Breathing Exercises Boost Performance

The results of a new study that was presented at the June 3, 2010 annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine shows that daily breathing exercises helps boost performance during endurance activities. Breathing exercises, also known as Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) reduces the amount of oxygen needed by muslces used for breathing. This makes oxygen available to other muscles during physical activities.

Below are two common Breathing Exercises to help you boost your physical activity performance.

Bellow Breathing or Stimulating Breath Exercise

1. Sit up with your spine straight.
2. With your mouth closed but relaxed, breathe in and out of your nose about 2 to 3 breathes each second.
3. This action moves the diaphragm quickly like a bellows.
4. In your first attempt at this exercise, do it for no longer than 15 seconds. With practice, you can slowly increase your exercise time by 5 seconds up to and not exceeding 1 minute.
5. Be careful to not hyperventilate.

Abdominal Breathing or Relaxing Breath Exercise

1. Exhale completely through your mouth.
2. Take a slow and deep breath through your nose. This should take about 4 counts to inhale.
3. Hold your breath for a count of 7.
4. Slowly exhale through your mouth. This should take up to a count of 8.
5. Repeat this cycle again 4 more times for a total of 5 deep breaths.

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