For people with exercise-induced asthma (EIA), an intense workout session may leave them more than a little winded. Symptoms of exercise-induced asthma include wheezing, coughing, extreme tiredness or shortness of breath and chest tightness, and can make working out downright unpleasant. But if you, like 18 million other Americans, suffer from this condition that makes your airways overly sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity, it doesn't mean you have to abandon your workout program completely.

To work out around your exercise-induced asthma, try these tips from the American Academy for Asthma, Allergies, and Immunology (AAAAI):

• Choose your activity carefully. According to the AAAAI, some activities are better for those with EIA. Swimming offers a warm, humid atmosphere and the horizontal position may help mobilize mucus from the bottom of the lungs. Walking, biking, hiking and downhill skiing are also activities less likely to trigger EIA.
• Give team sports a try. Team sports that require short bursts of energy, such as baseball, football, wrestling, golfing, gymnastics or surfing are less likely to trigger asthma than sports requiring continuous activity such as soccer, basketball, field hockey or long-distance running.
• Consider the consequences of cold-weather sports. Cold-weather activities such as cross-country skiing and ice hockey are also more likely to aggravate airways.
• Treat yourself. Don't forget to follow your asthma treatment program as recommended by your doctor, including taking any prescribed medications.
• Watch it when you're sick. Athletes with EIA should restrict exercising when they have viral infections, when temperatures are extremely low or when pollen and air pollution levels are high if they have allergies.

Sources:  American Academy for Asthma, Allergies, and Immunology, www.aaaai.org.