About Senior Respiratory Conditions
I want to talk to you a little bit about breathing. It’s my favorite exercise.
I read that once you hit sixty five your chances of dying from a respiratory condition multiply six times compared to when you were in your forties. This is according to the ever reliable CDC. Sorry, but I have passed from being a skeptic to full blown cynic.
The reason is that our lungs and immune system in general are just plain worn out from day to day use. Regular breathing has made our lungs incrementally weaker.
Old muscles get weaker
Those old muscles surrounding our lungs weaken and the rib cage itself gets stiffer, along with my neck, my back, and my ass. The problem is your lungs have a harder time expanding and contracting. The range degrades as well. We must work more to keep even.
You Can Do Something About it
You can do something about it though. Special lung breathing exercises do work. I’m living breathing proof. I have an immune deficiency rheumatoid condition that impacted my lungs. They said I wouldn’t ever get much better. They were wrong I’m proud to say. I started doing some yoga breathing exercises twice a day. The doc was shocked! I got better. He’d never seen that before. He had condemned me to a slow death by asphyxiation. Since I have always had authority issues, I rebelled!!
Here’s what I did. I picked out a yoga breathing exercise that I liked out of the many choices I had to choose from. Then I did it twice a day and healed. I still do it. Simply breathe in slowly for eight beats. Hold it for eight beats. Let it out slowly for eight beats. Hold it full out for eight beats and repeat eight times. I also practice the proper yoga breathing method. You start filling your lungs from way down in your tummy, then, fill your rib cage area, followed by your upper chest area. You release the same way. Start from the bottom and exhale on up until you empty out.
You Can Only Lose 50%
The out of breath hold is challenging at first. I learned at the Pulmonologist’s office that the best you can do with exhaling will rid your lungs of air only by 50%. No kidding. The rest is practice.
Number next: Sit up straight! Slouching at the computer prevents regular stretching of the rib cage ligaments. That further reduces your lung function.
The Best Exercises
The best exercise for lungs, and everything else is brisk walking. The real goal should be to do 25 minutes a day. I’m up to 15, my wife, not so much. She has a bad knee and not so good hip. I mean, I like her hips a lot, but they don’t like her as much as they used to. I know this walking stuff is not for everyone. Many can’t for good reasons. I know that. Still there are ways to get you huffin’ and puffin’. That works all the pieces parts that keep the lungs pumping properly. The best exercise is the ones that you can and will do. You’ll live longer and believe it or not, feel better. There’s only one way to find out. Get off your dead butt and do something.
The Trouble With Stopped Up Noses
If you are plagued with allergies or normally find your nose stopped up, try using a HEPA air filter. Breathing through your nose filters your lungs from most of the crap found in the air. Mouth breathers lose that advantage. My ENT says I need a type of surgery that will reopen my nasal passages so I can quit being a mouth breather. See above about authority issues. I’m not ready.
Getting Old
Getting old is not for sissies. The only alternative I know of is not acceptable. I’m going to do the best I can to take care of myself. My goal is to die from nothing.