breathing

I am firm believer in deep breathing. It is the cheapest way to relax when you're stressed out. Unfortunately, stress can bring on shallow breaths. These little gulps of air decrease the amount of oxygen in the blood. Ann Pardo, a director at Canyon Ranch spa, told Fitness magazine that shallow breathing can even affect the skin, making it appear "dull and sallow." Don't let the end-of-year stress wind you up and negatively impact your skin tone. Take the time to breathe deeply when you feel the tension coming on. Inhale slowly for five counts and exhale in the same manner. You won't only look better, but you will feel better, too.

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When I am gardening and move from a deep squat to standing, I get a little lightheaded. It is not really disconcerting, but when it happens when I'm doing Pilates, well that is a different story. Exercises where you move from horizontal to vertical quickly can create a sudden lowering of blood pressure, which can make you dizzy. The most simple way to avoid the head rush is to move more slowly. And moving more slowly will emphasize the element of control central to the Pilates philosophy. This will also increase the difficulty of the move. Think of that as a perk brought to you by your desire to avoid a head rush.

The expert at About.com: Pilates also thinks that increasing the "scoop" of the deep abs on the inhale can help keep the blood pressure from dipping too low. Keeping the low and deep abs engaged while you breathe in means you need to focus on breathing into the sides and backs of your ribs — an element of Pilates we can all work on.

Try these two fixes and see if they keep getting dizzy at bay.

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The next time you're lifting at the gym, take a minute to focus on your breathing or lack thereof. Unknowingly many of us, myself included, have the tendency to hold our breath and tense up during the hard part of an exercise. It's time to break the habit.

It may sound strange to remind you to breathe, but try to avoid holding our breath during the strenuous part of a lift. The problem is that breathing improperly while lifting can increase blood pressure potentially leading to light headedness, dizziness, nausea, hernia, heart attack or even stroke. Holding one's breath can be especially problematic for someone who is pregnant or for someone with hypertension. To avoid this, inhale with eccentric (the easy part) and exhale with each concentric phase (the hard part - when the muscle you are working is shortening) of a repetition.

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Have I mentioned lately that I love swimming and that it feels like I am dancing a duet with the water? Another thing to love when it comes to swimming is breathing to both sides – it is really helpful if you are swimming for exercise. I know trying to breathe on the side you aren't used to feels extremely awkward and uncomfortable, but in the long run it is well worth conquering the skill of bilateral breathing.

The benefits of breathing to both sides might just convince you to try it, and they are:

1. Balancing out your stroke, so you are not working out lopsided.
2. Building symmetrical musculature on your back and arms (asymmetrical strength can lead to over use injuries).
3. Easing neck pain from always rotating to just one side.
4. If you swim in open water (as you would in a triathlon), you will be able to check for landmarks, avoid splashes from other swimmers as well as waves.

So next time you are swimming laps, practice breathing to the other side - once you are in the pool you will know immediately which side that is.

To see a few drills you can use to practice your bilateral breathing, read more

You breathe in. You breathe out. You rarely think about it, except when it comes to exercising. You know breathing is important; it supports your effort and can help make you more efficient. Here are a few simple tips to help you with the simple act of breathing, broken down by exercise type.

• Cardio: Avoid shallow breaths since they are often an indicator that you are working too hard. Shallow breathing also indicates that you haven't established a suitable breath pattern for your activity. You want to take stronger and deeper breaths when doing cardio, so take the time to find your rhythm.
• Strength training: Generally you want to breathe out on the difficult part of the lift or move to help stabilize your body during exertion. So you exhale when you are lifting a hand weight to your shoulder during a bicep curl. This helps you engage your core to help prevent your from swaying into your heels, which is cheating and could set you up for a lower back injury. In Pilates classes, we often start exercises with the phrase, "Inhale to prepare" to remind people to breathe in before they "work."
• Stretching: Slow steady breathing is preferable when stretching and will help you relax. Try to focus on breathing from your diaphragm, which will make your belly move out on the inhale and not your chest and shoulders.

Ready. Set. Breathe.

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When it comes to breathing while running, you need to focus on the rhythm. Coach Jenny over at Runner's World says you can even think of it as a dance between the two elements if you'd like.

You should match your breathing to your steps. For an easy-paced run, inhale for three or four steps then exhale for the same amount. Count the steps in your head while you adjust to breathing on tempo. If you are running more intensely, your breathing tempo will increase to support your increased energy output. So the rhythm is more like a breath in for one to two steps and out for one to two steps. If you can't match your steps to breathing tempo then you are trying to run too fast, slow down, and get back into your rhythm.

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If you've been having troubles breathing while exercising, but don't have asthma, it's not all in your head.

Turns out that exercise induced bronchospasm, or EIB, is a breathing problem that happens when you exercise or play sports. In fact, many people with no history of asthma suffer from the problem too. So whether you're an elite athlete or a weekend warrior, the symptoms of EIB include coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing or fatigue. If you have any of these symptoms, it's wise to see your doctor to discuss treatment options.

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