Lungs for Life
A comprehensive and inspiring exercise rehabilitation and wellness programme for people living with chronic lung conditions.
Exercise is like a Breath of Fresh Air!
The Lungs for Life programme was created to provide a comprehensive and inspiring exercise rehabilitation and wellness programme for people living with chronic respiratory conditions.
The goal is to achieve the highest possible level of independent functioning by helping clients:
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Reduce and gain control of symptoms
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Increase activity through exercise training
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Become more involved in activities of daily living
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Experience less difficulty with breathing
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Reduce the need for hospitalisations
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Participate in social and recreational activities
Clinical Exercise Physiologists prescribe exercise like your doctor might prescribe you with medication. Exercise is an essential part of managing your symptoms, slowing down the progression of your condition, and maintaining or improving your quality of life. Just like medication, exercise needs to be prescribed properly, and there is certainly no one size fits all programme, particularly if you have any lung complications.
This programme is open to any chronic respiratory condition, including but not limited to asthma (mild to severe), exercise induced asthma, COPD (emphysema, chronic bronchitis), Interstitial lung disease, Pulmonary hypertension, Pulmonary fibrosis, Scleroderma, Pre and post-cancer treatment, Pre and post-surgery, Cystic fibrosis, Bronchiectasis, Sarcoidosis, And more….
Lungs for Life was created by Kylie Harwood (nee Chapman), a Clinical Exercise physiologists who is highly experienced in pulmonary rehabilitation. She has multiple research publications in the area of respiratory and exercise physiology and is very passionate about helping people take charge of their chronic lung conditions.
What's included in the Lungs for Life programme?
Full Initial & Follow-up Assessments
During your initial appointment we will gather all the information needed to design a safe and custom exercise program specifically for you. Your medical history will be collected, and 12-lead ECG will be done at rest and during exercise to determine a safe exercise level. After 12-weeks of exercise we will repeat your assessment to measure your improvements.
Monitored Exercise Sessions – with a Clinical Exercise Physiologist
Your exercise programme and sessions are individually tailored to meet your specific needs and goals. During each exercise session at the ExerciseWell clinic, vital signs and symptoms, such as heart rate, shortness of breath, peak flow, pulse oximetry and fatigue will be monitored. This is to make sure your body and lungs are responding safely to the increased stress/exercise, keeping you as safe as possible, and to ensure the effectiveness of the programme to achieve your goals. Your monitored sessions will be done alongside 2 to 3 other members of the clinic, where we all have fun, laugh with each other and make great progress!
Education & Healthy Lifestyle Coaching
Alongside our monitored exercise sessions, we also incorporate education about how to live well with your lung condition and coach you through healthy lifestyle changes. These may include nutritional coaching, breathing retraining, stress management/relaxation training, smoking cessation support, and a private Facebook support group.
Our Mission
We aim to inspire and empower our clients to achieve the highest level of quality of life possible, by reducing and reversing effects and managing symptoms of their lung condition.