Breathing Exercises You Can Try To Keep Lungs Healthy

Breathing is the essence of life and yet we take the organs that make it possible for granted. These breathing exercises can help you take better care of your lungs, by making them stronger.

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.

Lung volumes and capacities are medical terms to basically define the amount to air in our lung at different degrees of inspiration or expiration. As we age, our lung capacity and lung function start to decrease slowly—beginning typically in our mid-20s. To make matters worse, conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can significantly speed up these reductions in lung capacity and functioning leading to difficulty in breathing and shortness of breath.

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.

* 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.

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.