Breathing Exercises

The heartbeat and breathing are two of the body’s most basic activities. Both are essential for life. And yet, amazingly, both can be improved!

As a person exercises properly and becomes more fit, the heart becomes more efficient, pumping more blood with less effort. Therefore it slows down, needing to beat fewer times per minute to supply the body with life giving oxygen. This is a good thing.

Likewise, breathing can be improved by practice and exercise. Our lungs consist of thousands of tiny air sacs where fresh air containing oxygen is exchanged for the body’s used air containing carbon dioxide. If we have poor posture, don’t take full breaths, smoke, or live in a polluted air environment, our lungs just aren’t working as efficiently as they could be.

So we can help our lungs (and ourselves) by practicing good breathing techniques at least several times a week. Here is a simple exercise you can do anywhere:

Stand, sit, or walk with good posture; shoulders back, spine straight, head up and looking straight ahead, chest free of tight clothes. Close your mouth and breath in through your nose as deeply as you can comfortably. Hold the air in your lungs for a count of 2 to 5 seconds. Then, breath out slowly through pursed lips, as if you are going to whistle. Completely empty your lungs. This procedure fills those air sacs, and the breathing out through a small opening increases the back pressure on them, making them pop open. This helps move secretions out, so there may be some coughing up of material you really don’t need blocking those airways.

Just do this a few times, and then resume your normal breathing pattern. Breathing too deeply for too long is called over breathing, and when carried to the extreme, can result in dizziness or even numbness of the hands. The body automatically slows the breathing when that happens, and the symptoms go away.

A word of caution! Before you begin any exercise or fitness program, consult your doctor or health professional to make sure it is safe for you.

John E. Barnett, MD
Specialist in Internal Medicine