Smiling and snoring; humming, posture and sinusitis.
Better breathing enhances sports performance
I recently witnessed a remarkable demonstration. This amateur runner was going at full pelt on a running machine breathing calmly, and gently (pretty much
Sarah, a breathing educator, running with easy breathing and closed mouth.
invisibly) with her mouth closed. She was in full control of her breathing throughout, totally relaxed before during and after the exercise.
Don coaching the Oxyathlete method
It was a workshop lead by Don Gordon demonstrating part of the oxyathlete programme of Patrick Mckeown ; Elite athletes trained in Oxyathlete programmes have had increased performance of up to 2%, amateurs much more.
Background
At peak performance the majority of athletes that Don assessed (from elite, amateur or recreational) felt that their breathing holds them back, not their muscles.
Most athletes breathe badly; many have heath issues connected with bad breathing (asthma, allergies, anxiety, sleep problems)
Most have no breath training, don’t warm up lungs or diaphragm or/ have been coached to do deep breathing and/or rhythm breathing through the mouth, not the nose.
The breath training programme can deliver:
- Better oxygen delivery
- Faster speeds
- Better endurance
- Faster recovery
- More enjoyment
Incorrect breathing can:
- Constrict airways making it harder to breathe
- Constrict blood vessels reducing muscle oxygenation, speed and endurance
- Cause lactic acid build up and fatigue
- Increase free radicals/acidosis making injury/cramp/ pulled muscles more likely
- Reduce training days due to more ill health
How does it work? Optimal performance is a function of how we breathe; less breathing leads to more muscle oxygenation
Don demonstrating cycling posture of the future; straight back, free diaphragm
The first stage improves breathing at rest and is for everyone. The second stage is for all athletes when they have progressed in stage one; learning breath control during exercise with mainly nasal breathing.
The second stage involves special warm ups and cool downs while controlling the breath as well as interval training, all while breathing calmly and mostly through the nose. The controlled way this is done strikes me as safer than the interval training where the breathing is out of control and takes a long time to come back down to normal after the training session.
Then for elite athletes the third stage simulates high altitude training via breath control (more in future blog posts).
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Do you ever feel out of breath or dizzy or exhausted after only minimal exercise? How are you breathing?
The previous better breathing blog post was all about the importance of breathing through your nose, but even before you focus on nasal breathing, you have to cultivate good awareness of your breathing; many people tell me they breathe through their noses, but I observe them mouth breathing without realising. If you have never thought it mattered, why would you notice? I used to be the same. I certainly did not notice that I was taking in gasping breaths through my mouth when I was speaking. Now I can breathe in calmly through my nose when speaking, most of the time anyway.
Remember that the MORE you breathe, the LESS oxygen you are getting. Continue Reading
Seven reasons why you should always breathe through your nose
Welcome to my first blog post for the new Breathing Remedies website. The website has a stronger focus on people with ME/CFS. I still see clients with asthma and allergies, anxiety and panic, snoring and sleep apnoea etc. and indeed many people with ME/CFS also struggle with some of these symptoms; ME/CFS is MUCH more than being tired all the time. And the better breathing tips are going to apply to everyone really.
I am going to kick off by talking about nasal breathing. Indeed in 2012 there was an “International Breathe through your nose week”! Many people thought it was a joke! But learning to breathe through your nose rather than
your mouth could be the most important thing that you ever do for your health and your good looks! Click on the image to see examples of people nasal breathing even when exercising. Read on to discover why!Continue Reading
