While it’s nice to speak about the ways breathing can improve our lifestyles, it’s worth mentioning that things can work both ways and that you can change your lifestyle to improve your breathing.
Lifestyle changes are some of the simplest things you can do to improve your health in the long term, especially when it comes to breathing. At Breathwrk, we always recommend using breathing as a tool to optimize your lived experience and engage with your mind and body more readily. However, if your environment isn’t helping you out, then there are cases where following those breathing exercises can have diminishing returns.
So, today's blog will focus on the easy changes you can make to improve your home environment and, by extension, improve your breathing skills as well!
Read on!
Purifiers
Air purifiers are one of the most underrated items you can have in your home. They reduce dust, smoke, pollutants, and much more in your home, ensuring your surrounding air quality is always as good as it can be.
If you find yourself struggling with breathing exercises due to a medical issue, such as asthma, then an air purifier can go a long way in helping alleviate your difficulties. Furthermore, air purifiers can help further improve your sleep quality, allowing you to get greater returns from a calming breathing exercise, such as the 4-7-8 technique.
No Smoking
It sounds obvious, but it’s still worth mentioning that quitting smoking is one of the best ways to improve your overall breathing and health.
Smoking can lead to many harmful effects in the long term and increases your chances of suffering lung disease or even cancer. There are also the day-to-day effects as well, with regular smokers suffering from much lower lung capacities and a higher level of adrenaline in the system.
Change Your Diet
Eating healthier is one of the first significant lifestyle changes anyone can make if they’re serious about engaging with a more beneficial experience. Most healthy foods, such as certain vegetables and meat products, do a lot to help the respiratory system as well, with capsicums and sardines providing the body with valuable vitamin c and omega-3 fats, respectively.
Go Green
Much like the air purifier, a neat way to improve your health is to have plants in your home. Houseplants provide a vast range of benefits to respiratory and mental health and are fantastic at living up your decor as well!
Houseplants are perfect for increasing the level of oxygen in the home, providing a cleaner environment for your activities. In addition, houseplants have a proven effect on mental health. Individuals with at least a single houseplant in their home report a higher average level of happiness than those that don’t.
Get Physical
Finally, one of the best ways to improve your breathing skills is by implementing some physical activity into your daily routine.
Humans are designed to be moving, with our bodies providing us with plenty of serotonin each time we engage in at least 30 minutes of exercise. Our breathing improves as well, with regular cardiovascular exercises, such as walking or jogging, having a clear effect on improved lung capacity and efficiency.
For more information regarding how to manage your breathing for a more effective lifestyle, visit our other blogs here at The Exhale to get the latest tips and tricks. For free guided breathing exercises that you can take anywhere, try out the Breathwrk app here.
And remember: Breathe Better, Live Better.
Ciao!
