Level up your next walk with this one thing

Yoga and tai chi participants know it well. Athletes use it to center themselves before taking a free throw or stepping into the batter’s box. And everyone can use their breath to improve the benefits of daily walks.   

Stress heightens the body’s sympathetic nervous system response, which can interrupt sleep and cause burnout. Using focused breathing while taking those daily steps activates the parasympathetic nervous system that helps to calm and relax the body, decrease blood pressure, improve mood and energy, and strengthen breathing muscles. 

Just being aware of your breath activates a relaxation response. Other beneficial techniques include:

• Matching breath with steps – simple and easy for beginners
• Inhaling and exhaling through the nose
• Keeping a regular breathing pattern — breathing in, hold it a little, then breathing out

Any of these practices will help reduce the fight or flight response and increase alertness to surroundings. Many experts advocate the nasal breathing technique because it employs the diaphragm muscles, which helps strengthen the spine’s strength and stability. Nose breathing also cleans the breath and protects airways by moistening, warming and filtering incoming air. For something completely new and different, you can mix it up and walk backward to improve balance, walking pace and cardiopulmonary fitness – but that’s a topic for another time.

ARTICLE: BREATH BENEFITS WHILE WALKING