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As we get older we tend, or forget, to breathe as deeply as we once did unless we engage regularly in some form of cardio vascular exercise. This in turn makes our lungs more lazy and has the compounding effect of breathing even more shallowly as time goes by. If we do nothing about this the point will eventually be reached whereby our lungs are being so little used that they could very well lose their elasticity and become something akin to cardboard. Shortage of breath, gasping and loss of energy will result. This is why it is so important to engage in some activity every day that will make us sweat, breathe hard and fill those lungs right to the bottom. Oxygen filled air is life for us and the more we can get into our lungs every breath the better we will feel. It pumps us up, is invigorating, makes us feel more alive and keeps our lungs working at full capacity. Air is still free last time I looked and will be into the future as far as we know, so let’s take advantage of it! When was the last time you stood on the cliff top on a fine sunny morning by the sea, stretched out your arms and took a breath so full and deep you thought you could fly? Remember that feeling and how good it was and how energized you felt? Wouldn’t it be nice to replicate it every day? Of course it would, and you can if you get into the habit of practicing a few exercises daily that make you puff and pant. All of the following, once again, are designed to keep as much distance between you and a gym and can be practiced anytime of the day and practically anywhere you are. Here is a short list of things to try: Brisk walking for twenty minutes – preferably in the sand without shoes. This activity exercises most parts of your body and if you take a slightly longer step than normal, keeps your hips mobile and your pelvic area in good shape. Twenty sit ups and touching your toes if you can – following three weeks of this daily, your stomach will firm up and you will have abs to be proud of. Ten to twenty press ups – these can be done on your floor at home or outside on the grass. After two to three weeks you will find your arms have beefed up somewhat and look much more sculpted. The main benefit however, is that because this is a weight bearing exercise you will be increasing your upper body strength. The tendency is to do press ups quickly. Don’t - do them slowly, slowly up and slowly down for best strengthening of those muscles and maximum benefit. Lying flat on your back, raise both legs together to ninety degrees angle to the floor. Lower them twenty degrees and hold for ten seconds, then another twenty degrees and hold, and so on until they are almost touching the floor, stop and hold them there for twenty seconds. This is quite tough so that when you lower them completely to the floor and relax, you will take such a deep breath you will feel the oxygen going all the way out to the very tips of your capillaries – absolutely delicious! If you have to run, then go running, but science has proven this form of exercise has its drawbacks insofar that it can cause damage long term (jolting and cartilage wear) to knees and spine. Twenty squats slowly down and slowly up will certainly get your blood pumping and get you breathing deeply. They will also strengthen your thighs and if you go all the way down will keep your pelvic area and hips nice and flexible. Remember to breathe in on the way down and breathe out on the way up. Your energy flow is upward so you release your breath as you rise. If you have some weights at home, a ten minute workout raising your arms straight in front of you, to the side and over your head will also raise a sweat and get you breathing hard. If you don’t have any weights a full gallon can of paint (lid firmly on) lifted with both hands will do just as well. With age we lose muscle strength so this will help you to regain and maintain upper body strength. Remember, fighting the weights on the way down is just as important as when lifting them up. So the slower you raise and lower them, feeling the pull on your muscles all the way, the better. This is a weight bearing exercise and is great for building and maintaining upper body strength. This is only a rudimentary list of exercises to try and there are many many more that you can research and put into practice - hopefully, these are enough to get you started. Puffing, panting and deep breathing caused by your exertions is good, excellent in fact and will do wonders toward keeping your lungs healthy, elastic and working efficiently. However, to receive the benefits of getting that oxygenated blood right out to the tippy tips of your capillaries, you need to practice what I call ‘over the top breathing!’ Remember sometime in the past when you have been a little down or sad and you heave a big sigh? Your lungs fill up and then right at the point when you think they are full, they kind of trip over and fill just that little bit more? And do you remember the feeling of relief when this happens? Well, if you practice this when you are exercising and feeling great, the most delicious sensation spreads out from your lungs. This extra deep ‘over the top breath’ pushes the oxygen rich blood right out to the extreme ends of your capillaries like a mini explosion, feels wonderful and spurs you on. Don’t do it every breath, but do it at the end of each exercise set. If you are anything like me you will find it automatically happens at the end of each set anyway! Another technique for good and healthy breathing is to think about a column of air from your stomach, right up through you chest and out of your mouth and nose. Opera singers practice this all the time so that they can hold the longest of notes comfortably. As you suck in air through your mouth and down, fill your stomach to the bottom first by working your diaphragm and then expand the air upward into your lungs. By working your diaphragm correctly and filling from the bottom up, you will suddenly find you can hold a lot more air in your chest cavity. Hold the breath for a second or two, or as long as you wish and remain comfortable. Purse your lips and expel the air slowly until it is completely exhausted from your body, pushing the last of it out by once again working your diaphragm upward. Do this several times and you will find yourself coming a little dizzy on all the extra oxygen you have inhaled and you may even go on a little trip - all on just fresh air! Get into the habit of practicing at least some, if not all, of these exercises on a daily basis and after a week or two you will find you are feeling and looking a whole lot better, be energized, feel stronger, more upbeat and you will be surprised when you look in the mirror at the fresh new you smiling back. You will also be pleased that you have achieved all this without going within a hundred miles of a gym! Vincent Bossley is a sailor and publisher living on the Northern Beaches in Sydney, Australia. He has a series of articles on how to keep fit without going within a hundred miles of a gym. His website is dedicated to everyone who has ever dreamed of sailing off on their lifetime adventure into the beautiful oceans of this planet of our. You can visit him anytime on his sailboat2adventure website for sailors
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