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If you go into breathlessness when running, try alternating running and walking.
Walking breaks help the body recover energy gradually. -
Breathe with the diaphragm to use the full lung capacity.
Breathing in deeply reduces fatigue and improves respiratory efficiency. -
Maintain correct posture and mental calmness.
Relaxed shoulders and regular breathing improve airflow, while emotional control prevents breathlessness and panic.
Ifyou had to express the fatigue involved in running through an image, you would almost certainly resort to someone with their mouth wide open looking for every particle of air.
Someone bursting from the fatigue of breathing (running) and seemingly not quite making it.
But does it have to be so exhausting to run?
Do you have to reduce yourself to agony every time?
Of course not, you just need to know a few tricks.
Know the causes
There are several reasons that can lead you to a more or less pronounced respiratory stress situation even after only a few minutes of running.
In addition to lack of training, performance anxiety, improper breathing or too fast a pace are not to be overlooked.
If you feel breathless right away, it’s best to take it slow and increase the pace only after you get your body used to handling it.
If you are not trained, it is foolish to think that your body can sustain an effort for many minutes-it is better to get there little by little.
That’s why it’s a good idea to alternate running and walking.
Don’t think that the only right way to run is to do it without ever stopping: taking walking breaks, especially if you are a beginner, is a very good idea.
By taking short walking intervals, you allow your body to recover and regain energy.
With this system, you will be able to gradually improve your endurance and avoid burning out right away.
You can try the method we recommend here and over time you can gradually increase the intervals in which you run.You will see that by doing this your running(and walking) experience will definitely improve.
Breathe right
To breathe without wheezing, you have to … learn how to breathe!
It sounds like a play on words but it is not so, or rather: breathing in the correct way, that is, using the full capacity of your lungs, is less frequent than you think.
In short, it may happen that you feel out of breath not because you don’t have any but because you are not using the full potential of your lungs.
To achieve this you have to breathe deeply, that is, using your diaphragm.
Which is the exact opposite of breathing shallowly and quickly, filling only the upper part of your lungs, which you do especially when you are tired.
If, on the other hand, the lungs fill completely, it increases the oxygen apposto and decreases fatigue.
In short, try to inhale deeply, inflating the abdomen instead of the chest.
Breathing with your diaphragm allows you to make the most of your lung capacity, improving your breathing efficiency.
A little trick to doing this well is to visualize oxygen filling your body as you slowly inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
Go to rhythm
Getting your steps to get along through breathing rhythm with your lungs is another very effective trick.
For example, you can try inhaling for three steps and exhaling for two.
This helps to keep your breathing controlled and steady as you run, and most importantly, because of the fact that you have to count, it pushes you to be more aware of the quality of your breathing: not considering it automatic but instead paying attention to it will improve it, for sure.
Posing
Posture plays an important role in the quality of your breathing.
Try to think for examples of when the quality of your breathing changes when you are tired and hunch your shoulders: doing so compresses your lungs, which cannot take in the necessary amount of oxygen.
Maintaining correct posture, on the other hand, allows you to immediately improve airflow.
When you run, try then to keep your shoulders relaxed and open your chest, pushing it out slightly.
By doing this you avoid compression of the lungs and breathe more deeply.
To be able to keep your posture, shoulders and breathing pattern under control, it is good to do a “scan” of your body from time to time, checking all these aspects.
It may seem like a small detail, but it greatly affects the quality of your running, especially when you are tired.
Tranquility
A final aspect that is often underestimated is emotional management.
When you feel out of breath, it is important to remain calm.
If you panic, your breathing will become even shorter and more labored.
If you start to become short of breath, slow your pace and focus on your breathing.
Breathe in slowly and deeply, trying to relax your muscles.
A very useful technique in these situations is mental visualization: imagine fresh air entering your body and filling it with energy, helping you focus on something positive and relaxing.
As you know, running is a physical activity but it is equally mental.
Running with a mind free of thoughts can greatly help your motivation, ultimately allowing you to run much better.
(Via Fit&Well)