 1.81 times more likely to develop the disease. The studies found that both central and overall obesity not only has an individual effect, but also an additive effect when they are combined.

Central obesity is closely related with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, although the studies were unclear how all of this related to asthma. I also found other research that suggested that many times pulmonary hypertension was misdiagnosed as asthma as it presents many of the same symptoms.

Obviously, whatever the correlation between asthma and obesity is, being obese is unhealthy and leads to all kinds of  disease and health issues. Although, from my research, it’s not obesity that causes the issues, but body inflammation that causes the problems, including obesity.  Not being one that likes to take drugs, including inhalers, I decided that a weight elimination program was in order, along with a fitness program to increase my lung capacity and reduce the stress on my body.

I’m finding that even just taking a 2km walk a day, which takes less than half an hour, is helping to increase my lung capacity and reduce the shortness of breath symptoms. I also notice, and this is a very bad habit of mine, that eating while sitting on the couch, with my feet on the ottoman and knees up, watching tv leaves me feeling short of breath with asthma like symptoms.

Today  is as good as any to change those things that are not promoting good health. If I don’t change something, nothing will change. And quite honestly, I’m tired of feeling tired, lugging around excess ‘baggage’, not having enough air in my lungs, and treating my body so poorly.

Today, I start my journey to eliminate my own weight issues and obesity and eliminate the asthma I’ve been diagnosed with. I know I can do it. Care to join me?

Have a pain conquered day!
The Pain Conqueror

 

 

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