Tips for Exercising with Allergies

If you have allergies, it can make exercising difficult. There are all kinds of problems that may arise that can make exercising with allergies difficult if not impossible. You may have issues if you exercise outdoors, because of the pollen in the air or other outdoor allergies. Indoors, you have to deal with dust and mold, for example. So how can you still get in your workout if you have allergies? Here are eight tips to help you exercise with allergies.

1. Get plenty of sleep the night before you exercise. If you have allergies, you may find that there are certain 'triggers' that make them occur. I have found that if I do certain things, I can avoid many allergy symptoms from developing. If I am tired, and don't get sleep, the next day I tend to be more sensitive to allergy problems. The first way to deal with exercising if you have allergies is to get plenty of sleep. Your nose won't be as sensitive to the allergies if you're well rested. Getting plenty of sleep will help you deal with outdoor or indoor allergies.

2. Get plenty of water before and after exercising. Being hydrated helps me immensely avoid having issues with allergies. When I haven't had any water and I'm incredibly thirsty, I tend to be more sensitive to any allergens. It's really about what your allergies are. If you're allergic to dust, if you are tired and dehydrated, there is more chance of having an allergy attack if you are exercising in a room full of dust. So, try staying hydrated while exercising, indoors or outdoors, to lessen the chance of allergies becoming a problem.

3. Build up your immune system to help prevent allergy problems while exercising. Drink plenty of orange juice and fresh fruits and dark vegetables, as well as Vitamin C supplement tablets. Over time, this will help strengthen your body and allow you to be less sensitive to allergens. This way, when you work out, you won't have an allergy attack if you run across some dust or pollen. Or, the attack will be less severe in nature.

4. To avoid having an allergy attack for cats or dogs while exercising, there are a few things you can do. The first tip is to exercise outdoors, if you will be around cats or dogs and you are allergic to them. The allergens tend to be more of a problem indoors, when there is nowhere for them to escape. Also, if you have carpeting indoors where you exercise, the carpet will retain the odors and allergens, making them more of a problem. So, exercise outdoors. If you must be inside, open windows and use a room that doesn't have carpets and isn't closed in.

5. For dust allergies, there are some ways to improve the ability to exercise. You can wear a dust mask for starters. However, you will have to do low key type exercises, such as yoga or pilates. Otherwise, if you do high speed cardio, you may not be able to take a deep enough breath through the dust mask.

You are better to exercise outdoors if you have dust allergies. There is less dust present outdoors. However, if you live in a dry area with dirt, the dirt could blow around just like the dust would indoors. Avoid such areas.

6. Pollen allergies can be bad for allergy sufferers when exercising. If you have a pollen allergy, try exercising indoors. Make sure there are no flowers sitting around near where you exercise. If you are going to exercise outdoors, you may want to take some type of medication that will decrease your sensitivity to the allergen. I generally find that these dry you out, so you would want to drink extra water a half an hour before exercising, and then extra water after you finish. Don't continuously drink during the exercise as this will cause you to get cramps.

If you prefer not to take medication and you will be outdoors, your best bet is to use the first three steps to make you naturally less sensitive to the pollen. Otherwise, limit the time you spend outdoors. The worst times of year to exercise outdoors for pollen seem to be right around Labor day at the end of the summer and also when the leaves start to fall from the trees. Then, things get bad again in the spring when the flowers are in bloom around the time of march and April. Try exercising in the summer in the evenings, or during other times not indicated.

7. If you have allergy problems, the best exercises in general are going to be ones that don't do so much to dehydrate you or get you sweaty, I find. Stick to pilates, yoga and other stretching techniques. Brisk walking can even be okay, as long as you breathe deeply.

8. If you exercise and then find you still have an allergy attack, you'll want to get rid of it. I find that drinking hot tea or hot apple cider can help alleviate runny nose symptoms. Breathing warm air also seems to help. After drinking something hot, I then like to take a nap. It seems to help clear up symptoms. Drinking water and juice can also be beneficial.