Keeping our lungs healthy is important to keep us strong and well. The oxygen we breathe goes into every cell in our body. As a matter of fact, everyday breathing is not enough to keep the oxygen flowing through the body at peak levels. Regular day-to-day activity may work as an exercise that helps your lungs but it does not necessarily help you use your lungs to their full capacity. Intense activity, like workouts can challenge the lungs to do so. Keeping healthy lungs can prevent us from contracting numerous health issues, including respiratory problems, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and even heart illnesses.
These are five breathing exercises you can do help your lung function and health, and other organs to keep going strong:
- Diaphragmatic Breathing
Abdominal or belly breathing can help you use diaphragm properly. When relaxed and rested, practice diaphragmatic breathing for 5 to 10 minutes regularly for 3 or 4 times a day.
How to do it:
- Lie down with your knees bent slightly and put your head on a pillow
- Support the knee with a pillow underneath
- Put one hand on your upper chest, the other below your rib cage to allow feeling the movement of your diaphragm
- Inhale through your nose slowly and feel your stomach rising while keeping hand on chest still
- Exhale through pursed lips as you tighten stomach muscles
- Breath Focus Technique
This technique practices using imagery or focus words and phrases, such as peach, relax, or let go.
How to do it :
- Sit or lie down comfortably
- Bring awareness to breathing with trying to change it
- Change between normal and deep breaths constantly and notice the difference how your abdomen expands with each inhalation
- Place one hand below belly button while relaxed and notice how it rises with each inhalation and exhalation
- Let out a loud sigh while exhaling
- Alternate Nostril Breathing
This is known for a yogic technique to practice relaxed breathing. It is best practiced on an empty stomach.
How to do it:
- Sit in a comfortable position
- Put up your right hand toward your nose, first and middle finger pressing your palm while the others extended
- Gently close right nostril with right thumb after an exhale
- Inhale through your left nostril then close it with right pinky and ring fingers
- Release thumb and exhale through right nostril
- Let go of your left nostril and exhale through
- Continue these breathing steps for 5 minutes
- Finish this technique with an exhale on the left side
Breathing exercises help to strengthen and improve lung function, both for healthy and damaged lungs. Consistent breathing exercise can also be supported by using a breathing exercise device which could help strengthen the lung capacity and boost lung function.
Need a breathing training device? Look no other than WellO2 that can help you prevent or reduce your breathing problems and relieve your breathing problems. The device will additionally improve your respiratory well-being and strengthen your respiratory muscles.
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