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BSc R&D Team Member overcomes asthma with the help of exercise
By: Laura Clements
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31-08-2004 |
Suffering from asthma should not stop people from being active – in fact regular activity can help people – including elite athletes – to better manage their condition and lead happier and healthier lives.
That’s the message the Asthma Foundation of Tasmania will be spreading during Asthma Week (1-7 September) and throughout next month as part of a national Be Active for Asthma campaign.
BSc athlete and Tasmanian bodybuilder/figure competitor Laura Clements is living proof that regular physical activity can help sufferers both manage and even overcome this respiratory condition that affects more than 30,000 Tasmanians.
Laura joins Olympian Sam Riley as one of the sportspeople Australia-wide to act as National Asthma Week Ambassadors. Their role is to encourage people to ‘Be Active for Asthma’ throughout September – for their own health and for the health of the more than two million Australians with asthma.
Be Active for Asthma is a sponsored fitness event that encourages entrants to engage in any kind of activity and simply find people to sponsor them to perform it for 15 -30 hours throughout the month.
“We really don’t mind how you exercise – you could play tennis, take your pet for a walk, go for a run, thumb wrestle or invent your own crazy idea,” Sam Riley said.
The funds raised will be used for community education and asthma management programs.
Launching the campaign at All Aerobics in Hobart with Asthma Tasmania Executive Officer Cathy Beswick and Sport and Recreation Minister Jim Cox, Laura said she had used gentle exercise, such as swimming, to manage her asthma as a child, but it was the strict exercise program she developed in her early adult years that had helped her become almost ‘asthma-free’ for the past decade.
“I was diagnosed with asthma when I was about four years old and spent the next 15 years carrying a puffer around with me “just in case”,” she said.
“Fortunately I had a great GP who referred me and my family to the Asthma Foundation and we received great support, including encouragement to participate in its swimming programs, which I did for a few years.
“This helped me gain and understanding of the importance of regular activity to manage my condition – and that controlling the asthma meant more than taking a puff of my inhaler when I started to get wheezy.
“As a result, I’ve been a regular at the gym for 10 years.”
Laura’s commitment has paid off – she no longer requires any asthma medication and rarely suffers from any symptoms of the condition, such as wheeziness.
In addition, she has received won two Victorian bodybuilding/figure shaping titles and has placed second and third at national events.
Co-incidentally, the 31-year-old small business owner will compete in Sydney during National Asthma Week. The event is a qualifier for the national championships in Hobart two weeks later (Sat 18 September).
Asthma Foundation of Tasmania Executive Officer Cathy Beswick said many asthma sufferers avoid physical activity for fear it could trigger an ‘attack’.
“This is known as Exercise Induced Asthma (EIA) and it can be managed with proper medication and good preparation,” she said.
“It’s disturbing that the majority of people with asthma do not have a written action plan. This means that they find exercising difficult and are more likely to out it off.
“This could also be a contributing to the increase in overweight people, including children, in Australia.
“Asthma should not stop people from being active – as Laura, Sam and other sportspeople have demonstrated.”
Sport and Recreation Minister Jim Cox commended the Foundation on developing a positive awareness and education campaign which also raises funds for a valuable community service and encourages Tasmanians to be proactive about their health.
“Be Active complements a number of the State Government’s health initiatives, including those undertaken by the Premier’s Physical Activity Council,” he said.
“By operating over one month, Be Active helps participants develop a routine which they will hopefully carry over into the months and years that follow.
“I encourage Tasmanians to Be Active – just half an hour a day is all it takes to improve health, fitness and well being, and to raise funds for an organisation that helps so many Tasmanians.”
To participate in Be Active for Asthma, simply call the Foundation on (freecall) 1800 645 130 or log onto to www.asthmaaustralia.org.au
ENDS
Further information:
Cathy Beswick
Asthma Foundation of Tasmania
Mob: 0407 869 767
Laura Clements
Performance PR
Mob: 0418 572 528
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