Every Breath You Take, Make it Count
Extended version of my column Run&Bee in Hindustan Times
Week 58: Every Breath You Take, Make it Count
The commonest complaint of beginner runners, even of walkers is that they get breathless very soon, instead it's their heart that is ready to jump out and go for a run. Most don’t even breathe optimally while sitting and then expect it to magically function to its best when they move.
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“Before trying to go for long brisk walks or runs, first get those lungs and heart to function at the level they are capable of. ”
From the time we come in to this world, till the time we graduate on to after-life, our heart beats non-stop. At an average it beats 60-90 times per minute. While we rest, the heart pumps about 6 litres of blood per minute, which can increase to about 20 litres during vigorous physical activities. Besides the whole romantic logic, have you ever wondered ‘why, what does the heart beat for?’
We were taught this in school but most of us were busy trying to either pass the all-important exam or ace it, that we missed the basic lesson. I’ll take you back even further when you made your entry into this world. All your loved ones eagerly waited for the first sound of your cry, which is a bit ironical because underneath all the layers, our skull, as much as we are taught is a scary thing, is always smiling.
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If any of us didn’t cry, the nurse smacked our backsides and we wailed, sucking in our first breath, indicating we were hale and hearty! That first breath, and all the breaths till your last one, take oxygen deep in to the lungs, where they are transferred in to the blood in exchange for the carbon dioxide. This ‘oxygenated’ blood from the lungs is then pumped to the heart and to the rest of our body, and to every cell, where the oxygen is needed to release chemical energy to fuel cellular activity, thus keeping us alive.
Unfortunately, soon enough after our first breath, we take breathing for granted, undermining its importance.
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“Now more than ever, there is immense talk about exercise and physical activity, when we as a species are the most inactive we have ever been. Our sedentary lifestyle and sitting for even longer hours, restricts how much our lungs expand to take in optimal amounts of oxygen loaded air. ”
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There is a simple tool called a Respirometer that helps you to appreciate how poor your fitness level is and then also can be used to train as well. It can be used at home, in the car or in office. Within a month your body will become a lot more fuel efficient, not only make you run and walk longer, but positively start affecting your chronic medical conditions.
It is available at almost any chemist and is priced at under Rs 500. It has a chamber with three coloured balls: red, yellow and blue. Connect the tube to the chamber and mouthpiece. Put the mouth piece in your mouth and then breathe out normally. Now take a long deep breath in, trying to lift the balls. You’ll experience the resistance. Different colours of the balls refer to difficulty in resistance, red being the easiest and blue being the most difficult. If you can, try to lift all the balls. Hold your breath for three seconds. And then let go. Repeat 5-10 times. If it is difficult to lift all three balls, lift only one or two for a week or two.
Now turn the chamber upside down. This time around, once you have the mouth chamber in your mouth, take a long deep breath in and then breathe out forcefully again trying to lift the balls like before. You might experience this to be tougher. Again, hold the breath for 3 seconds and then slowly breathe in. Repeat 5-10 times for 2 weeks.
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As you get fitter you’ll be able to do more, then repeat 10-15 at one go, doing it multiple times in a day. That extra oxygen will make you feel more energetic through the day. Now the trick is going to be disciplined to carry this on for life. And remember, like the skull underneath, to keep smiling.
Below is the print version of the column:
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