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Breathing right is the secret to a long life

Breathing or Respiration is not just the single most important bodily function but it is the essence of life. The lungs are the main organs of respiration. They are equipped with gas exchange mechanisms that effectively allow oxygen from the inhaled air to enter the blood and carbon dioxide from the blood to diffuse into the air we breathe out. The heart works closely with the lungs to circulate the oxygenated or pure blood throughout the body and to pump the impure blood back to the lungs

Do you know what ‘lung capacity’ is? It is the total amount of air that your lungs can hold at a given point in time. Our lung capacity and lung function typically decrease as our age increases. Some heart and lung conditions can significantly speed up these reductions in lung capacity and functioning leading to difficulty in breathing and shortness of breathDuring exercise, the heart and the lungs work much harder to provide the extra oxygen we need. Breathing exercises are designed to retrain the muscle of respiration and improve gas exchange and oxygenationThis type of exercise also improves the overall endurance and ability to do activities of daily living.

Breathing consists of two parts:

  • Inhalation (breathing in)
  • Exhalation (breathing out)

Proper breathing should be deep, slow, rhythmic and done through the nose. Breathe in slowly and imagine your lungs filling up with air, your chest slightly widens, your diaphragm pulls your chest cavity down and your belly button pulls away from your spine as you breathe in. When your lungs are full, breath out slowly and pull your belly button back in towards your spine to push out all of the air from the lungs.

Who can do?

All individuals with heart and lung ailments; and healthy individuals.

Benefits

  • Improves ventilation
  • Improves strength, endurance and coordination of respiratory muscles
  • Improves chest and thoracic spine mobility
  • Corrects inefficient and abnormal breathing patterns
  • Improves overall functional capacity
  • Promotes relaxation

Principles

  • Quiet area
  • Remove restrictive clothing
  • Comfortable and relax position sitting, standing or lying
  • Never do forced exhalation(breathing out slowly just enough to empty your lungs)

 

TYPES OF BREATHING EXERCISE

Diaphragmatic breathing                                                                                          

  • Relax your shoulders and sit back or lie down
  • Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest
  • Breathe in through your nose, feeling the air move into your abdomen and feeling your stomach move out, your stomach should move more than your chest does
  • Breathe out through your mouth while pressing on your abdomen
  • Repeat

                                                                                   

Pursed-lips breathing                                                                                                                                                                                         

  • Inhale slowly through your nostrils
  • Purse your lips, as if pouting or about to blow on something
  • Breathe out as slowly as possible through pursed lips, this should take at least twice as long as it did to breathe in
  • Repeat.

                                                                     

Take a deep breath and just enjoy your life

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Your first step to a healthy heart

Exercise is the best tool to live healthy; that too aerobic exercise plays a major role in strengthening the heart without stressing your body much. Aerobic exercise is the key for a long and healthy life. Aerobic activities improve the pumping capacity of the heart and make all your organs to work in a more efficient way.

What is Aerobic Exercise?

Aerobic exercise is defined as continuous movement of the body with moderate exertion for a long duration of time. These types of exercises, when practiced regularly prevent and control cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, stroke and heart attack, as well other chronic ailments. The unique characteristics of aerobic exercises are:

  • Large muscle groups are used in our body
  • It delivers oxygen faster to the working muscles
  • It is a rhythmic sustained type of exercise less prone to injuries

Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Improves blood circulation
  • Lowers resting heart rate
  • Improves functional capacity
  • Reduces shortness of breath
  • Improves cardio respiratory endurance
  • Improves heart and lung function
  • Reduces obesity
  • Improves quality of life
  • Reduces joint pains
  • Increases bone density and strength
  • Improves mental health
  • Prevents many cancers
  • Enables healthy aging

 Examples of Aerobic exercise

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Types of Aerobic Exercises

  • Continuous: Exercise should be done continuously for particular duration
  • Interval: Exercise should be done with proper rest periods for particular duration
  • Circuit: Series of exercises are repeated for particular duration
  • Circuit interval: Series of exercises repeated for particular duration with proper rest periods

How to start Aerobic Exercises?

Begin slowly and progress gradually.

Start with 5-10 min of aerobic exercise for 3-5 days/ week and progress to 5-7 days/week.

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Note:

Individuals with the following conditions should seek the advice of their doctor before beginning any exercise plan:

  • Uncontrolled hypertension
  • Myocardial infarction (heart attack, bypass surgery, stent procedure)
  • Chest pain or unexplained breathlessness
  • Fainting or giddiness
  • Cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)
  • Heart failure
  • Heart valve problems
  • Any cardiac surgery or procedure

If you would like to know more about what type of exercise is best suited for your health condition, please feel free to reach out to us by email info@cardiacwellnessinstitute.com or by phone +9144 43192828, +91 9940408828.

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