Breathing while running seems easy, but if you are just beginning to run, proper breathing technique can be difficult to master. The act of breathing is how your body receives and distributes oxygen throughout the circulatory system and into the muscles. Breathing also expels the waste products of work as it rids the body of carbon dioxide. During running, breathing is important to keep your blood sufficiently oxygenated. Rapid or shallow breathing can lead to muscle cramps or anxiety and makes running harder as the muscles are not given proper oxygen.
Step 1
Slow down. Beginning runners who have not learned to regulate their breathing sometimes run too fast and quickly get out of breath or dizzy because they are not giving their body enough oxygen.
Step 2
Take long, deep breaths. The deeper breath you can take, the more oxygen you are giving your body.
Step 3
Breath through your nose and your mouth. This will allow you to take in more oxygen with each breath.
Step 4
Breathe from your diaphragm. Focus on allowing your breath to come from you abdominal area rather than from your chest. Your diaphragm is made to help maximize the breath that you take.
Step 5
Exhale fully. Just as a long, deep breath in allows for a greater uptake of oxygen, a deep exhale allows for a greater release of carbon dioxide. The more CO2 you release, the more oxygen you can take in with your next breath.
Step 6
Try to take three footsteps for every inhale, and two footsteps for every exhale. This three-to-two ratio can help to keep your breathing rate in sync with your running pace and will help you determine what your proper breathing rate should be.
Step 7
Relax. Breathing may seem hard at first, but by staying relaxed you allow your body to find the best breathing rate for you.
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