Did you know your lungs have an internal surface area as large as a tennis court? Despite all their surface area and vital role in keeping us alive, most of us use our lungs less effectively than we could be. Jefferson Ramsey, Certified Athletic Trainer with Pullman Regional Hospital’s Regional High School Athletic Training Program, shares some breathing exercises to maximize our health and wellness, increase our capacity for exercise, and hijack our mood, even better than meditation can.
Let’s start where our breath starts: the nose. “Every benefit we see from mindful breathing can be felt by just breathing through the nose,” says Ramsey. “Nose breathing starts a really powerful chemical chain reaction throughout the entire body.” It moistens and temperature-regulates the air we are taking in, allowing us to breathe more comfortably in hot, cold, and dry climates; it also forces slowed rates of breathing. By slowing the speed that air enters and exits the lungs, our oxygen utilization efficiency improves.
For athletes, nasal breathing while exercising will increase the efficiency of gas exchange in the lungs; this means fewer breaths for more oxygen. It also improves involuntary function efficiency, so your body can spend more energy on voluntary or self-generated movements like walking, eating, running, or jumping. “Nasal breathing is not always an option while exercising- like in swimming, for example, but it can be a great practice for athletes during times of rest as well,” says Ramsey.
Increased lung capacity is linked to increased longevity! In addition to mindful nose breathing, lung capacity can be increased more ‘mindlessly’ through physical exercise. “The simplest way to increase lung capacity is to exercise. But simple doesn’t mean easy,” recognized Ramsey.
Breathing-specific exercises are a great place to start; you can perform deep diaphragmatic breathing to increase lung capacity- without the trip to the gym! “ Below, he outlines an easy breathing exercise to try at home.
Deep Belly Breathing*:
1. Lie down on your back somewhere comfortable but not so comfortable that you’ll be inclined to fall asleep.
2. Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest.
3. Inhale, letting your belly hand rise with your breath, but keeping your chest still.
4. Completely exhale all the air out of your lungs by squeezing your abdominals
5. Repeat steps 1 through 4
6. If you’re bored by this exercise, you can intensify it by holding your breath during the full inhale and then exhaling over an equal or greater amount of time.
“While deep belly breathing can be relaxing, my personal favorite breathing exercise is box breathing,” says Ramsey. “Box breathing is more relaxing than an equal amount of time spent doing mindfulness meditation.” Box breathing can be performed in any position that you find comfortable. Box breathing is a deep breathing technique that helps slow down breathing. It works by distracting your mind as you count to a number (often 4), calming your nervous system, and decreasing stress in your body.
Box Breathing*:
1. Breathe in for any measured amount of time- 4 seconds is a good starting point
2. Hold your breath for that same amount of time (4 seconds)
3. Exhale for that same amount of time (4 seconds)
4. Hold your breath for that same amount of time (4 seconds)
5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for at least a few cycles, but there isn’t a real time limit for this exercise.
Box breathing is a common technique used to slow a racing heart caused by anxiety or mental stress.
*If you have heart issues, are pregnant, have high blood pressure or anxiety, do not practice these breathing techniques without the consultation, and in some cases supervision, of a doctor. These breathing techniques should be avoided by at-risk individuals, as they can cause extremely high or extremely low rates of respiration.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Regional High School Athletic Training Program and its mission to keep local student-athletes safe, please visit pullmanregional.org/athletic-training
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