We go for a workout
We go for a walk
We go for a run
We go for a swim
Let's start going for a Breathe
Especially now, in the year of Covid, breathing MUST be a priority
Find a park, a beach, a forrest wherever, anywhere away from traffic and ideally, people.
And breathe
Shut your mouth, maybe hold a teaspoon of water in your mouth.
And walk, or jog
Three steps breathing in, 4-8 steps breathing out.
Maybe you use a landmark as a "go" marker.
Jog up to the marker, as you pass it exhale naturally but don't breath in again until you have taken 5 steps past.
Resume breathing and keep jogging to a second marker, maybe 30, 4,0 50 meters past the first.
Turn and walk back to the start
The whole time you breathe through the nose.
If the 5 paces were easy, add 5.
Keep adding 5 until you hit a max.
Now do a few more repeats at a level below that max. Before jogging for a longer period in a nice relaxed manner.
You'll feel what the Buteyko guys call an "air hunger"
A mild panic as the diaphragm starts to twitch desperate for you to inhale.
This is a response to the build up of carbon dioxide in your system.
This is good.
Between the breath holds, the nasal breathing and the activity, you're developing a tolerance to CO2, you're allowing the CO2 signal for heamaglobin to release oxygen for use in the working tissues.
You're allowing Nitric Oxide to build in the synuses which when you do inhale is taken into the lungs where it opens up the capillaries to better allow blood flow.
And you get 20 minutes to an hour of time where it's just you.
No idle chit chat
No bullshit media
No gossip
No phone calls
No emails
Go for a Breathe.
Regards
Dave Hedges