It may seem strange, but most of us don’t breathe correctly. Most of us are walking around breathing very shallowly, which can also make us very tired. It’s also why starting around age four you lose your ability to be very loud. You know how it sounds like an infant has a microphone when they cry? It’s because of the way they breathe with their diaphragm.
Watch an infant breathing. They breathe in and their tummy expands, they breathe out and their tummy contracts. An older person tends to move their chest in and out instead. So now that you know that, understand that you can practice deep diaphragmatic breathing to get your blood pumping and feel more energetic.
Follow these directions:
Sit up straight in a hard-back chair and place a hand on your stomach. Now inhale through your nose deeply, filling your stomach region with air instead of your chest area. It might take a few tries to get it right. Keeping your hand on your stomach can help you focus. Your chest should not rise, but your stomach and lower ribs should expand. Then breathe out through your mouth, letting the air collapse your stomach and lower ribs. Do this slowly, deeply, about five to ten times.
Try to do this throughout the day so that you can train your body to mostly breathe diaphragmatically. This type of breathing will provide more oxygen to your organs – especially your digestive organs, which will improve digestion. When you have better digestion, you’ll feel a lot more energetic.
Another way to accomplish this is to exercise aerobically. One of the best ways to do this is by jumping up and down on a mini-trampoline, also known as a rebounder. Rebounding helps you avoid damage to your joints but also enables you to work out aerobically, which is a great way to get your blood pumping to get all the vital nutrients to your important organs so that you can feel more energized throughout the day.
Aside from oxygen, the other thing you need a lot of is water. Over 75 percent of the American population suffers from dehydration. Learn the signs, effects, and how to avoid it in our next post.