The Best Ways to Breathe While Exercising
By: Bailey Larmore
When was the last time you took a deep, relaxing breath? Breathing not only helps our bodies function, but it also helps us feel peaceful. Oftentimes, we can forget to breathe when we exercise and end up feeling winded. Let’s check out some strategies for breathing during a workout.
Find Your Calm Before You Exercise
Before exercising, take a moment to focus on your breathing. You can count to 4 as you inhale and count to 4 as you exhale. These relaxing breaths can help center your mind and get your body ready for a workout. Many people find that they are more focused and present if they collect themselves by taking deep breaths. Before a game or match, this practice can help reduce stress and anxiety.
Belly Breathing
Experts recommend breathing deeply into your stomach in order to get the most oxygen.This technique engages your diaphragms. With belly breathing, you should feel your belly expand as you breathe in. If only your chest rises, you aren’t maximizing the amount of oxygen when you inhale. This strategy can be used when working out and running, or even during day-to-day activities.
Use Your Nose
Your nose allows you to take in more oxygen than your mouth does. On average, breathing through your nose results in 10 to 20% more oxygen than breathing through your mouth! More oxygen is an immense help to our muscles as we exercise. Experts suggest that you breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth when you work out. Some experts also recommend using both your nose and mouth to inhale.
Breathing While Weight Lifting
It’s especially important to breathe properly when you’re lifting weights. Breathe out while you exert your muscles, and breathe in when resting. This means that you would exhale when raising the barbell and inhale as you lower it. This also means that you would exhale as you press up during a push up and inhale when coming down.
Have a great week, and don’t forget to breathe.
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