Breathing is something we all do naturally, but seldom do we give thought as to how improved breathing can increase our performance in both sports and everyday activities. Training your lungs is just as important as other fitness activities we participate in for better health. There are many health benefits to doing so, and many potential problems if the natural respiratory function is ignored. Fortunately, there are solutions to lung capacity and to improve breathing and therefore obtain better performance. If you have breathing difficulties, a conversation with a doctor or respiratory therapist would be time well spent. The information contained here can be one of the inputs for that conversation.
When breathing properly, the body is oxygenated and cells and tissues are receiving the energy needed to perform. Concentration is improved, the immune system strengthened, stress reduced, metabolism increased, and an overall feeling of calmness and relaxation achieved. Most importantly, and many times not thought of, is the how improved breathing allows the body to detoxify more efficiently. While a small percentage of toxins are discharged through urination, defecation, and sweating, the majority (approximately 70%) are discharged through breathing.
On the other hand, if one is having difficulty breathing and is out of breath, gasping, or panting, then there are many potential side effects. In this case, one may find themselves dizzy, unable to focus, or stressed. In addition, one may have sore muscles, a tight feeling, digestive issues, numbness, poor lung capacity and other conditions. As mentioned above, when not breathing properly, detoxification is dramatically effected; the body can not rid itself of toxins in an efficient manner.
There are 12 sets of respiratory muscles that control breathing. Just like any other muscle in the body, these become fatigued and overexerted, resulting in out of breath condition, gasping for air, etc. This happens to every athlete who pushes themselves to their limit, and to anyone who overexerts themselves in daily activity. Clearly, it is not just a state of breathlessness or overexertion that we should be concerned with. Regular natural breathing is controlled by these muscles as well.
Exercising the respiratory muscles can be one of the keys to improving your performance. Thanks to new and improved technology, this can be accomplished with the assistance of devices. These can be used just a few times a day to properly exercise the entire (inhale and exhale) respiratory function. A device such as the PowerLung develop the 24 muscles that are responsible for better breathing, therefore improving endurance, improving lung capacity, and potentially achieving the benefits sited above. These kinds of devices exercise the lungs in a very similar way to resistance training any muscle or muscle group
Breathing can either help or hinder your performance in many ways, whether you are a professional athlete looking for peak performance or if you are a senior looking climb stairs better. If you are unsure of the seriousness of your breathing problems, a conversation with a respiratory therapist or physician is advised. If you are looking to improve your overall performance through better breathing, there are fortunately technologies available to help you do so.
Jack Webster writes for www.BetterHealthInnovations.com [http://www.betterhealthinnovations.com], where more information can be found regarding the PowerLung Active Series.
