Our lung capacity plays a vital role when it comes to staying fit and healthy. It basically determines the amount of air that our lungs can hold and it also decreases over time.
A fall in lung capacity often leads to shortness of breath and may have an impact on other physical activities as well. So, you can practice different breathing exercises that may help avoid these problems and maintain lung capacity.
Also, as the whole world is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, it has become more important than ever to maintain healthy lung capacity. So, here are some different types of breathing exercises you should do for healthy lungs.
Belly breathing
Widely known as Diaphragmic breathing, this is one of the best breathing exercises for healthy lungs. It is helpful for people with COPD as it is effective in strengthening the diaphragm as well.
This belly breathing exercise engages your diaphragm and is recommended by doctors as well as respiratory therapists.
How to do belly breathing exercise
- Lie down on your bed and keep your shoulders relaxed
- Place one hand on your belly and the other one on your chest
- Inhale through your nose
- Feel the air move into your abdomen as your stomach moves out
- Purse your lips together and breathe out
- Repeat this exercise for a few times
Pursed lips breathing
Out of the many good breathing exercises, the pursed lip breathing is the simplest of all. Ideal for beginners, this breathing exercise helps slow down your breathing which improves the lung function too.
Also, it keeps your airways open for a longer time. Beginners often have doubts such as when to do breathing exercises which can be solved with this pursed lip breathing as it can be practiced any time.
How to do pursed lip breathing exercise
- Sit back and keep your body relaxed
- Slowly inhale through your nose
- Now, purse your lips together and slowly breathe out
- Do it slowly and then repeat for a few minutes
Deep breathing
This is another simple and effective breathing exercise that you can practice for healthy lungs. The deep breathing technique is very useful as it is known to help maintain lung capacity.
How to do deep breathing exercise
- Sit in a comfortable and relaxed position
- Slowly inhale and expand the diaphragm
- Allow your ribs to expand first and then your chest
- Now, exhale slowly and allow your chest to fall followed by your ribs and diaphragm
- Repeat this exercise for a few times
Pushing out
Among the various types of breathing exercises, this pushing out exercise is notably different than others as it involves using your whole body.
The exercise is useful for beginners as well as individuals with COPD. It is easy to perform and is also one of the best breathing exercises to improve lung capacity.How to do pushing out exercise
- Begin by standing in an upright position
- Now, bend down from the waist and exhale
- Slowly come back to the upright position and inhale
- Allow your lungs to fill with air and try holding your breath for a few seconds
- Lift your arms up and count the number of breaths
- Slowly exhale and lower your arms
- Repeat this process for a few times
Rib stretch
Similar to the previous one, this rib stretch breathing exercise also involves using your arms. It is effective and helps maintain healthy lungs as well.
How to do rib stretch exercise
- Stand in an upright position
- Slowly exhale all the air from your lungs
- Now, breathe in and hold your breath for a few seconds
- Place both hands on your hips and count your breaths
- Exhale slowly and get back to the relaxed position
- Repeat this exercise three times
These were some of the most effective and helpful breathing exercise that allow you to work on lung capacity. Apart from these breathing exercises, you can also use other helpful methods to keep your lungs healthy.
One of the best ways to do this is by combining these breathing exercises with a healthy diet and other physical activities. Also, you can avoid certain habits that can negatively impact your lung capacity.
These habits include smoking and irregular eating patterns. Instead, you can focus on having food with rich anti-oxidants. These practices will allow you to maintain good lung capacity and may even prevent different types of lung infections.
Do you know about other good breathing exercises? Feel free to share them with our readers in the comment section below.
