How To Breathe Properly

If you ever feel you are struggling for breath even when you're not exercising particularly hard, and you're not asthmatic, it may be that you have a poor lung capacity. But don't panic, there are breathing exercises and workout techniques that will help you put a stop to all that puffing.

Artificial aids

Although the power-breathe is a method that can provide benefits to lung capacity, it is artificial and not as effective as exercise, which is more relevant and realistic to what we need in everyday life, (i.e. running for a bus!).

Workout techniques

A gradual build-up of cardiovascular-focused exercise is going to be the best way to make effective changes to your lung capacity, together with a focus on your breathing technique to make sure the timing and depth of your breathing is ideal.

Next time you workout, start off significantly slower than you usually would and give your body more time to adjust to an increasing work rate. Do this for 2-3 weeks, then slowly start to pick up the pace of your work out. This simple process is a systematic method of helping your body and lungs adapt and increase in strength. Although you start off slower, you'll feel stronger through the work out and potentially be able to breathe more effectively.

Breathing techniques

With regards to your breathing technique, make sure you breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth as this simple cycle helps to control airflow. It also warms up air before it hits your lungs, so they're are not getting such a cold shock each time you inhale. Really pull your shoulders back and lift your chest proudly as you walk and breathe, as this helps keep a large lung space.

You need to try to get a breathing pattern that works in time with your walking stride, for example, breathe in to span the duration of two steps, and then breathe out for another two steps. The pattern you choose will depend on the current depth of your breathing and foot stride, so try and find what feel is comfortable and then adapt it to suit you. It simply has to be a balanced and rhythmic pattern that allows you to periodically give it attention, in order to check your breathing is still controlled and appropriately paced for your walking speed.