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> It took me 9 months to get over it completely. How did you do it? Just slowly rebuild lung capacity? I need to do this ASAP now as if I speak for too long,

> It took me 9 months to get over it completely. How did you do it? Just slowly rebuild lung capacity? I need to do this ASAP now as if I speak for too long, I have to catch my breath. That is "no bueno".

hughrr 5y ago
Mostly walking to start with and practicing breathing deeply and properly when doing it. This got faster and longer and I slowly pushed it daily. Then I started going hiking again after about 5 months. Then started running again after that. I have an Apple Watch which does a reasonable approximation of cardio fitness under VO2 so I could monitor progress. I'm no exercise expert but what appears to be important is keeping your heart rate above 120bpm for long periods of time. 2 years down the line I can do 40k walk / hilly hike without even being bothered. But I still have trouble doing a 10k run. 5k is doable easily.
- lamontcg 5y ago
  > 5k is doable easily. I've never had COVID and I'm still working on this...
  - jahnu 5y ago
    I know what that is like. About 3 years ago I started running. I need to do something, anything, as sitting at a desk all day is not healthy. I did no sport and was mildly overweight and getting heavier. I'm was in my mid 40s and it was kinda getting important to get fit. Running is cheap and can be done any time I have time. So I started. I had to have music to make it not boring (still do but now mostly listen to podcasts). I hated running but disliked being unfit more. Started with 2k and walked some of it. I made a big effort to go out and do it whenever I had time, 3 times a week. I can't stress this enough, but how far and fast I ran was not nearly as important as getting in the habit. Even if it was cold or a little wet. Building the habit is the only important thing for the first 6 months. Even on holidays I would bring my shoes and shorts. After a couple of months 5k was easy. I bought a heart rate monitor as a reward for getting to 5k. This was brilliant! I started getting self competitive and learned that running at a speed which kept my heart rate under 140 was the best for training. Slowly over the next two years I was able to do longer and longer distances, lost weight, slept better and found running very enjoyable and a great de-stresser. Time for myself away from the usual pressure of life and it was good for me. I enjoyed discovering the place in a new way. I got to half marathons once a month. I couldn't really believe it. Signed up for a marathon and while training for that was actually hard work and the marathon itself was crazy hard, I managed it under 4h. Now this isn't a "look at me I'm great" story. The point is someone who couldn't run 5k at all can actually over a modest number of years get to marathon shape and enjoy it. Anyone (who doesn't have some condition) can do it. Running 5k three times a week is exceedingly good for your health and mental well being. The key for me at least is habit. Getting into the habit is the only truly hard thing. When it's cold, windy, whatever, get out there for at least 5 minutes.
    - lamontcg 5y ago
      Yep, I built up to 5k right before the pandemic then stopped back when we had no damn idea how it all spread. Just turned 50 and I built up to doing 5k every other day and I've been doing that consistently now for over 2 months. Its gotten easier, I'm dragging ass in patches now rather than most of the second half. Doubt I'm going to start marathoning, I'm going to try to stick to 5k for life more or less. I know eventually I'll want to push up to 8k to 10k occasionally to get my 5k times up. But generally I don't want much more than a 30 minute per day commitment. And I started in the middle of winter in Seattle, so I've already run through all the wet and cold and windy. Could have used my scuba diving gear a few times...
      - jahnu 5y ago
        Haha that feeling of running in awful weather and knowing, "well it can't get worse!" :) And honestly the marathons and even half marathons are not important, imo. Getting over 10k regularly was very nice though. It's a different mental state at those distances.
- gs17 5y ago
  > I'm no exercise expert but what appears to be important is keeping your heart rate above 120bpm for long periods of time. Well, post-COVID that was happening without exercise. Fortunately, things went back to normal over time, my student insurance sends us to the "student health center" and they were convinced 120 was a normal resting heart rate for an otherwise healthy 26 y.o. who was used to half that a year before.
agumonkey 5y ago
I am not in your case, but after years of crashed cardiovascular capacity, 6 months of regular bike plus a bit of upper body workout finally brought back some sense of normalcy in my breathing. Just the sense of having some room for air inside your chest. Anyway I hope you can find a rehab plan to help you get back up. And support and patience. ps: cardio and lung go together, so don't forget to let your heart rise up to ensure good blood flow and blood pressure, it will help your lungs too. Taichi or yoga like poses (and walking) are wonder to bootstrap blood flow in weak health. tc
- EMM_386 5y ago
  > Just the sense of having some room for air inside your chest. Thanks this is exactly what I need. It's so surreal to just have a slightly long sentence in front of a group of people, only to end up catching your breath, to realize how vitally important this all is. I will take all the suggestions offered, thanks.
  - agumonkey 5y ago
    yes, it's partly debilitating and a strange realization i should add, anxiety level can influence this system a lot, and when you start to have issue (covid context not helping) it might also play a role. i'm no doctor again, but i've read that capillaries have microscopic valve on both ends to control blood flow, anxiety -> nervous system -> shut capillaries.. so even if you try to breath, oxygen doesn't reach cells properly. That sort of things. relaxation, good oxygen (maybe you can get O2 intake sessions), patience, and of course check for covid related data regarding lung damage (hopefully it's just temporary inflammation) tc^2
    - EMM_386 5y ago
      > i should add, anxiety level can influence this system a lot The interesting thing is I have very low anxiety, I actually am taking this whole Covid thing in stride. I'm more of the "if it's my time, it's my time" sort of thinker. But when you stand up from a prone position and then world starts fading to black, it's not anxiety related! I often forget this can even happen (it's not in the back of my mind), and when it happens again, I find it "extremely annoying", if you can believe that, rather than scary.

