The benefits of exercise such as walking cannot be denied, but if you hold your breath periodically while exercising, you do yourself no good in the long run. Try climbing the stairs and check if you hold your breath. If you do, your lungs are deprived of air and you probably get out of breath easily. By breathing deeply and efficiently during exercise, your blood absorbs more oxygen, affording more fuel to your muscles.
Benefits
A 2010 study published in "Disability and Rehabilitation" found deep breathing exercises and walking to be safe and beneficial for patients hospitalized for chronic heart failure, and the reasons are simple. Both activities can be easily enjoyed by most people, and together can provide both aerobic and anaerobic exercise, says Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN, founder of Maine's Women to Women Clinic. Deep breathing can even facilitate weight loss, says Pick, and is a good way to start a new exercise plan -- although breathing should never be a substitute for exercise.
Function
Many of Pick's patients have abnormal levels of carbon dioxide in their blood, she says, meaning they are not breathing properly. Aerobic exercise, such as walking, increases your heart rate, allowing more oxygen into your lungs and forcing more carbon dioxide out, giving your heart a good workout in the process.
Breathing Technique
The Marquette General Hospital suggests you practice breathing by lying on the floor with bent knees. Place one hand on your abdomen and one on your chest, relax your abdominals and breathe in through your nose. Breathing in through your nose allows the warmth and moisture of your nostrils to make the air easier for your lungs to deal with. Feel your diaphragm contract and your abdomen expand. Your chest should not move at all. Exhale slowly with your lips pursed, as this forces your airways open, allowing stale air out and fresh air in.
Breathing and Walking
The Marquette General Hospital recommends inhaling for two steps and exhaling for four steps. Always exhale when making strenuous movements, such as climbing stairs, lifting heavy objects, and moving from lying to sitting and sitting to standing. You can always rest and inhale between movements.
References
- "Disability and Rehabilitation"; Heart rate autonomic responses during deep breathing and walking in hospitalized patients with chronic heart failure; Caruso, et al.; Aug. 23, 2010
- Women to Women; Deep breathing: the truly essential exercise; Marcelle Pick
- Marquette General Hospital: Tips for Better Breathing
