Saturday, 18 February 2012 04:39

Your breath is your POWER

I often come across people jogging and walking in the neighborhood parks, and even on the roads at times. Disciplined folks, folks that make it a point to get their workout in daily, and do so without fail - something which I highly commend. People that run (or walk, if thats their routine) whether it's hot outdoors, or freezing cold. But more often that not, I've found one thing missing in their routines - something so simple they're doing it naturally, without "thinking about it", yet doing it incorrectly.

And that one thing is the way they BREATHE. Breathing, for whatever reason, seems to be out of most people's minds when they train. You'll see folks worrying about the number of reps they do, what exercises they do, correct form, and so forth. Now, all that's fine and dandy - but neglecting to breathe correctly is one of the BIGGEST mistakes you can make in your training.

There are so many benefits associated with deep breathing that it would be nigh impossible to list them all in this email. But for starters - breathing correctly energizes you, and more importantly, helps you RECOVER faster from hard exercises - both DURING and AFTER your routine. It clears your head and purifies your lungs - and perhaps most importantly for most folks - it aids in burning fat. Breathe deeply and frequently during hard exercise, and you will burn way more fat than if your breath is shallow - and unfortunately, that is what most people do.

Always remember to breathe through the nose, and not the mouth (which can be tempting to do during a tough set). And always, always, make sure to breathe correctly DURING the actual exercise itself. I consider a set of pushups half done if you don't breathe correctly - they are that important. And once you  do so yourself, you'll understand why I'm saying this. So remember that when you learn an exercise, always learn proper breathing form as well along with the actual exercise itself. I'll have more on this topic later, but for now, rest assured that this is something you need to be paying attention to. I consider this so important that I devote an entire chapter to it in Fast and Furious Fitness.

By the way, this advice applies to all forms of exercise - it doesn't matter if your lifting weights, jumping rope, doing bodyweight stuff - deep breathing lends itself to everything. In fact, it doesn't even matter if your NOT exercising - you should still make deep breathing a part of your daily routine. And once you do so, you'll be amazed at how much better you feel when breathing correctly.

The old timers said it best - YOUR BREATH IS YOUR POWER. And indeed it is - as YOU will find out as well!

And that's the tip for the day. Have a fantastic weekend, and if you train - train hard - and BREATHE correctly while doing so!

Best regards,

Rahul

PS: Grab your copy of Fast and Furious Fitness now to see what the fuss is all about.