| Deep breathing — the essential exercise |
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There is a way to begin or renew your commitment to physical fitness,
something that should come easily because you have to do it anyway. The secret is simply to breathe...deeply and often. Whether you are currently exercising or not, think about how your routine could be enriched by paying more attention to your breath. Mindful exercise that synchronizes movement and breath has the power to change more than how you look. In a 2005 review and analysis of several studies, Richard Brown, MD and Patricia Gerbarg, MD reported that deep-breathing techniques were extremely effective in handling depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders. These techniques can serve as an excellent adjunct to conventional medical treatment — or in some cases as a suitable substitute — in treating myriad psychological disorders, as well as eating disorders and obesity. I have noticed that a surprising number of my patients show irregularly high levels of carbon dioxide in their blood. Interestingly, the carbon dioxide level is often abnormal when all the others tests of the blood are fine. In fact, I probably see more abnormal tests for carbon dioxide than for standard glucose, kidney or liver tests. While this is not life threatening, it does tell me that my patient is not inhaling enough oxygen or exhaling enough carbon dioxide, which can have consequences such as fatigue, mental fog and decreased tissue function. I often note “needs to breathe” on a patient’s chart. Not the shallow chest breathing many of us default into, but deep, meaningful breaths, or “belly breathing.” One of the reasons aerobic exercise is good for you (and is so good at clearing away mental cobwebs) is that it ups your heart rate and forces your lungs to take in more oxygen while expelling more carbon dioxide. This gives your heart a good workout — it is a muscle after all — and pumps a quick jolt of oxygen through your cells, even those that may have been operating at reduced capacity. Shallow breathing (or chest breathing) causes a constriction of the chest and lung tissue over time, decreasing oxygen flow and delivery to your tissues. Deep, rhythmic breathing expands the Breathing — the truly essential exercise What kind of breather are you — chest or belly, nose or mouth? Try this test: Place one hand on your chest and one hand on you abdomen. Take a normal breath while looking down. If the hand on your chest rises first, you tend to breathe in your chest. If the hand on your abdomen rises first, you are more of a belly breather. To find out whether you are a nose or mouth-breather — if you don’t already know — just ask a friend, your workout buddy, or sleeping partner. Chances are, they’ve noticed if you’re a mouth-breather. Breathing through the nose is axiomatic to invoking the parasympathetic nervous system and the attendant relaxation response. But whichever form of breathing comes naturally to you, the following breathing exercises can teach you how to breathe more fully. They don’t require a lot of time, but work best if you commit to practicing them for a few minutes every day. Over time, you will find that you are breathing more deeply throughout the day, even when you exercise — the best of both worlds! If you think you can’t find time to practice deep breathing exercises regularly, take a deep resounding breath, then think again. The irony here is that people forget to breathe because they are so busy cataloguing what they need to do, yet deep breathing is something you can do just about anywhere while doing just about anything — while washing up, grocery shopping, or commuting to work, while listening to others, standing in the shower, or sitting in a meeting. If you must, post sticky-notes with the word “Breathe” around your house, your desktop or your steering wheel. Stoplights make a good mnemonic, too — fully exhaling and inhaling helps counteract road rage. The point is, breathing is something you simply must do — so make the most of it, and it in turn will serve you well. Breathing techniques Simple deep breathing The most basic thing to remember is that your breath begins with a full exhalation (I know this seems counterintuitive, but it’s true). You can’t inhale fully until you empty your lungs completely. It is also important to breathe in through your nose. Now try this: Sit in a comfortable position with your hands on your knees. Relax your shoulders. On your next exhalation, breathe out slowly through your nose, counting to five. Tense your abdominal muscles, drawing in your diaphragm to help your lungs deflate. At the bottom of your breath, pause for two counts, then inhale slowly to the count of five. Expand your belly as you breathe in. Now close your eyes and repeat 5–10 times. Think of your diaphragm as the pump and your breath as the power. If you find that your mind wanders during this exercise, don’t worry. Just refocus on your counting. Some of my patients find it helpful to think of a happy color (like yellow) when they breathe in and a droopy color as they breathe out (like grey). As your awareness of your breath increases, you’ll find that it becomes easier to breathe deeply without so much attention. (Paraphrase from Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP) |