Your breath is as important to your running success as your legs. The more efficiently you breathe, the better your pace, endurance and overall energy. The longer you train, the stronger your lungs and your breathing techniques will be. This translates into longer, easier runs in less time. The more you run, the stronger your lungs will get, but a combination of exercise, breathing techniques and healthful lifestyle habits can help strengthen your lungs as well.
Step 1
Strengthen your diaphragm, the major muscle involved in breathing, by doing deep breathing exercises. Lie on your back and place your hand on your stomach. Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose and press your stomach into your hand. Purse and tighten your lips, then exhale slowly, pushing the air out through your mouth. Perform breathing exercises for five to 10 minutes at a time, three to four times per day.
Step 2
Run on a regular basis or perform other types of moderate to high intensity physical activity for 30 minutes per day, five days per week. Physical activity strengthens your lungs and increases your lung capacity. Vary you workouts and continue to challenge yourself so you get the most aerobic benefit.
Step 3
Control your breath as you run by matching your breathing patterns with your pace. Start by breathing in for one left foot and one right foot strike. Breathe out for a left foot and a right foot strike. As this becomes easier, move to a three foot strike breathing pattern. Experiment with different breathing patterns until you find one that works best for you. This will help strengthen your breath control as you run.
Step 4
Breathe in through your mouth as you run and not your nose. When you breathe through your mouth, you bring in more air at a quicker rate, which expands your lungs more and delivers more oxygen to your muscles.
Step 5
Eat a nutritious diet filled with fruits, vegetables, whole gains, quality proteins and plenty of water to keep your lungs healthy.
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