5/8/20 5/8/20

Why You're Breathing Wrong and How to Get it Right

Breathing is something we rarely have to think about. Our bodies do a good job of handling that for us.

But what if I told you that you were doing it all wrong!

According to breath expert, Dr. Belisa Vranich, nine out of ten adults are not breathing correctly. That is, the way we are anatomically designed to breathe for full oxygen consumption. And over time this improper breathing can impact our health and wellbeing.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m guilty of breathing incorrectly. But the good news is that you can easily learn how to breathe the right way.

In this post, you’ll find out if you too are guilty of breathing incorrectly (and I’m 90% sure are), as well as why and how to change it.

Vertical vs. Horizontal Breathing

First, let’s find out what kind of breather you are. For a moment I want you to observe your breathing. Sitting up straight, take a few deep breaths. Notice where you feel the most movement. Is it your upper chest and shoulders that rise and fall as you inhale and exhale? If so, you’re in good company as this is how most of us breathe.

This is called vertical, or upper body breathing, and unfortunately, this is the wrong way to breathe. Sorry to break it to you!

On the other hand, if you feel your belly expand and contract while your chest and shoulders remain mostly still, congrats! You are a horizontal breather and you’re doing it right.

Now, you’re probably thinking: how can there be a right and a wrong way to breathe?? Especially since breathing is something that, for the most part, we’re not involved in. The body handles it without much thought from us.

The difference between these two ways of breathing is that one is the way we were anatomically designed to breathe and the other is how we’ve learned to breathe over time.

If you look at the way a baby breathes or even your pet, you’ll notice that it’s their stomach that moves up and down, not their chest and shoulders, when they are breathing. This is the way we are made to breathe. We’re born breathing this way, but something happens along the way that causes a change in our breathing habits.

But this change isn’t our fault. Our modern lifestyle has made it extremely difficult to maintain horizontal breathing. The shift from horizontal to vertical breathing generally happens between the ages of 5 to 10 and there are a few factors that contribute to this.

Developing poor posture - sitting all day in school, hunching over a desk, and lugging heavy backpacks all have an impact on posture, which in turn affects the way that you breathe.
Restricted stomach movement - you can’t breathe with your belly if it’s unable to move. Self consciously sucking in the stomach, wearing tight clothes, or even clenching your abs to in hopes of building core muscles all make horizontal breathing impossible. The air remains in the upper chest because it has nowhere else to go.
Stress and anxiety - when you’re under stress one way the body reacts by speeding up your breathing with short, shallow breaths that only reach the upper lungs. Over time, this becomes a habit and leads to vertical breathing.

The Problem with Vertical Breathing

Ok, now you’re probably thinking: well I’ve been breathing this way for pretty much my entire life and I’ve been getting along just fine. What’s the big deal? Why change now?

Although it’s not a matter of life and death, there are many problems with vertical breathing to consider.

First, if you suffer from a lot of shoulder and neck pain that just won’t go away, your vertical breathing is likely contributing to your discomfort. Vertical breathing puts unnecessary strain on the shoulders and neck from overuse.

These muscles weren’t designed to be used in the breathing process. We have another muscle that is pretty much dedicated to this process which we will talk about in a few. But instead, your shoulders and neck are constantly in motion and over years or decades this can lead to a lot of pain and discomfort. This paired with our sedentary lifestyle of sitting at a desk all day is a bad combination.

Also keep in mind that the biggest, most oxygen-rich part of your lungs is the lower section toward the bottom of the rib cage. When you breathe vertically, you only use the top part of your lungs and this significantly reduces the amount of oxygen you can take in. You’re forced to take shorter, more frequent breaths to try to get the necessary amount of air.

Remember, the body needs oxygen to function. It’s needed for cell regeneration, energy production, immunity, and more. So getting enough air is a pretty big deal.

Not only this, vertical breathing actually puts stress on the body. When you are taking these short, shallow breaths, the brain gets a message from the vagus nerve and interprets this as a sign of stress.

This activates a series of reactions, switching on the sympathetic nervous system, sending out stress hormones, and putting the body in fight or flight mode. This happens even if you’re not experiencing any stress on the outside. When the body is constantly in the middle of this stress response, it creates a host of other issues like digestive disorders, sleep disturbance, weight fluctuations, and even chronic illness.

Want to learn more about the impact of stress on the body? Check out my detailed blog post on this topic. You can find that here!

Horizontal or Diaphragmatic Breathing

Like I mentioned earlier, horizontal breathing involves your stomach expanding and relaxing as you inhale and exhale.

This type of breathing has various names. You may hear it referred to as abdominal or belly breathing. But it’s most commonly known as diaphragmatic breathing because of the involvement of the diaphragm, a key muscle in the breathing process.

The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle right under the lungs. When we breathe in, the diaphragm contracts and moves downward, allowing the lungs to fully expand. This downward motion into the abdominal region is what causes the stomach to expand as well.

Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing

Stress reliever - allows the body to relax and turn off the stress response, calming the body and mind and lowering the risk of stress-related conditions.
Lowers heart rate and blood pressure
Provides ample oxygen to support cell functioning
Relieves pain
Helps to improves posture

How to Breath Diaphragmatically

For most of us, diaphragmatic breathing doesn’t come naturally. It’s something that we have to relearn and practice. To try diaphragmatic breathing follow the steps below:

Lay flat on your back with your knees bent.
Place one hand on your upper chest near your heart and the other hand on your belly right below your rib cage.
Breathe deeply in through your nose and imaging carrying the breath into your lower belly. You may have to force your abdomen to expand at first as you get used to this way of breathing. You should feel the hand on your stomach rise on the inhale, while the hand on your chest remains relatively still.
Breathe out (through either nose or mouth), begin to tighten your abdominal muscles, and let your stomach sink back to its original position. You should feel your belly hand lowering and again your chest remains relatively still.

This will take some getting used to. I once did this exercise with a client and she commented that it felt bizarre! But that just shows how out of touch we are with our natural breathing process.

If you are having difficulty with getting the rhythm of the stomach movement and the breath, one thing you can try is breathing out first. Get rid of all the air and you will feel your stomach sink in. Breathe in after and you will feel your stomach fill with air and rise. That is the motion that you want to replicate.

Of course, you can also practice diaphragmatic breathing when upright and seated. But it is easier starting out to feel movement laying down.

Practice Makes Perfect

We’ve been breathing with our chests for so long, it’s not something we can just switch off. Diaphragmatic breathing is something that will take some practice. You can also use it as a relaxation tool, specifically when you are feeling anxious or stressed to help your body and mind calm down.

I practice diaphragmatic breathing whenever I remember! These are some key time that I try to focus on it throughout the day:

Anytime I’m feeling stressed or anxious
During meditation
While eating (relaxation helps with digestion)
Before going to sleep

You can also incorporate restorative breathing practices into your routine such as yoga, tai chi, meditation, and other forms of breathwork. These will encourage your body to get into the habit of breathing deeply and diaphragmatically.

Even though it’s not something we think about often, breathing is critical and more complex than we realize. Breathing gives us the oxygen we need for survival, but also, when done correctly, serves as a useful tool for regulating our wellness.

It takes some practice to breathe diaphragmatically, but even just incorporating it a few times throughout the day will have major benefits on your body and mind. Give it try!

5/1/20 5/1/20

My Morning Routine for Peace, Positivity, and Productivity

Let me start by saying I am not a morning person! Getting up at the crack of dawn and starting my day before the rest of the world has never been a sustainable option for me. So if you're anything like me, no worries! You can still create a morning routine that gets your day started on a peaceful, positive, and productive note.

I'm not gonna lie, I've struggled for years to ~~create~~ maintain a morning routine. A couple of years ago I was inspired after reading "The Miracle Morning." A great book all about the benefits of incorporating a morning routine and some best practices. I was so pumped to start my own morning routine and found myself waking up at 5 am to do about ten different tasks.

To make a long story short, that did not last.

Nevertheless, I did see the value in it, I just needed to tweak it and find something that worked for me. And that’s exactly what I recommend you do too.

Now, because we are in the midst of this global pandemic and are quarantining at home, I decided that this was the ideal time to commit to doing a morning routine. In a time where all the days are running together and things are just weird in general, I thought this would give me some structure, bring a sense of calm, and aid in my productivity throughout the day.

And honestly it has! What I love about morning routines is the feeling of accomplishment that you get after completing it. I love having that positive energy early in the day.

That’s why I want to encourage you to create and stick to (the tricky part) a morning routine. Especially right now as a way to keep you grounded and bring more positivity to your day. We need all the positive vibes we can get!

So! If you’re interested in doing so, read on to learn about my current morning routine as well as tips and ideas for creating your own.

My Morning Routine

When creating my morning routine, I thought about the things that I wanted to do daily but often wasn’t getting around to. Most of these were things I was already doing, but making a routine around them allowed me to prioritize getting them done on a daily basis.

My routine consists of the following activities:

Oil pulling
Gratitude
Reading
Drinking water
Yoga or stretching
Meditating
Eating breakfast

This may seem like a lot, but as you'll see, many things take just a few minutes and also overlap.

Oil Pulling

Okay, you might be wondering what this is! Oil pulling is an ayurvedic oral health technique that involves swishing oil around your mouth kind of like mouth wash to kill harmful bacteria. Some of the benefits of oil pulling, specifically with coconut oil, include preventing bad breath, cavities and inflammation, whitening teeth, and improving gum health. It has also been said to reduce inflammation and support detoxification throughout the entire body (source).

