Panting or improper breathing can affect the way you feel and behave during your exercise routine. Getting enough air during exercise can make physical activity much easier and help improve your endurance. Because panting and breathing issues can sometimes signal a serious problem, it is important to understand what can cause breathing complications during exercise -- and how to avoid them.
Benefits
Learning how to breathe properly during exercise can help lower your heart rate, expel all of the carbon dioxide from your lungs and help you get more oxygen in your lungs and blood. It can also help prevent dizziness during exercise and boost your athletic performance. In addition, exercise breathing techniques can ignite the fat-burning process and help you shed unwanted pounds.
Causes
Panting or irregular breathing is a typical response to exercise. However, some environmental conditions such as dust, allergens such as pollen or dander and ascending to higher altitudes while exercising can trigger panting or breathing problems. In addition, lack of exercise and obesity can make breathing more difficult during physical activity. You can also experience panting or breathing problems during exercise if you suffer from croup, a viral illness, or exercise-induced asthma.
Tips
Prevent panting by being aware of your breathing patterns during exercise. The Diet Channel recommends concentrating on forcefully exhaling air rather than on the inhaling process. If possible, inhale via your nose and exhale from your mouth until you increase the intensity of your exercise routine. Try to breathe in a rhythmic pattern. For example, if jogging, inhale when your left, right and left foot strike the ground. Then inhale with the following right and left foot strikes.
Warnings
Panting, or improper breathing, during exercise can result in a side stitch or muscle cramp. In addition, you could also end up hyperventilating if you pant while exercising. Hurried, or short breathing patterns, can also increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the body. In turn, this can raise your heart rate and increase your body's production of exercise byproducts such as lactic acid, which can lead to soreness and injury.
