Boost your breathing to boost your exercise!

Flicking through 'ezinearticles' I came across this little snippet (http://EzineArticles.com/8810434) that grabbed my attention and is worth two minutes of your time to check over this and check your own breathing patterns before starting your workout. Written by Phillip J. Schiefer - a Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist (http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Phillip_J_Schiefer), this important matter is often overlooked and we don't realise the importance of our breathing technique when we do exercise.  So take a moment to read this short piece and it might help you in your routine, and make it easier for you too.

Have you ever experienced shortness of breath or dizziness after an exercise? Most of us probably have. There are many reasons why this could have happened. It is possible that the culprit is your breathing. During exercise, much emphasis is placed on posture, grip, stance, motion, amount of reps and weight. I usually don't hear anything mentioned about breathing. All of these factors are relevant to the exercise, as is breathing. Perhaps we assume that breathing needs no explanation, since we constantly do it without thinking about it. So why think about it during exercise? Proper breathing techniques can work in conjunction with the movement of the body, which will create a more fluid and natural movement.

Before beginning any exercise movements, asses your own breathing patterns. Look at yourself breathe and observe if your chest or diaphragm expands. If your chest expands, your breathing is dysfunctional and should be corrected. Chest breathing can lead to postural imbalances, dizziness and accelerated fatigue during exercise. Take another deep breath and make a conscious effort to expand your diaphragm as you inhale. Train your body to take long breaths from your center, as opposed to short breaths from your chest. Improving your breathing can improve your posture, stamina and thoracic spine rotation. Additionally, it is a good way to initiate correcting any upper body muscle imbalances that you may have.

You can boost your breathing with simple exercises. Use different positions to train your lungs to expand and contract. Try taking eight breaths in each position and repeat it two to three times. Start standing up, then bent over with legs straight and chest parallel to the floor, then from hands and knees and then lying down on your back. Draw your naval in towards your spine as you exhale all of the air out of your lungs. Fill your lungs as you move the naval away from the spine. Vary positions as you concentrate on taking long, deep breaths. These exercises can be performed daily. Notice if you find it easier to breathe from the diaphragm afterwards.

Apply the same breathing principles to exercising. While exercising, exhale as you are exerting force, which is the concentric portion of the movement. During a pushup, exhale as you are pushing your chest away from the floor and inhale as you lower your chest towards the floor, which is the eccentric portion of the movement. Keep your breaths synchronized with the movement. By doing this, you can potentially increase your strength, mobility and endurance. Moreover, you can reduce the risk of dizziness while exercising. Improving your breathing is beneficial to your health and wellness. So next time you exercise or find yourself reading an article, set aside some time to enhance your breathing.

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