One of the things I really enjoy about my Wii Fit Plus is that it draws my attention to aspects of fitness I might not otherwise think about, such as my posture and “Don’t forget to breathe.” I remember the first time I heard my virtual yoga instructor tell me to not forget to breathe. I thought, “Well of course, I would be dead” but there is more to it than just breathing to stay alive.
What happens is that if you aren’t properly breathing while exercising, it can cause you to get an ache in your chest. Part of fitness is stretching and that even includes stretching your chest muscles which you do by breathing deeply rather than taking shallow breaths.
In the yoga portion of my Wii Fit Plus you are often directed when to breathe in and out. It’s a helpful reminder because you tend to lose focus on the importance of this.
Proper breathing is vital for a number of reasons. For one it improves your digestion, lowers your blood pressure and regulates your heart. Secondly, there are psychological benefits to breathing including the reduction of anxiety and stress.
Some experts claim the health benefits extend even to the way we look, our eyes and our skin. It is also touted as being a great way to help your brain to function better.
On the other side of this you have shallow breathing which does the opposite of what deep breathing does. So clearly shallow breathing can actually be pretty harmful. If you aren’t sure what shallow breathing is, it means to draw a minimal amount of breath into your lungs. And obviously it is important to get enough breath into your lungs in order to function correctly.
There are a number of deep breathing exercises that can help. Just Google “deep breathing exercises” and you will find a large assortment. However you should also begin to pay more attention to your breathing while you are exercising and take note of the difference you feel.
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