How to Breathe While Walking For Better Health
Your breath, more specifically your breathing, is a powerful weapon in your healthcare arsenal. But, it’s an area of our health that we often take for granted. In this post, I’ll show you how to breathe while walking for better health so you can fully take advantage of one of the best and easiest activities to improve your overall health...walking.
Breathing is the mechanism for drawing oxygen into the body with the inhalation and releasing carbon dioxide (CO2) out on the exhalation. This process takes place via the lungs and also through every cell in your body with the process of cellular respiration.
Healthy lungs take in half a liter of air approximately 12-15 times each minute. Oxygen is delivered to the cardiovascular system as all the blood in your body passes through the lungs every minute. Your lungs are like porous, elastic sea sponges in texture with the left lung being smaller, as your heart is located in on your left side. Your left lung has 2 lobes while your right lung has three lobes.
During inhalation, the lungs rely on the movement of the diaphragm which contracts and moves downward toward your belly to increase chest cavity volume. This movement creates a partial vacuum to draw air into the lungs. This drawing in of air is supported internally by the external intercostal muscles.
The exhalation is the diaphragm releasing back up into the chest in an elastic recoil to push CO2 back out. During the expelling of air, the external intercostal muscles only get involved and contract when your exhale is forced such as during exertion, panic, or in specific breathing practices.
When you inhale, extend your belly out as you breathe in to allow your lungs to expand fully and take in more air. In our striving to have flat, six-pack abs and midsections, we’ve sucked in the stomach and stopped extending the stomach fully thereby limited our breaths.
When you exhale, fully pull in your abs to force the air from your lungs.
In my book, Walking Inspiration, a 12-Month Plan to Inspire Your Health and Fitness with 365+ Inspirational Quotes and More, the month of July is all about the power of your breath and how improving your breathing while walking is a quick and easy way to improve your overall health.
Four Stages of Breathing
Healthy breathing involves four stages:
Inhalation - Drawing air in. This should be full, deep, and rhythmic.
Pause after inhalation – This leads to retention of air in the lungs.
Exhalation – Releasing of air from the lungs. It should be smooth and rhythmic.
Pause after exhalation – Completes the cycle. In yogic practices, this is known as the “perfectly peaceful pause.”
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Stress is a common cause of the disruption of the pause after exhalation as there is a tendency to draw in the next breath before the previous exhale can be completed. This can be helpful during the fight or flight response when there is danger and you need to be alert but it can be physically draining as it uses up so much energy.
The rate of stress-response breathing is approximately 18-25 breaths per minute.
This speeding up of breathing is referred to as “over-breathing” and is a low-grade form of hyperventilation. It can lead to the exhalation of too little carbon dioxide and the inhalation of too much oxygen. If you find yourself in this state, come back to slower relaxed breathing and return to a natural balance of your breath.
Your Healthy Lungs
Your autonomic nervous system supplies the nerves to your lungs which keeps them working in the background without you needing to be consciously involved. This body system regulates essential functions such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.
When you are breathing in a relaxed manner, there is a balanced rhythm between the energizing arousal of the inhale and the releasing, calming exhale. But, when you are on high alert as in the case of stress, pain, or trauma, your breathing becomes dominated by the body’s “fight or flight” response and you begin to gasp for more air in the inhalation causing an imbalance.
Keep in mind that your brain demands up to 25 percent of the oxygen you breathe in so during stressful times your focus and mental cognition can suffer because of your reduced breathing efficiency.
Your respiratory system is a giant air filtration system that filters out dust, bacteria, and other microbes that have negative effects on your health. The respiratory system has a protective mucous lining and if it senses pollution, the nervous system is signaled to produce more shallow breathing as your body protects itself at a cost of using less oxygen.
Read: Walking for Heath and Fitness for a great overview of the benefits of walking!
Nasal Breathing
Inhaling your breath through your nose is an important aspect of healthy breathing. Cold air coming into the nose cools down the frontal lobe of the brain, which calms its activity. The air is warmed when entering the lungs and body which allows full oxygen absorption.
Nasal hairs help prevent impurities from entering the body and the glands of the nose destroy bacteria. When breathing through the nose nitric oxide (NO) is produced. This opens up cells in the lungs to receive oxygen and supports how well the respiratory tract contracts and relaxes with each breath.
Nitric oxide works body-wide to relax the inner muscles of the blood vessels, increasing blood flow, and lowering blood pressure. It has a protective effect on the immune system.
Try this, hold one nostril closed while you walk to get a better sense of your breathing. Follow your breathing, gently in and out through one nostril.
Walking for Lung and Respiratory Health
Synchronizing movement with breathing is key to overcoming stressed breathing patterns. Movement, specifically walking, will help you become aware of your breathing and how you can improve it to prompt a calming response within your body.
Walking and the calming response:
increases oxygenation
reduces heart rate
relaxes muscles
eases anxious states
15-Minute Morning Breathing Music | Inspirational Quotes | Morning Mediation Routine | Walking Exercise Start your day by breathing slowly and deeply!
Better breathing means healthier lungs and good insurance against respiratory problems. This leads to deeper regular breathing – in through the nose – and an increase in the elasticity of the lungs, and rib cage, and in supporting the protective lung microbiome.
Increased oxygenation in the lungs may lead to improved elimination of toxins, sleep, recovery, and immune function.
As we age, lung cells contract and take in less oxygen, so we need to maximize this capacity where we can.
Breathing Correctly is One of the Easiest Ways to Improve Your Health
There is a strong correlation between slow breathing and “psycho-physiological flexibility” which is how adaptive and resilient we are. This links parasympathetic activity (slowed heart rate and respiration) to emotional stability and psychological well-being.
