Have you ever noticed people getting ready for any sporting event,
to get the best performance from their bodies they always warm
it up first to get the blood flowing. But what about the lungs?
Its all good and well getting your body ready
for a good workout but if the supply of oxygen to the muscles is poor
because of bad breathing habits its easy to see you are not going
to get the best from them.

Here are some tips to start you on the right path.
Make sure you get in the habit of setting aside some extra time to
do a little breathing exercise to prepare your lungs for the job ahead.
It won't take as long as your stretching exercises
but its just as important if not more.

For the first 5-10 minutes
do a little amount of walking as you’re doing this focus on your breathing.
Start to relax your belly on the inhale this allows your diaphragm
to go down into its fullest position and thus fill your
lungs to fill to a greater capacity.

Then on the exhale retract your belly back in towards your spine thus helping the
diaphragm to fully contract and empty the lungs better.
(you want to get as much of that stale air out as possible before
you breathe in again!)

It may take a little while to get use to doing this but stick with it
and remember how much your muscles are going to thank you for this added oxygen flow.
When you are out on your run try to breathe for as long as possible
through your nose, this filters unwanted debris out of your air ways
and helps to warm the air in the nasal cavity before it enters your lungs
(especially important on those cold mornings.)

These new breathing techniques may be hard at first to get used to
but your body will adapt over time. You may even notice a difference
in your running times,.. you might not be setting world record times
but hey who knows what might happen??

To find out how myself and others have turned our health and energy
levels around using just the power of breath visit http://www.scienceofbreath.be

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barry_McDonald