Now that your trainings are getting more vigorous, it’s important to work on proper breathing techniques while walking/running.  Proper breathing can improve your endurance and help you to enjoy your training more.  Breathing incorrectly can affect your performance by causing fatigue, which in turn, shortens the distance that you are able to complete.  Added stress on your body can also be a result.

There are several universal breathing techniques that can be helpful. Learning breathing techniques while walking/running may be difficult or feel unnatural at the beginning.  However, like with most things, with practice it will become easier.  Start off by choosing one technique at a time and practice it while seated.  Work on that specific technique until it feels natural and then incorporate it into a training session.  Find your favorite and most useful technique and stick with it!  The following are some breathing techniques:

1.  Breathe through both your nose and mouth  

This practice will assist in increasing the amount of oxygen taken into your air passages.

2.  Breathe from your diaphragm

Close your eyes.  Put one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly.  Just breathe normally.  Which hand is moving?  The hand on the chest or the hand on the belly?  Take time to focus on moving the belly while breathing instead of the chest. If you are moving the belly you are breathing from the diaphragm and your breaths will be more complete. 

3.  Maintain a 3:2 breathing ratio

Inhale for 3 steps, then exhale for the next two steps.  This will assist in deeper controlled breaths.  A 3:2 breathing ratio is suggested for people who do a light jog pace or less.

Check out this short video on breathing for additional information:

Happy Training & Healthy Breathing,

Prudence