On the Virtues of Breathing

Breathing is very important, because when we stop doing it, it means we are dead.

And, it turns out, the better we are at breathing, the longer and better we are likely to live, which just makes common sense.

So it’s worth considering what happens when we breathe, and how we can support doing it as well as possible for as long as possible.

When we breathe, we pull oxygen from the air into our lungs. Then, we move that oxygen to our blood, and our blood carries it to the muscles, and then our muscles use it to move or to do whatever they need to do.

So how do we get better at breathing? 

The same way we get to Carnegie Hall.

Practice, practice, practice.

And how do we practice?

By moving our bodies…

And how do we move our bodies?

Walking. Running. Dancing. Cycling. Dancing. Lifting. Swimming. Climbing. Hiking.

Add more here.

It’s all good!

The more we practice, the better we get.

Sometimes we want to move faster and get a good schvitz, but mostly we just want to move.

Health experts will continue to debate optimal intensity, frequency, and duration of this movement until we have all stopped breathing.

They’re as bad as economists. 😉

I’ve launched personal health planning and performance training services at Pearl Institute. Check it out here.