One of the things I do as a personal trainer during an intake session with new clients is checking their breathing. Initially, I don’t mention it but observe how they breathe upon arrival. Throughout our conversation, I frequently revisit the topic of breathing to see if it’s shallow or deep. The reason for doing this is because the quality of your breathing directly impacts your health.
If someone breathes shallowly, meaning with small sips of air per breath, it can indicate stress and is a cause of oxygen deprivation.
If I notice this is the case, it’s important to investigate where the possible stress comes from or what another cause might be for shallow breathing.
Once there’s clarity about the cause of the shallow, uncontrolled breathing, we can look at ways to improve breathing.
Why is Deep Breathing So Important?
Deep breathing ensures that the diaphragm participates in breathing.
The diaphragm, or diaphragm, is stretched, resulting in a kind of massage for the surrounding organs. This has a very calming effect on your central nervous system.
Perhaps more importantly, more oxygen is absorbed into the blood. This alone provides a significant boost to your health. Every cell in your body operates on oxygen, and the more oxygen you inhale from your breathing, the more vitality you literally breathe in. In addition, cells produce carbon dioxide as a waste product.
After a deep inhalation, a large exhalation logically follows, resulting in more waste products being removed.
Effect of Better Breathing
Some things that are often immediately noticeable when breathing improves, deeper are all thanks to the increased oxygen transport to the cells.
Some examples include better recovery of the central nervous system, healthier skin, less strain on the heart, and better digestion.
One way to train your breathing and relax perfectly is through deep belly breathing, also called ‘diaphragmatic breathing’.
During moments of experiencing a lot of stress or when having trouble falling asleep, deep belly breathing is extremely suitable.
It provides ultimate relaxation but can also be a great way to train your daily breathing.
Watch this video on how to perform the ‘diaphragmatic breathing’ technique:
Conclusion
When improving health, the focus is often on diet, exercise program, and sleep.
However, breathing is of such importance that it absolutely should not be neglected.
Take a good look at your own breathing based on the video and try to breathe deeper and calmer when necessary.
Your vitality will thank you for it!
