CLEAR LUNGS

I CAN BREATHE! 100 Day Restoration Cardio / Supplement Plan

Apr 25, 2025

For over two years, I lived in a body I barely recognized.
After long COVID and the lung scarring it left behind, every breath was a negotiation.
My VO2 max—an indicator of how well your body uses oxygen—plummeted from 38 to a critical 17 (that of a 92 year old woman). I wasn’t just winded. I was gasping in a body that had forgotten how to breathe.

I had pulmonary fibrosis—a scarring of the tiny air sacs in your lungs (the alveoli) that are supposed to exchange oxygen with your blood.
These delicate tissues become stiff and fibrotic, making every breath shallower and less efficient.
Oxygen delivery drops. Energy fades. And the body starts slowly starving itself from the inside out.

There was no magic fix. Healing came in fragments—through so much time, supplements, strange rituals (I tried everything), and sheer stubbornness.

When my lungs were inflamed and fighting for air, prednisone was a lifeline.
It reduced the inflammation that was crushing my alveoli. It quieted the fires in my chest. It kept me out of the hospital.
Without it, I might not have been able to recover at all.
For that, I’m grateful.

But prednisone comes at a price—and sometimes the healing feels like another kind of injury.

The Benefits:

Powerful anti-inflammatory
Rapid improvement in breathing and oxygen levels
Reduced risk of permanent lung damage
Prevention of hospitalization during critical flares

The Long List of Side Effects:

Rapid weight gain
Fluid retention (swelling in the face, abdomen, legs)
Muscle wasting and weakness
Insomnia and severe sleep disturbances
Mood swings, anxiety, depression
Blood sugar spikes (even leading to steroid-induced diabetes in some cases)
Thinning of the skin, easy bruising
Increased risk of infections (immunosuppression)
Cushingoid appearance ("moon face," "buffalo hump")

On prednisone, I felt like I was moving through syrup: wired, exhausted, bloated, emotional. My sleep became erratic.
There’s something profoundly disorienting about looking in the mirror and not recognizing who you see.
But this was the body that was healing me. Holding the line. Surviving through the inflammation and damage. It’s a rock and a hard place between the inflammation and the steroid. I just had to wait.

In my case, the damage caused my lungs to make a crackling sound when I exhaled—like an old car engine struggling to start. (I have some pretty wild recordings of this) Certain positions created a stabbing pain.
I had to sleep sitting upright for over a year just to keep the pressure off my chest. Breathing deeply hurt. Talking too long made me lightheaded.
Sometimes, it felt like I was drowning in the air.

Well… I just got back from the doctor’s office where I got great news!
MY LUNGS ARE CLEAR. FINALLY.
For the first time in over two years, I’ve been cleared to exercise more aggressively again.
It means I can rebuild! So…….I’m starting with this:

The 100-Day Restoration Plan

To mark this turning point, I’ve created a 100-day plan for myself to reclaim my VO2 max, rebuild my endurance, and restore. I don’t take breath for granted anymore.

This is a structured, aggressive (but respectful) cardio restoration and supplement protocol I’ll follow through the summer. My current V02 Max is 29.

VO2 MAX CHART - my goal is to eventually reach 45

Phase 1 (Days 1–25): Breath & Base Build

3x/week Zone 2 jogs or incline walks (40–50 min)
1x/week tempo walk/run (4 min walk / 2 min jog)
Daily movement (10–12K steps), breath training (Box breathing, O2 Trainer)
Optional 2x/week light strength (bodyweight or bands)

Phase 2 (Days 26–50): Threshold Ignition

1x/week Long Endurance (60–75 min Zone 2–3)
2x/week Intervals (3 min push / 90 sec recovery x 4–6)
1x/week Tempo Run (20–30 min sustained Zone 3)
2x/week Strength Training (moderate weight, low rest)

Phase 3 (Days 51–75): Adaptation & Expansion

1x/week VO2 Max Intervals (4 min hard / 2 min easy x 4–5)
1x/week Long Endurance (75–90 min)
1x/week Hill Repeats or Incline Days (30 mins)
1–2x/week Cross-Training (bike, rower, swim)
2–3x/week Strength Training (explosive moves, core)

Phase 4 (Days 76–100): Sharpen & Sustain

1x/week VO2 Test or Benchmark
1x/week Fartlek (random speed play)
2x/week Endurance Cardio (60+ min)
1–2x/week High-Intensity Conditioning
Continued breathwork, sauna, and recovery focus

Supplement Stack

I’m sharing because I know I’m not alone.
There are thousands of us who came out the other side of COVID with damage we’re still uncovering.
There are bodies out there that look fine but are still relearning how to breathe.

I am so excited I’m now able to take action in the restoration of my health. I’ll update you when I’m half way. LET’S GO!