Breathe better to feel better
Oct 21, 2020Adult humans breathe more than 18,000 times per day, averaging around 6,570,000 respiratory cycles per year and 525,600,000 in a lifetime. If done correctly, those breaths are creating oxygenated blood, an energetic body and a relaxed brain!
Each week, though, we see client after client whose breathing patterns aren't serving them. Without meaning to, these amazing humans (and SO many people everywhere) are sending signals to their brain, day and night, that something is wrong.
They come to us with:
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fatigue during exercise
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energy drops in the day
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insomnia or sleep disruption
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metabolic issues
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anxiety / depression symptoms
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back and neck pain
and we start looking at the following symptoms:
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hiccuping
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belly bloating
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frequent sighing or yawning
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the frequent (almost anxious) urge to "take a deep breath in"
We've been there and our clients have been there. We are yogis and runners and metabolic training warriors who thought we had it figured out. And at the other end of thousands of better breaths, we can tell you that just a few, small shifts can change everything for your athletic self, your internal sense of calm, and your long term health.
Here's where we start ALL of our clients when it comes to breathing:
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Breathe through your nose. Always. For everything. Awake, and asleep... breathe through your nose. This not only helps regulate level of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood and tells your brain that "all is well," it is necessary for the next step.
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Move ALL your ribs. By "belly breathing" or "chest breathing" you are limiting the amount of space that your diaphragm and ribs can create for your lungs to inflate. Your ribs extend from your collar bones and arm pits, all the way to the bottom of your rib cage (about where your natural waist sits.) They should expand from bottom to top with an inhale and completely relax back down on an exhale. This is my go-to video of breathing anatomy!
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Exhale more than you inhale. The vast majority of people (even those in the health industry) have a habit of inhaling too often and too much, unwittingly making themselves tired, anxious and inefficient. Exhalation clears metabolic waste from your body, relaxes your diaphragm and activates the "rest and digest" half of your autonomic nervous system.
If you think you might have issues with your respiration patterns, breathing habits or just can't figure out when you're supposed to inhale or exhale during a lifting cycle.... we've got you. Just reach out to one of our coaches today!
Breathe easy, friends. You're amazing and we're cheering for you.
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