Johnnie is playing soccer with the other kids.  As the game progresses it becomes clear he is struggling. The struggle is to catch his breath.  He slows his chase of the ball,  desperately trying to suck in enough air, to get a reprieve from the clutching burning sensation.  He STOPS ….no longer focused on the ball or the game – his focus is to breathe.  Abandoning  the game, he walks off the field – dejected and defeated.  BENCHED because he has run out of gas.

But he has run out of gas – not steam.

It’s not a fitness problem

The breathlessness is not because he is too fat or unfit, as many might assume.

The breathlessness is because of a condition known as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB).

A type of asthma.

Benched forever

The wheezing, coughing and spluttering for breathe, can happen during or after an exercise session. It can happen to anyone – even elite athletes.

Unfortunately, the true nature of the condition is not always recognized or addressed.

Many victims are labelled as UNSPORTY muscle flops – eventually becoming COUCH POTATOES. Others run onto the sports field, ever mindful of the location of their ASTHMA PUMP.

Bring out the oranges

The details of the problem are still a little sketchy, but at the heart of the problem ….

The lungs become stressed as they lose water, due to the increased breathing rates.

Biochemically speaking – stress ALWAYS boils down to a chemical problem, which involves too many free electrons whizzing about. Free electrons cause oxidative stress. The unaccompanied energy packed electrons need to be restrained.

This is precisely what anti-oxidants do.

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an anti-oxidant, known to help stressed lungs – this is why health gurus recommend extra vitamin C when you have a cold.

Vitamin C also helps lungs that get stressed during exercise.

Stopping the exercise wheeze

Researchers from Finland pooled together data from several different studies, to confirm that an extra helping of vitamin C, prior to exercise, is able to minimize the wheeze.

The helpings needed to see the benefit ranged between 0.5 – 2g. This is a little bit more than you’re likely to get in an ordinary orange, so using this strategy, will require a vitamin C supplement.

Aerate with super C

If you are a “soccer Mom”, make sure when the half time whistle blows – the team is rehydrated AND AERATED ,with an orange wedge or two. Go slow with the orange juice.

If exercise tends to leave you breathless – try creating better body chemistry with an extra helping of vitamin C. Vitamin C supplements are relatively cheap, readily available and safe.

Just watch where you store your vitamin C tablets – distressing in the bathroom can stress out your vitamins.

Further reading

Breathe easier by getting vitamin D to push the asthma pump	Fumigate your lungs with a little vitamin D bug spray	Ferreting out why you hate to exercise

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