It is really common to have the asthma flare up if you get a cold or flu. It may take awhile for you to recuperate completely. Actually, I end up needing prednisone every time I get a cold or flu to get my asthma back under control. If you are still having problems, you should probably get in to see the dr, you may need your meds tweaked again. As far as exercise, I have a stairmaster which I use for about 1/2 hr daily before work. I only have problems with exercise if my asthma is flared, & in that case I pretreat with maxair & take it at a reduced level. The important thing for me is not to miss exercising, even if I have to shorten the time & drastically reduce the level. I have an allergist treating my asthma, because it is primarily triggered by my allergies.