On my nightstand I keep my coconut oil in a Tupperware container. And the first thing I do when I wake up is to take a tablespoon of oil and swish it around for about 20 minutes. This can be challenging! If you’re interested in trying it, start with 5 minutes and work your way up. Don’t swallow it. While I am oil pulling, I do my gratitude practice and reading.

Gratitude

There are many benefits to incorporating some time in your day to reflect on the good things and remind yourself of all that you have to be grateful for. It’s the ultimate mood booster. While I’m oil pulling, I write down 1-3 things I’m grateful for in my bullet journal.

I used to use the Five Minute Journal to do this, but recently adopted the bullet journaling method and have everything contained in there. This takes about five minutes and then it’s on to reading.

Reading

I love reading and I have quite of few books on my To-Read list. But I don't always make the time for it. Incorporating reading into my morning routine has helped me to make reading more of a habit and put a dent in my reading list. I usually read for about 15 minutes. It’s not a whole lot of time, but I do feel like I’m making consistent progress. I do this while oil pulling.

After 20 minutes I’m done oil pulling and I move on to brushing my teeth, washing my face, etc.

Lemon Water

There are many benefits of drinking water, particularly lemon water, in the morning. It hydrates you, helps with digestion later in the day, and can even contribute to weight loss (source).

I’m obsessed with lemon water and drink it all day long, but I start with about 8-12 oz in the morning. I have this prepared overnight and I keep my bottle on my nightstand, so this takes just a few seconds.

Yoga/Stretching

One of my goals lately has been to improve in my yoga practice. I’ve gone through many phases in my workout journey and right now yoga is what feels the best for me and what I’ve been enjoying the most. I love the focus and the feeling of calm it brings me.

Depending on time and my mood, I’ll either do a guided yoga video, a yoga flow on my own or I’ll just do some simple stretching. I don’t spend more than 20 minutes because I plan on doing more extended workouts at other times during the week. But it’s a great way to get some movement in and wake up the body.

Meditation

I have really grown to love meditation. It’s one of my favorite practices for stress relief and calming my mind, which is very much needed. I have a few apps that I like to use, but my favorite is Calm. Usually, I do a guided meditation, but other times it just me and my thoughts. This lasts about 10 minutes.

Breakfast

Lastly, I end my morning routine with breakfast. What I eat varies from day-to-day. Although it’s usually pretty simple. I kid you not, my go-to breakfast is actually homemade soup that I just pop in the microwave. But it’s less about what I eat and more about how I eat. I try to practice mindful eating by sitting at the table and eating slowly, trying to be present and enjoy what I’m eating instead of rushing and multitasking like I often do. I also listen to music or a podcast and relax. I spend about 20-30 minutes on this.

So there you have it, that is my current morning routine!

Create Your Morning Routine

Feeling inspired to create your own routine or maybe revamp one that you already have?! Before you do, I want to give you some tips on how to create and sustain a morning routine that works for you and give you a list of possible activities and habits you can build into your routine.

4 Tips for Customizing Your Morning Routine

1. Think about how much time you want to spend and how much time you reasonably have to spend.

What time do you have to be up vs. what time do you want to wake up. That will give you a sense as to how much time you’re working with. Your routine does not have to be 2 hours to be a worthwhile addition to your day. Right now, my routine is working for me because I have more time on my hands. But down the road that may change and I’ll have to adjust.

2. Consider what your goal is for your routine.

Here are some questions to think about before creating your morning routine:

How do you want to feel? Relaxed? Energized? Empowered?
What do you want more of in your day? Productivity? Peace? Happiness? Better health?
What do you enjoy doing but find you don’t have enough time for?

Your answers will tell you what types of habits you should prioritize.

3. Start slow.

There’s nothing worse than ambitiously starting something and not being able to maintain it. You beat yourself up and then give up on it altogether. Save yourself the stress and start slow, especially if you don’t have a lot of time to work with. I recommend choosing 1-3 activities to incorporate and add on as you solidify it as a habit.

4. Keep some flexibility.

You’ll feel accomplished when you complete your morning routine, but it’s easy to feel the opposite when you don’t make it through the whole routine or do it at all. Prepare yourself for those days when you just don’t have time or don’t feel like it. It happens!! Don’t be afraid to modify your routine when needed, just keep going!

Here are some ideas for activities you can include in your morning routine.

Morning Routine Ideas

Exercise
Read
Meditate
Pray
Practice deep breathing
Journal
Write down your dreams
Listen to a podcast
Listen to an audiobook
Take an online course
Listen to music
Gratitude practice
Affirmations
Work on a side hustle or business idea
Work on a hobby
Drink water
Make tea or coffee
Eat breakfast
Go outside
Enjoy aromatherapy
Make your bed
Make a to-do list for the day
Look over your budget
Water your plants
Talk with your partner or a friend
Do a skincare regiment

There are so many options! These are just a few ideas to get you going. I hope that you’ll create a morning routine of your own that brings you peace, joy, feelings of accomplishment, and whatever else you need for an enjoyable start to your day.