Many people may not know this, but the importance of breathing to your bodybuilding efforts cannot be overemphasized. This post informs you on why proper breathing techniques are just as important as nutrition in bodybuilding.
Nutrition In Bodybuilding Improves Breathing
Breathing more easily is possible with the right dietary balance. Carbohydrates generate more carbon-dioxide than any other substrate during metabolism because they require more oxygen to break down. Having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD can be debilitating for some people, but one way to improve breathing is to maintain a diet that is low in carbohydrates and high in fat content.
Malnutrition greatly alters how the respiratory system works. Having this condition increases the likelihood of respiratory failure and the need for prolonged mechanical ventilation by affecting the function of respiratory muscle tissue, lung structure, defense mechanisms, and also ventilation control.
Improper Breathing Causes Health Disorders
The central nervous system interprets shallow, upper-chest breathing as a signal to activate the sympathetic (“fight or flight”) nervous system, which raises both blood pressure and heart rate and puts the body on high alert with increased stress levels. In addition to being detrimental to your long-term health, breathing primarily from the upper chest can contribute to a constant state of stress, which is itself associated with increased pain sensitivity.
Breathing And Nutrition Work Hand-In-Hand
While diet may not have an immediate effect on lung function, it does have a knock-on effect via the cardiovascular system and antioxidant protection.
It’s common knowledge that eating healthily helps keep your mind and body healthy. Eating the right foods, however, may aid breathing and even lessen asthma symptoms. Energy is created from the intake of oxygen and food during the metabolic process. This process causes us to exhale carbon dioxide as a byproduct.
It’s important to note that the metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates results in different amounts of carbon dioxide being released. Those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may find relief from their breathing difficulties by adopting a diet low in carbohydrates and high in healthy fats, as recommended by the American Lung Association.
As with smoking, a high-fat diet has been linked to an increased risk of developing lung cancer. Saturated fat, such as that found in processed meat, also raises a person’s risk of developing lung cancer.
However, it has been found that a diet rich in fruits can reduce these health risks. Maintaining clear, healthy, and unburdened lungs is a joint effort that includes both good nutrition and regular exercise. In order to maintain healthy respiratory function, eating fresh, raw foods is essential.
Learn To Breathe Right With These Simple Breathing Exercises
Deep Breathing
Meditation is a form of relaxation in which one concentrates on taking long, deep breaths. With deep breathing, you use your diaphragm (the thin muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen) and abdominal muscles to take slow, deliberate breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Diaphragm Breathing
Regular breathing does not maximize lung capacity, but diaphragmatic breathing involves taking full, deep breaths with the diaphragm. If you want to maximize lung efficiency, diaphragmatic breathing is the way to go.
Diaphragm breathing involves is easy, if you practice regularly by doing the following:
- Relax in an easy chair or on the floor
- Feel your heart and stomach with one hand each
- With your nostrils inhale deeply and try holding your breath for about four seconds. You will feel your stomach expand
- Try not to breathe by holding your breath for two seconds
- Slowly, but steadily breathe out of your mouth for the next 6 seconds.
Practice diagram breathing every day and you will be able to optimize your lung capacity which is especially important during strength and endurance training.
Remember that both your breathing and nutrition in bodybuilding go hand-in-hand, so focus on improving your Lung capacity with deep and diaphragm breathing techniques while maintaining a healthy diet low in carbohydrates, as it requires more oxygen during metabolism and causes you to generate a great amount of carbon-dioxide. If you need further assistance on your breathing and nutrition plan, do not hesitate to consult a trainer and nutritionist here today.
