Most senior health and fitness books miss the mark when it comes to losing belly fat and lowering blood pressure. Almost every article and book on the shelf preaches the same approach to flattening the abdomen and lowering blood pressure: dieting and exercising.
I used to believe in that theory until I met a former fitness trainee, who dropped out of my class to study yoga and Pilates. In just a few months, she went from being quite plump to surprisingly slim. When I asked him what he was doing, he explained that for about three months he had mostly practiced posture and breathing control. And little to no cardio.
That’s when I had to take another look at my training classes. So, I reread an old yoga book by Selvarajan Yesudian and Elizabeth Haich.
Yesudian told the story of a 40-year-old office worker who was unable to lose weight. He had tried various exercise routines, including boxing and weight loss formulas (such as laxative teas) with no results. When he approached Yesudian, he had taught him yoga breathing and how to apply it to swimming. As she swam, she noticed that she tended to Hold your breath instead of the normal breathing pattern for the crawl.
Then it occurred to the yoga instructor that the woman’s metabolism was altered by her breathing patterns. This irregular breathing can reportedly affect the thyroid gland and cause weight gain or loss.
When Yesudian went back to teaching the lady how to front crawl with two strokes per breath, she began to lose weight. 10 pounds the first month and 8 pounds the following month.
Now, in the physical training of the western world, we were always instructed to exhale as we exert ourselves. Holding your breath while making an effort, known as Valsalva Manuvere, can lead to hypertension and high blood pressure. But we didn’t learn much more about breathing than that! Nothing about lowering blood pressure or body weight.
So how do some people develop proper breathing patterns?
Short answer: part of it is self-taught at a young age. Something is genetic.
So it’s not the fault of the older person who is gaining weight and / or developing high blood pressure.
This writer has seen how a change in breathing improves performance during fitness classes. Many beginners just can’t seem to catch their breath. Some manage to adapt if they hold out for several weeks. They start to learn to exhale while exercising. This is exactly the same advice that is given to some people with asthma. They are taught the importance of exhaling. It’s that easy. (But it is not easy).
Try this experiment.
Take a deep breath, hold your breath, and try to bend forward at the waist. Soon you may feel blood flushing in your face, throbbing temples, and perhaps even dizziness. (Note: do not do this if you are prone to dizziness).
Then breathe normally.
Then do the same movement. Only this time, take a deep breath and then let it out as you lean forward at the waist. Breathe in fully and then blow out more air. Then a little more. As you straighten up, let air fill your lungs instead of taking in air.
It may take a few tries to get the flow right. It is important not to get frustrated the first time you do this. Instead, relax, focus, take another deep breath, and start over. Pause and repeat until you can do it five times without gasping for air.
Now this movement flexes the spine, stimulates circulation and stimulates digestion. So very little to do with burning calories.
The next stage is adding long, deep breaths to activities like walking, jogging, rowing, swimming, or whatever. It’s really that simple YES (and a big YES here), you do it five days a week or more. 15 minutes at a time. It is not a joke. I’ve seen it work over and over again. Have fun.