Boost your health 20,000 times a day!

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-04-2003
Boost your health 20,000 times a day!
1
Tue, 08-23-2005 - 3:59pm
What do you do about 20,000 times a day? No, the answer's not check e-mail or crave chocolate. You breathe. Inhale, exhale, repeat. Easy. But are you breathing properly? And what exactly is in the air that you're inhaling? The answers may surprise you. For example, while most of us are aware of nasty acrid smog during hot summer months, it turns out that our indoor air can be just as scary.

The payoffs of breathing properly are big: your heart rate and blood pressure drop, you're able to combat anxiety and pain, and more essential oxygen reaches every part of your body. One 29-year-long study even found that pulmonary function is one of the best predictors of how long you'll live. In other words, breathe well, live well.


Change your breathing habits

Make like a baby "Most people expand their chest without breathing into their belly when they inhale, which is inefficient and fatiguing," notes Maxine Munro, a certified yoga instructor and occupational therapist in Halifax. "Babies do it right." Here is her three-step breathing method:


1. Lie down in a relaxed position on your back. (Once you get the hang of this, you can try it while seated or standing.)

2. Breathe in and out through your nose, which warms and filters the air. Place one hand on your belly and the other hand on your ribs so you can feel the movement of your breath. Inflate your belly when you inhale and deflate when you exhale.

3. Repeat, letting your ribs expand like an accordion when you inhale. When you exhale, deflate your ribs, then your belly. Repeat. Allow your belly to rise, your ribs to expand and your chest to inflate, then exhale, feeling your chest and belly deflate.

Take a deep one You may want to give that belly breathing a try at lunch and between 4 and 5 p.m. Researchers at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y., found that our lung function changes throughout the day, according to the same 24-hour body clock that regulates sleep and metabolism. Lung function is at its lowest at noon (so it can't hurt to take a few good breaths for a pick-me-up) and highest in the late afternoon (so take a few more good deep breaths to maximize that peak). If you use asthma medication, it might be most beneficial to take it at midday, says Dr. Boris Medarov, lead researcher of the study.


Feed your lungs Preliminary research suggests that antioxidants, found in colourful fruit and veggies as well as beans and red wine, may help protect and repair lung function. And while you're dining on all that good stuff, you could shed excess pounds that contribute to shortness of breath. A joint study conducted by the University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital and the Ottawa Health Research Institute found that women who lost the most weight during the study also showed the most improvement in lung function. Why? Extra pounds make your respiratory muscles work harder and less efficiently.


Read the Article here:


http://www.chatelaine.com/health/article.jsp?content=20050906_122015_5916&page=1

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Tue, 08-30-2005 - 5:40pm
Thanks for that reminder Miranda-- really thinks I need to take out that Yoga tape and start doing it more regularly again!!

~IslandGirl


Moderation IS Key


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