How to maintain fitness levels while suffering from a respiratory problem

While the Airofit breathing trainer might assist with respiratory issues, Airofit is not a medical device nor made for treating illness.

Jurgen, a 56-year-old German General Manager in a computer company, leads an active lifestyle, engaging in activities like team tennis, golf, skiing, and cycling. However, in December 2020, he received an unexpected diagnosis of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AAT), a condition that increases the vulnerability of the lungs to damage, potentially leading to respiratory problems like COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).Share

“I feel it’s getting worse.  I must do something against that”

The profile

Name: Jurgen

Age: 56

Family status: Married, has a son, dog and cat

Occupation: General Manager

Hobbies: Tennis, golf, skiing, cycling

Condition: Protein deficiency that raises the risk for respiratory problems leading to COPD (AAT*)

Shocking blood test result

From his early years, Jurgen experienced difficulties with his lungs, often feeling breathless while playing tennis. He noticed that longer rallies would leave him fatigued, while shorter shots became a challenge. Initially, doctors suspected asthma, but it wasn’t until 2020 that the true problem surfaced with his diagnosis of AAT. The news came as a shock, but Jurgen’s determined mindset propelled him to take a stand against his respiratory condition.

“When I have a cold, the recovery takes longer. It can have an impact on my lungs and my mental thinking, so I have to get going and do something against it”

Implementing Airofit the breathing trainer into the daily routine

Jurgen wasted no time in prioritizing his health. In January 2021, he embarked on a journey to strengthen his breathing muscles, with a simple but powerful goal in mind: “not to get worse”. For the past two years, Jurgen has been training with Airofit, seamlessly incorporating it into his morning routine just before taking his dog for a walk. What he loves about Airofit is its live guidance— it tells him exactly what to do for breathing training so he doesn’t have to think about it.

Jurgen started his breathing training journey at 3.5L of accessible lung capacity and increased his lung capacity to over 6L within a year. That’s an impressive result.

“It took me 4 months of consistent training to reach the plateau. The data shows an improvement in both respiratory strength and accessible lung capacity.” 

Even though the results show a plateau, they also show further improvement with consistent breathing training. 

The effect of breath training in daily life

According to Jurgen, Airofit helps him maintain his fitness level while having a respiratory problem. He can keep up with his friends and doesn’t get exhausted so easily. Jurgen states that sometimes, he uses Airofit hyperventilation or power exercise before walking on the court, just to get the lungs prepared. Even though he needs to take a bit longer recovery breaks, Jurgen says:

“I feel that I can still play good tennis and I’m very satisfied. Airofit is very important for me to maintain the level as good as possible for as long as possible.”

Furthermore, Jurgen is now aware that he can do anything and Airofit serves him as a mental support tool to gain confidence. 

In the last examination, the doctor said that Jurgen was in a really good – stable condition. 

“This is extraordinary. Airofit may be a part of this!”

*AAT (alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency) raises the risk for the lungs to get easily damaged, which can lead to COPD

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