Breathing Easier, Training Better: How Allergy Care Supports Exercise Performance

As a personal trainer, you likely see clients who struggle through inconsistent, low-energy workouts regularly. Especially when they aren’t breathing well, this may be more than a motivational issue. It could be seasonal allergies, environmental triggers, or undiagnosed sensitivities. 

These health problems can interfere with exercise and make it difficult to reach fitness goals even in otherwise healthy and active individuals. Knowing when to point your clients toward allergy testing and treatment and understanding how this could improve their workouts helps you better serve them.

How Allergies and Sensitivities Can Affect Fitness and Performance

When your client has an allergic reaction to something, it begins a chain reaction in their body that could affect their ability to perform in several ways: 

They Feel Fatigued

When an allergen triggers the immune system, a part of the allergic reaction is the release of histamines. These chemicals fight the allergen, but they also disrupt sleep, cause sneezing, and lead to inflammation. This could cause your clients to feel too drained to finish a workout or to recover more slowly.

Breathing Is More Difficult

Many of the typical allergy symptoms people are familiar with can make it harder to breathe, especially during exercise. This could include nasal congestion, sinus pressure, postnasal drip, and allergy-induced asthma. This can reduce endurance and limit perceived cardiovascular improvement. Trainers and clients alike could mistake allergy-related breathing difficulty with poor conditioning. 

They May Experience Inflammation and Discomfort

Clients with chronic allergies or severe sensitivities could experience systemic inflammation. If you have a client who reports ongoing stiffness, lingering soreness, or slower-than-expected post-workout recovery, you should consider whether allergy-related inflammation might be playing a role. 

What Are the Options for a Client to Address Allergy Concerns?

Allergy care options could depend on the allergy or sensitivity, so allergy testing is often the first step. When your client seeks allergy testing, their care team can use skin or blood tests to identify allergens, such as: 

• Tree or grass pollens

• Dust mites

• Pet dander

• Mold

• Other environmental allergens

Once they understand their allergies and why they might struggle with symptoms more during one season than another, their care team can propose a long-term treatment plan. While this sometimes focuses on taking ongoing medications to prevent reactions, immunotherapy is also available. 

Immunotherapy helps the immune system learn to accept allergens, reducing its reaction to them over time. This typically requires taking allergy shots or sublingual drops regularly for several weeks or months. With immunotherapy, your client’s ability to tolerate exercise should gradually improve as their allergic reactions lessen.

What Can a Personal Trainer Do to Adapt Workouts for Clients With Allergies?

If you suspect that your client has allergies, is working to manage their symptoms, or is undergoing immunotherapy, you can make changes to their program to support their health. This could include:

• Prioritize warm-ups and breath control at the beginning of each session

• Focus on technique over intensity on difficult days

• Monitor their recovery closely, checking in frequently between sessions

• Consider pollen and air quality before scheduling any outdoor workouts

• Encourage hydration and rest to support immune regulation and recovery

The more flexible you can be with a client experiencing allergy symptoms, the better. They need to feel supported and understood to help them remain engaged rather than discouraged.

What Will a Client Notice Once Their Allergies Are Better Controlled?

Once their allergies are properly managed or reduced through immunotherapy, you and your client may notice several positive changes during your sessions. This could include: 

• Increased energy and stamina

• Workouts “feel easier”

• Improved breathing capacity and cardiovascular tolerance

• Faster recovery after a workout

• Better quality sleep

Supporting Performance Through Awareness of Allergy Symptoms

Allergies can directly affect strength, endurance, recovery, and consistency. Countless clients could lose the motivation to continue training because their allergy symptoms leave them feeling discouraged about their workouts. 

When their personal trainer understands how a client’s allergies affect their training and their ability to reach their goals, the client feels supported. They know their trainer will advocate for them and their overall health and wellness, even outside the gym. A knowledgeable trainer can help them move past allergy-related plateaus and reach their goals.