It is now well-accepted that breathing is the easiest and most direct way to affect the nervous system.
Cultivating a fuller deeper and more rhythmic breath is a crucial part of mindful breathing practice within meditation.
To Breathe Properly, You Need to:
Breathe deeply into your abdomen, not just your chest.
Breathing exercises should be deep, slow, rhythmic - in through the nose, out through the mouth - during exercise. Try breathing out through your nose when you sitting to get a better feel for this.
The most important part of deep breathing is to regulate, or control, your breaths.
Odd Number Breathing Pattern While Walking
I use an odd number pattern to my breathing routine while I'm out walking. The pattern is based on the number of steps you choose to count. The idea is that by using an odd number, the cycle will repeat itself on the opposite foot each time the cycle begins.
Begin by inhaling through your nose thereby expanding the belly for 4 steps.
Then, exhale through your mouth, for 3 steps (pulling your abs in).
Repeat this cycle: 4 in, 3 out.
The cycle is 7 steps (an odd number).
Adjust the pattern as you see fit but always use an odd number with the inhale 1 step more than the exhale to begin the next cycle on the opposite foot.
Going forward, if you need to shorten the count - especially if breathing gets heavier with more exertion - just change to 5 steps; 3 steps inhale, 2 steps exhale.
Example of the Odd Number Breathing Pattern for Waking
First step (left foot) breathe in
Second step (right foot) breathe in
Third step (left foot) breathe in
Fourth step (right foot) breathe in
Fifth step (left foot) breathe OUT
Sixth step (right foot) breathe OUT
Seventh step (left foot) breathe OUT
Repeat the cycle. Notice that the first step changes to start on your right foot!
First step (Right foot) breathe in
Second step (left foot) breathe in
Third step (right foot) breathe in
And so on, and so on…
Walking, Breathing and the Relaxation Response
Don’t be fooled by the term “relaxation” as it has a different meaning in this case. The Relaxation Response is a physical state of deep rest that changes the physical and emotional responses to stress leading to decreased heart rate, reduced blood pressure, a slower rate of breathing, and an easing of muscle tension.
Far too many people zone out in front of the TV after a stressful day as a way to “relax”, but this will not activate the body’s Natural Relaxation Response which essentially is your body’s “off switch” or the opposite of the “fight or flight response.” It’s your body moving to a state of psychological relaxation.
You might be thinking, “Frank, isn’t sitting, resting, and watching a ball game a way to relieve stress? It’s what I always do.” Well, the quick answer is it might help but in fact, what you need to do is activate your body’s Natural Relaxation Response.
“But if we go beyond our mind, breathing can open up a completely new foundation for our life.”
—ILSA MIDDENDORF
Benefits of Walking to Activate the Relaxation Response:
Metabolism decreases
Slower heartbeat
Muscle relaxation
Slower breathing
Increases levels of nitric oxide which is a vasodilator, meaning it relaxes the inner muscles of your blood vessels causing them to widen. This increases blood flow and lowers blood pressure.
As you can see, by walking you are RELAXING!
When you can’t walk, schedule your deep breathing exercise just as you would schedule important business appointments. Set aside a minimum of two 5-minute segments of time every day to just sit and deep breathe using the Odd Number Breathing Pattern while walking.
Walking Meditation and Mindful Breathing
Walking, combined with mindful breathing, is by far the most practical and easy to implement method of walking meditation.
It has the added benefit of providing exercise for mind and body at the same time!
Begin by moving slowly, to find a rhythm to your movements and breathing.
After you hit that sweet spot where movement and breath get into sync, you can move at any pace you want and walk as long as you like.
Practice the 4-3 Odd Number Breathing Pattern.
Inhale for 4 steps, exhale for 3 steps.
Ideally, you want to make it effortless and mindless… meaning that your mind is focused only on the activity itself and not the rest of your day, your problems, your work, or your to-do list.
The goal is to be fully present in the activity of rhythmic movement and breathing.
Walking meditation may be the way for you to combine meditation with your exercise:
Fully focus on the activity itself, rather than the outcome.
Don’t think about why you’re doing it; weight loss, lowering your cholesterol or bringing those numbers on your annual blood-work down into the normal range.
Focus on the rhythmic synchronization of movement and your breath in the present moment.
If possible, leave the watch at home. If not, set an alarm and walk until it goes off, then return to where you started.
Keep your attention focused on your breath. If you get distracted, reset your focus onto your breath. Train your brain to concentrate and focus.
In a short, while, you will quickly train yourself to get into the “zone,” that “mythical” place where time stands still and all your focus is on the task at hand.
The zone is where our peak performance happens and where we produce our greatest results. Watch my video, Getting into the Zone in 5 Easy Steps.
If your mind wanders during this concentration period, bring yourself back to your breath.
Meditation is focusing on your breathing. The more distracted you are in your daily life, the more this type of focused breathing will help keep you centered and present.
Your breathing should be slow, soft, calm, and relaxed.
“Breathe, believe, receive.” -Frank Ring
Your Next Step:
Begin using the Odd Number Breathing Pattern on your next walk. Start slowly and do it for a few minutes at a time several times throughout your walk. As you gain walking experience, you will find yourself effortlessly slipping into this breathing pattern. Also, set aside time each day to sit and do the deep breathing exercises.
Walk on,
Frank
Author: Walking for Health and Fitness, Fitness Walking and Bodyweight Exercises, and Walking Inspiration.
