Did you know that even your lungs need exercise to stay healthy and keep your body functioning properly? Your lungs provide you with the most valuable element necessary for life: oxygen. Every cell in your body needs oxygen to survive. The more freely it flows through your system, the more energized, alert, and productive you will feel.

With regular practice, you can train your lungs to increase their capacity, which will help you take in more oxygen. This, in turn, will protect the body from various breathing disorders, help increase endurance, and ensure that every part of the body gets enough oxygen.

Here are a few ways to exercise your lungs, increase their capacity and help them work more efficiently.

Breathing exercises

Breathing exercises help the lungs work more efficiently. If you have limited lung capacity, breathing exercises can help restore diaphragm function and improve your lung health. OPUMP Breathing Trainer can provide classes to help you do breathing exercises at home on your own, which not only have many benefits for lung health, but also for overall health and wellness.

1.Belly Breathing

Inhale through your nose and push your belly outward.

It's the exact opposite of sucking in! Now exhale through your mouth and push it out

Do abdominal breathing:

Place one hand on your belly. Place one hand on your upper chest.

Focus your breathing on your abdomen.

As you inhale, your hands on your abdomen should be raised.

As you exhale, your hands on your abdomen should be lowered.

Breathe in through your nose. Exhale slowly through pursed lips.

Start on your back. Then sit down and try. Then try standing up. Finally, try it as you do the activity.

2.Pursed Lips Breathing

This should fall like smelling a flower or blowing out a candle.

Do a pout breath:

Breathe in through your nose (as if you are smelling something) for about 2 seconds.

Pursed his lips like he was about to blow out the candles on his birthday cake.

Exhale very slowly with your lips pressed together, twice as long as you inhale.

Try to increase your time

2 seconds in: 4 seconds out

4 seconds in: 8 seconds out

8 seconds in: 16 seconds out

Interval training

If you have difficulty breathing or shortness of breath while exercising, interval training may be a better option for stabilizing your workout.

Interval training involves alternating between more strenuous and less strenuous exercises. For example, a person might try walking at a very fast pace for one minute, then at a slower pace for two minutes, and repeat.

Similarly, a person can do a one-minute strength training activity, such as a bicep bend or lunge, and then walk at a light pace for 2-3 minutes.

Interval training gives the lungs time to recover before challenging them again.

Whenever exercise causes shortness of breath, it is best to slow down for a few minutes. It can help practice lip pursed breathing until the breathing difficulties subside.

Summary

Lung exercises, such as lip pursing and abdominal breathing, can help a person improve lung function.

However, it's a good idea to consult your doctor before trying any new exercise, even breathing exercises. This is especially true for people with underlying health conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.