Forget football and cricket. Boxing is well on its way to becoming one of the favorite sports in the UK. Recent research has shown a resounding increase in popularity for this contact sport.
Close to 80,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 25 participate regularly in this sport, either through practice or participation in matches. And boxing is not only for men, as upwards of 20% of all participants are women.
While many people worry about the potential brain damage that could occur while boxing, the reality is that the vast majority of people who practice boxing will never find themselves in the ring with an opposing boxer who could land a strong, direct shot to the head.
On the other hand, practicing boxing regularly brings several important health benefits, including improved cardiovascular health, body toning, increased muscle mass, improved motor and neurological functions, a boost to your weight loss goals, among others.
Without a doubt, practicing boxing can help you improve your cardiovascular endurance and this in turn has the ability to increase your overall life expectancy. Unfortunately, because of the cardiovascular and respiratory exertion that this sport requires, people with asthma are usually not recommended to practice boxing.
In the U.K. alone, over 5.4 million people are currently receiving treatment for asthma. If you suffer from asthma and want to either begin a career as an amateur boxer or simply practice this sport at the gym to improve your physical conditioning, a blue asthma pump is an important medical instrument that can keep you safe. Below, we look at three ways that asthma pumps can be used to help boxers stay in the ring or in front of the punching bag even when their asthma is acting up.
Immediate Rescue
One of the scariest aspects of living with asthma is that you never know when a severe attack might occur. Boxing, as we mentioned above, requires severe respiratory exertion. If an attack occurs when you are already out of breath due to practicing on your own or sparring with a partner, respiratory failure is a very real possibility.
Fortunately, a blue asthma pump is also known as a reliever inhaler. These inhalers can offer immediate rescue when a boxer suffers acute asthma symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest tightness, or difficulty breathing.
Salbutamol is a fast acting bronchodilator that will quickly and effectively open up the airways during an asthma attack. More specifically, the salbutamol in these inhalers relaxes muscles along the lungs and airway and typically offers immediate relief of asthma-related symptoms.
Relief for Exercise-Triggered Asthma
Many asthma sufferers find that their asthma attacks are triggered by certain environmental allergens such as dust, pollen, etc. However, exercise is another trigger for asthma that affects thousands of people.
If you find that exercise is a common trigger for mild to severe asthma attacks, having on hand a blue asthma pump is a great way to stop the annoying effects of asthma as soon as you notice that they begin to show up.
This will subsequently allow you to open up your airways, relax your chest muscles and continue on with your boxing training before the attack progresses into a more serious respiratory burden that forces you into your corner.
Partner Strategy with Preventive Control
If you find that you are using your blue asthma pump more than 4-5 times a week, chances are that you will also need to use a brown inhaler, which is designed for regular use to help prevent the onset of asthma related conditions. Brown inhalers are prescribed by doctors and usually set out a regular time during the day when you are to use them.
While this preventive control can certainly help to prevent asthma attacks, having on hand a blue asthma pump is also important for those moments when an unexpected attack appears.
For boxers, combining the reliever inhaler with a preventive inhaler is a tried and true strategy to keep your asthma at bay.
