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Published 09:21 IST, November 14th 2019

Breathing techniques: Importance of optimal breathing while exercising

While working out, it is important to stay hydrated. But the most important thing is breathing right. Read on to know how to increase lung capacity.

Reported by: Aditya Vyas
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While working out, people take care of the important things like staying hydrated, maintaining the form and many more. But the one key element that they often forget to pay attention to is breathing. Breathing optimally is a necessity especially during workouts as it affects the quality of your workout.

Breathing pattern

Justin Sweeney, PT, DPT, at Bespoke Treatments in Seattle says that the delivery of oxygen to our system is of vital importance in everything we do, from reaching for a glass of water to running a marathon. If you’re breathing wrong, it will lead to decreased endurance and efficiency. How you are inhaling and exhaling affects your activity. Let’s look at ways which improve breathing quality. 

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When you channel your energy during a workout, there is an increased demand on your muscles. The body requires more oxygen and produces more carbon dioxide because of the physical activity and the effort you put in. When you go from resting to exercising, your breathing has to increase from about 15 breaths a minute (an estimated 12 litres of air) to about 40 to 60 times a minute (an additional 88 litres of air).

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What you need to do is find a rhythm. Diaphragmatic breathing, which comes from the bottom of the chest cavity. Breathing this way will increase your blood flow, improve relaxation, increase fat burning, decrease stress, and decrease the risk of strains and cramp. Rhythmic breathing will also make you feel whole and help channel your core strength too. 

To practise diaphragmatic breathing, place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Then watch the rise and fall of both hands. Try to breathe so that only the hand over your stomach moves. Also, try to match your breathing pattern with your activity so that they are perfectly synchronised. There are also other factors that affect your breathing like altitude, humidity, and polluted air. To ensure relaxed breathing, learn to sync your breathing with exercises. This will help ensure proper breathing and affect your body functions. 

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07:51 IST, November 14th 2019