How do you breathe?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Paulina on May 3, 2012 at 11:55pm

I don't know if there's a universal rule to breathing or not, but personally I like to breathe in and out through my mouth during my runs, esp if I feel like my heart rate is getting up there. If i'm not going that fast I'd breathe in through my mouth and out the nose/mouth. I do have small nasal airways though so I think that's why I breathe like that.

Each inhale and exhale is about 2-3 sec, and I like to keep it steady.

Also, when you're first starting out with running you'll most likely feel like you have asthma.. that's what I experienced. Your lungs and cardio system just aren't used to the new stress yet. You just have to stay persistent through the coming days, weeks, months... and you'll find yourself improving and it will get easier. When I was in sixth grade some 10 years ago or so I ran my first gym mile in almost 12 minutes and felt godawful. Now, I can run a mile in half that time no problem because I started running consistently and pushed through the difficult times when I was out of shape. 

Definitely start slowly and do it at a pace that feels comfortable for you and your breathing, even if that's just walking fast for now. The more you keep coming back to it day after day the easier it'll get :D

Have fun!

Permalink Reply by Chanda Esparza on May 4, 2012 at 12:15pm

Thanks Appaulina! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who thought they were going to die during their sixth grade mile run, lol. I'll try your advice and see how it goes. :)

Permalink Reply by Justin on May 10, 2012 at 2:41pm

Don't force yourself to just use your mouth or nose while exercising.  You'll naturally (if you don't think about it), breath through both simultaneously.  Shallow breathing is not good, though this doesn't mean you need to take exaggerated deep breaths- though this may not be a bad idea if you are breathing too shallow.  When making a change it needs to be a substantial difference, else old habits are easier to stick with.

If you feel uncomfortable with breathing or exercising in general now, don't panic!  If you are not used to it it's going to be uncomfortable and unfamiliar.  If you can be consistent your body will respond and that is how fitness is gained.  There is a great saying in sport, that it never gets easier, you just get faster! This is very true, but after a little while it does become more familiar and comfortably uncomfortable.

On the topic of breathing, if you do start running and get side stitches (cramps), this can usually be fixed with breathing better, ie deeper and at a slower rythm.  Best of luck to you!

Permalink Reply by Chanda Esparza on May 10, 2012 at 3:41pm

Thank you for the advice! :)

Permalink Reply by sannabanna on May 22, 2012 at 8:58pm

I would always recommend that you breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. but this is an ideal, if you are seriously out of breathe, then of course feel free to breathe through your mouth ;)

" The lungs are a primary source of our energy level. They extract oxygen from the air we breathe primarily on the exhale. Because the nostrils are smaller then the mouth, air exhaled through the nose creates back pressure when one exhales. It slows the air escape so the lungs have more time to extract oxygen from them. When there is proper oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange, the blood will maintain a balanced pH. If carbon dioxide is lost too quickly, as in mouth breathing, oxygen absorption is decreased."

+

"Nose breathing imposes approximately 50 percent more resistance to the air stream in normal  individuals than does mouth breathing, resulting in 10-20 percent more O2 uptake. (Cottle, 1972:Rohrer, 1915)  There must be adequate nasal resistance to maintain adequate elasticity of the lungs"

http://www.breathing.com/articles/nose-breathing.htm

Permalink Reply by Daniel Kerr on May 23, 2012 at 12:20pm

Nose or mouth less of an issue for me, I tend to mouth breath, but whatever is natural and some can do it with both. Breath depth however is imprtant. We seem to breath more in to our chest as things get harder. I find that if I can breath deeper "in to my stomach" I can maintain form and speed for longer.

 

What I mean by this can be felt by standing and placing one hand on your chest and one on your stomach. Take a deep breath, if your chest rises first it is chest breathing and is commony what happens when we run. Now try to breath with your stomach rising first then your chest. This will be deeper. Concentrate on the exhale to ensure you expel as much CO2 as possible.

 

Not a bad link here http://completerunning.com/archives/2009/05/27/how-to-breathe-when-...

 

happy trails

 

Dan

Permalink Reply by Chanda Esparza on May 26, 2012 at 10:55am

LOL Darth Vader :) Thanks!