hughrr 5y ago

Mostly walking to start with and practicing breathing deeply and properly when doing it. This got faster and longer and I slowly pushed it daily. Then I started going hiking again after about 5 months. Then started running again after that. I have an Apple Watch which does a reasonable approximation of cardio fitness under VO2 so I could monitor progress. I'm no exercise expert but what appears to be important is keeping your heart rate above 120bpm for long periods of time. 2 years down the line I can do 40k walk / hilly hike without even being bothered. But I still have trouble doing a 10k run. 5k is doable easily.

lamontcg 5y ago
> 5k is doable easily. I've never had COVID and I'm still working on this...
- jahnu 5y ago
  I know what that is like. About 3 years ago I started running. I need to do something, anything, as sitting at a desk all day is not healthy. I did no sport and was mildly overweight and getting heavier. I'm was in my mid 40s and it was kinda getting important to get fit. Running is cheap and can be done any time I have time. So I started. I had to have music to make it not boring (still do but now mostly listen to podcasts). I hated running but disliked being unfit more. Started with 2k and walked some of it. I made a big effort to go out and do it whenever I had time, 3 times a week. I can't stress this enough, but how far and fast I ran was not nearly as important as getting in the habit. Even if it was cold or a little wet. Building the habit is the only important thing for the first 6 months. Even on holidays I would bring my shoes and shorts. After a couple of months 5k was easy. I bought a heart rate monitor as a reward for getting to 5k. This was brilliant! I started getting self competitive and learned that running at a speed which kept my heart rate under 140 was the best for training. Slowly over the next two years I was able to do longer and longer distances, lost weight, slept better and found running very enjoyable and a great de-stresser. Time for myself away from the usual pressure of life and it was good for me. I enjoyed discovering the place in a new way. I got to half marathons once a month. I couldn't really believe it. Signed up for a marathon and while training for that was actually hard work and the marathon itself was crazy hard, I managed it under 4h. Now this isn't a "look at me I'm great" story. The point is someone who couldn't run 5k at all can actually over a modest number of years get to marathon shape and enjoy it. Anyone (who doesn't have some condition) can do it. Running 5k three times a week is exceedingly good for your health and mental well being. The key for me at least is habit. Getting into the habit is the only truly hard thing. When it's cold, windy, whatever, get out there for at least 5 minutes.
  - lamontcg 5y ago
    Yep, I built up to 5k right before the pandemic then stopped back when we had no damn idea how it all spread. Just turned 50 and I built up to doing 5k every other day and I've been doing that consistently now for over 2 months. Its gotten easier, I'm dragging ass in patches now rather than most of the second half. Doubt I'm going to start marathoning, I'm going to try to stick to 5k for life more or less. I know eventually I'll want to push up to 8k to 10k occasionally to get my 5k times up. But generally I don't want much more than a 30 minute per day commitment. And I started in the middle of winter in Seattle, so I've already run through all the wet and cold and windy. Could have used my scuba diving gear a few times...
    - jahnu 5y ago
      Haha that feeling of running in awful weather and knowing, "well it can't get worse!" :) And honestly the marathons and even half marathons are not important, imo. Getting over 10k regularly was very nice though. It's a different mental state at those distances.
gs17 5y ago
> I'm no exercise expert but what appears to be important is keeping your heart rate above 120bpm for long periods of time. Well, post-COVID that was happening without exercise. Fortunately, things went back to normal over time, my student insurance sends us to the "student health center" and they were convinced 120 was a normal resting heart rate for an otherwise healthy 26 y.o. who was used to half that a year before.

agumonkey 5y ago

I am not in your case, but after years of crashed cardiovascular capacity, 6 months of regular bike plus a bit of upper body workout finally brought back some sense of normalcy in my breathing. Just the sense of having some room for air inside your chest. Anyway I hope you can find a rehab plan to help you get back up. And support and patience. ps: cardio and lung go together, so don't forget to let your heart rise up to ensure good blood flow and blood pressure, it will help your lungs too. Taichi or yoga like poses (and walking) are wonder to bootstrap blood flow in weak health. tc

EMM_386 5y ago
> Just the sense of having some room for air inside your chest. Thanks this is exactly what I need. It's so surreal to just have a slightly long sentence in front of a group of people, only to end up catching your breath, to realize how vitally important this all is. I will take all the suggestions offered, thanks.
- agumonkey 5y ago
  yes, it's partly debilitating and a strange realization i should add, anxiety level can influence this system a lot, and when you start to have issue (covid context not helping) it might also play a role. i'm no doctor again, but i've read that capillaries have microscopic valve on both ends to control blood flow, anxiety -> nervous system -> shut capillaries.. so even if you try to breath, oxygen doesn't reach cells properly. That sort of things. relaxation, good oxygen (maybe you can get O2 intake sessions), patience, and of course check for covid related data regarding lung damage (hopefully it's just temporary inflammation) tc^2
  - EMM_386 5y ago
    > i should add, anxiety level can influence this system a lot The interesting thing is I have very low anxiety, I actually am taking this whole Covid thing in stride. I'm more of the "if it's my time, it's my time" sort of thinker. But when you stand up from a prone position and then world starts fading to black, it's not anxiety related! I often forget this can even happen (it's not in the back of my mind), and when it happens again, I find it "extremely annoying", if you can believe that, rather than scary.