It is known that regularly exercising can help to ward off health problems like obesity and diabetes. A new study, however, had revealed that performing 30 minutes of physical activity every day could help to relieve symptoms of asthma in adults.
Asthma is a common long-term condition that can cause coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and breathlessness. According to the NHS, asthma affects one in every 12 adults and one in every 11 children in the UK.
While the condition cannot be cured, appropriate management can keep it under the control and allow sufferers to lead a good quality of life.
Previously, asthma sufferers have been discouraged from exercising because the condition has been said to trigger an asthma attack.
Simon Bacon, lead researcher of the study, said: 'The issue of exercise-induced bronchospasm is real - but if you use your reliever medication, blue puffer, before you exercise, and then take the time to cool down afterwards, you should be okay. Even if you have asthma, there's no good reason not to get out there and exercise.
'To disprove this theory, a team of researchers from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, set out to investigate the relationship between physical activity and asthma.
For the study, they recruited 643 participants who had asthma. Of the participants, 100 reported performing 30 minutes of exercise a day, while 245 reported doing none at all.
It was found that those who exercised for half an hour every day were almost 2.5 times more likely to have good control of their symptoms, in comparison to those who did no exercise.
Mr Bacon added: 'Just 30 minutes a day of walking, riding a bike, doing yoga - anything active, really - can result in significant reduction of asthma symptoms.
'The study has been published in BMJ Open Respiratory Research.