#1 Breathing
So since I call this blog Healthy Living 101 we should start with the basics. What's more basic then breathing? You can survive 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water and 3 minutes without breathing. You directly see how the next few posts will look like: after this post on breathing, we talk about water, after that we dive into the whole food topic which will take a while.
When we breathe our blood is oxygenated. Th red blood cells become negatively charged, which makes them not stick together so that the blood becomes more liquid. they don't lump together and all our cells are reached and supplied with fresh oxygen. If our blood isn't sufficiently oxygenated it becomes thicker. Is the bloodstream clogged, our cells don't get all the oxygen, minerals, glucose, vitamins etc. But more than that our lymphatic system doesn't work well and stores all the toxins in our connective, fatty tissues and in our joints. Blocked cells don't receive enough glucose and oxygen which is needed to produce ATP (Energy unit). The whole body suffers because of that, especially our brain. Breathing out we release carbon dioxide, our body becomes more alkaline. That's why through proper breathing we influence the alkalinity of our body. (More on alkalinity and the Warburg Effect will follow. Essential stuff)
Breathing happens so naturally since we were born that we never ask ourself if we do it the right way? Nobody teaches us on how to breathe, that's why most people do it wrong, which can have a huge impact on your life.
The wrong way:
You breathe through your mouth and into your upper chest. You breathe too fast and to loud. This emphasizes more the sympathetic part of your nervous system. Essentially your nervous system consists of the sympathetic (fight or flight) and the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system. Breathing through your mouth implies stress for your body. You are more alert, more stress hormones like adrenalin/noradrenalin are released, your blood flows from your vital organs into your arms and legs, you don't think as sharp, your immune system is slowed down. Fight or flight means you are more in a survival mode. One of the many consequences is that you cant concentrate that well and your sleep quality is reduced. (Steve Maxwell even tapes his mouth at night so that he is forced to breathe through his nose) Insufficient oxygen supply always means stress for the body. (“Pain is a lack of oxygen at the cellular level” Dr. Samuel West)
The right way:
You breathe into your nose and through your diaphragm into your stomach. Your lungs are opened up to their true potential. You breathe slower and gentle. This moves you from a state of stress to a state of calmness/less stress. Babies naturally breathe through their nose, as well as most animals on this planet. Breathing in through your nose sterilizes the air. The biggest effect is that you influence the amount of oxygen that is delivered to your cells, improve the blood circulation and you emphasize the parasympathetic part of your nervous system. Your sleep gets better, which highly improves your day. Your concentration goes up and you are overall more calm. In the long run you will have more energy because oxygen is used in the mitochondria to produce ATP (Energy unit). I made the experience that my digestion improved by the diaphragm massaging my colon.
Try this: Put one hand on your stomach with your thumb on your bellybutton. When you breathe in through your nose try to breathe into your stomach so that your hand moves up a little. Observe your breath. In meditation this is a technique to stop your mind from being distracted. Notice what this does to you. You quickly start feeling more at peace and less stressed.
Recommendation:
- Steve Maxwell. One of the most likeable guys I ever saw on the internet
- Wim Hof. Crazy guy. He climbed on Mount Everest in shorts.
- Cool Video of Rickson Gracie doing his famous breathing technique:
- Book: "The oxygen advantage" and "The golden seven plus one"
I Hope this was informative. Peace!