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If you want to increase your oxygen absorption and improve your respiratory health, breathing exercises can be very effective. Contrary to popular belief, simply breathing faster is not the solution. In this video, we’ll explore how oxygen and carbon dioxide work together, and some exercises you can do to improve your breathing biomechanics.
Your O2 Levels Are Likely “Full”
Contrary to popular belief, most people have optimal blood oxygen levels between 95-99 percent all throughout the day. Think of your blood oxygen stores as your tank of gas, when the tank is full, it’s full. There’s no added benefit to keeping the pump running and letting the gas spill out on the floor. Surprisingly, most people over-breathe, meaning their minute-by-minute respiration rate is 10, 20 or even 30 percent higher than it needs to be. Accelerated breathing can be fueled by stress, anxiety, and poor health.
Your CO2 Levels Are Likely Lacking
Constant over breathing unnaturally reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the lungs and has a cascading impact on your gas exchange balance. To understand the paradoxical relationship between oxygen and carbon dioxide, it’s helpful to learn the Bohr Effect. This phenomenon, discovered by Danish researcher Christian Bohr, explains how oxygen binds to hemoglobin in red blood cells. Carbon dioxide plays a crucial role in releasing oxygen from hemoglobin and making it available for cellular use. Hyperventilation, or fast breathing, leads to excessive oxygen intake without an adequate level of carbon dioxide. This is why fast breathing can cause dizziness, headache, or even fainting.
The Goal is Balance
As is true with everything in health, the objective with breathing is to find balance. This
means slowing the breath and training them muscles of respiration. When it comes to breathing, balances refer to the rate of breathing and the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide respectively.
Resistance Breath
The diaphragm is your main breathing muscle and can be strengthened through resistance training just like any other muscle. To create resistance, it’s helpful to inhale through a resistance device or even an aluminium straw.
To add to the benefits of this exercise, we’ll deliberately slow and deepen the breath to optimize CO2 levels. Inhale through a resistance device as you count 1-2-3-4; and exhale through your nose for 4-3-2-1.
Broom Pole Extension (2 min)
The broom pole extension exercise involves holding a broom pole behind your back with your arms positioned at a comfortable width. This exercise helps increase flexibility in the thoracic region, allowing for improved breathing mechanics.
Breathing exercises can be a powerful tool in optimizing your oxygen utilization and enhancing overall breathing biomechanics. It is important to remember that hyperventilation does not increase oxygen levels in your cells. However, there are specific use cases where controlled hyperventilation may be beneficial, such as stimulating cortisol in the morning or preparing the body for physical activity. By incorporating these breathing exercises into your routine, you can experience the benefits of improved breathing and enhanced oxygen absorption. Let's get started!
VIDEO CONTENTS
00:00 Are you a bad breather?
00:40 Intro
01:55 Hyperventilation
03:12 Importance of CO2
04:24 Optimal breathing rate
05:38 Breathing exercises
05:51 Exercise #1 - Resistance Breathing
07:26 Exercise #1 starts
10:47 Exercise #2 - Stretching Exercise
11:21 Exercise #2 starts
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