I decided to start running again but I can hardly breathe! What's the story?

Since Austin is one of the fittest cities in the country as well as one of the most prone to sinus and nasal problems, it is not surprising that they frequently conflict with one another. Whether you like to run, cycle, swim or any other aerobic exercise, sinus and nasal problems can definitely slow you down. You should be consistently breathing through the nose during aerobic exercise, and that's because the nose provides important humidification to the air entering the lungs. If you're not moving air through the nose, your compromising your performance. Limited nasal airflow can be the result of swelling in the nose, or structural abnormalities such as a deviated septum or nasal polyps. The first step is to identify the problem, and then apply the proper remedy. Sometimes, it's as simple as a daily nasal spray; other problems require surgery to provide lifelong improvement of the nasal breathing. If you are one of the people pulling down the average fitness level of Austin, you might be able to blame your nose. Christopher Thompson, MD