Proper breathing is crucial to maintaining stamina and alertness while jogging. According to MayoClinic.com, 30 minutes of daily aerobic activity such as jogging can make a significant impact on your health and overall longevity. In order to reap the full rewards of your jogging workout and maintain the maximum amount of time at your target heart rate, you will need to adopt a breathing pattern that optimizes the amount of oxygen your body can access for the full duration of your jogging exercise.
Mouth Breathing Techniques
The question of whether it is more sustainable to breathe through your mouth or your nose while jogging is a heated debate, and is ultimately a personal choice that can only be decided based on experience. Motley Health recommends breathing with your mouth open in deep, expansive breaths as you begin your jogging and increasing with quickness as you begin to sweat, generally around the 1-mile mark. To utilize a mouth breathing technique, use your mouth to inhale and exhale each breath and alter the depth and pace as needed while you jog.
Nose Breathing Techniques
Nose breathing is the opposite of mouth breathing and relies on the nasal passages for inhaling and exhaling all air. Arguably a more popular technique in cold regions, where the mucus membranes in the nose are used to warm incoming air before reaching the lungs, nose breathing allows for quicker, more forceful breathing than mouth breathing. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, nose breathing is also a healthier option for individuals jogging where pollution and airborne toxins may be commonplace, such as big cities, due to the nostril cavity's role as the primary filtering system of the body.
Variations and Alternatives
Despite the popularity of the nose and mouth breathing techniques, some dedicated joggers opt for an organic approach, combining or personalizing their own breathing as necessary. This can include a number of respiratory varieties, from inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth or inhaling in two quick "sips" of air and exhaling in one large round. If you choose to go this route, try starting your routine with a basic nose or mouth breathing technique for the first mile of your run and noticing if your body wants to breathe in a different pace or rhythm. Experiment repeatedly and track your results to make sure you end up selecting the best breathing method for your body.
Safety and Concerns
Improper breathing while jogging is one of the most common causes of dizziness, nausea and overheating while exercising. Talk to your doctor or personal trainer to make sure you are fit enough to begin jogging and ask if they recommend a starting point for miles per hour. This can help you set realistic goals that do not hazard your health as you experiment with the different breathing techniques while jogging.
