Just Breathe.

Just Breathe. 

I've created this blog to go help inspire others to want to better themselves in a healthy way.  So along with posting my own personal exercises, I'm going to post ways to stay healthy.  My biggest road block right now is breathing.  With my asthma, I'm on 2 different medications, my inhaler [before I exercise or run] and a nebulizer, 4 times a day but I only take it twice a day.  All that medicine is exhausting but I feel so much better.  I know I'm not the only one  who has trouble breathing correctly while running or exercising so here are some tips to breathe better and make your workouts last longer.  Try these tips and leave me comments on how they work for you! 

Running

• Breathe through your nose and out through your mouth. This was always my biggest problem.  I used to breathe in through my mouth, out through my mouth.  Within a quarter of I mile, I'm huffing and puffing. 
• Breathe from your belly and not your chest. When you breathe from your belly because it enables your to take in more oxygen to your chest.  When you breathe from your chest, you're taking in too short of breaths which will cause you to become short or breath faster.
•  You should be taking, short shallow breaths while you run. You don't want to take huge deep breaths while your running because you are unconsciously holding your breathe, which will cause those annoying side stitches that make you feel like you're about to die.   Also, find a rhythm of breathing. You don't want your breaths to be too short or too long.  Your breaths in and out should be consistent.  Next time you run, try taking three footsteps for every inhale and two footsteps for every exhale. You can also take one breath for every two steps. If you find something else that works better for you, then go for it!

Exercising

• Intensity exercises like zumba, or football are almost like running. You want to breathe from your diaphragm, not your chest.
• Strength training exercises are a little bit different. When strength training, you want to exhale on the exertion.  If you are using something with a bar, you would inhale in when you start to press the bar up and exhale when you're bringing the bar down. 

I hope this will help you during your training.  If there is anything that you would like to see, please let me know! I love to hear feedback on how everything has worked for you. Good luck with your workouts and training!



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