Every Breath You Take

By: Wendy Lubell

Breath is fundamental to life –without the ability to breathe we die. Effective breathing is critical for maintaining optimal health. As a society we spend millions of dollars training our bodies to become stronger, leaner, suppler and aesthetically pleasing. We go to the gym, hire trainers, run marathons, follow the latest fad diet and take vitamins in hopes of creating a healthier body. All of these choices can help but oftentimes we forget to pay attention to a key component of optimal health – BREATH.

Breathing is something we do all the time without thinking about it. We inhale and exhale approximately 25,000 times per day. The way we breathe affects our fitness training, stress levels, metabolism, heart rate and energy (just to mention a few). By focusing on how we breathe, we pay attention to how we are feeling both physically and mentally. This can improve our fitness regimen and daily life.

Try this test to see how you breathe.

Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your diaphragm or belly. Take a deep breathe in and a deep breathe out. Which hand moved when you took your breath? Did you feel your chest move in and out or did you feel your stomach move in and out? If you answered stomach – congratulations you are on the right path to wellness. If you answered chest don’t despair.

You know how to breathe correctly. I can assure you of that. The moment you took your first breath as a baby you were doing it right. Somewhere along the line in our “hurried” world you changed your breathing to accommodate your lifestyle. Breathing from the chest is what we do when we are under stress –both good stress and distress. Unfortunately it increases our heart rate, gives us less energy, causes tension headaches and stiff muscles, raises our blood pressure, causes us to get more agitated, puts strain on our heart and tightens our muscles

Here is how to breathe to achieve optimal health.

Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach Exhale through your mouth and contract your stomach Inhale through your nose and expand your stomach
Repeat this several times and exaggerate your breathing (if you experience too much dizziness exaggerate your breathing less)

Tips for breathing properly- Imagine your stomach is a balloon. When you inhale you are inflating the balloon. Imagine the air is going down your back, past your ribs and into your stomach. When you exhale you are deflating the balloon.

If you are not used to breathing this way don’t worry; it takes practice. I invite you to try this method three times a day (taking ten breathes) for one week to see for yourself. Just as with anything new, the more you practice the more natural it becomes. Imagine your body is a car that runs best on good fuel. A simple way to ensure quality performance is to fuel your body with effective breathing.