If you've ever come to one of my classes or spoken to me about health & fitness you will probably have heard me talk about the benefits of good breathing and that when we exercise or lift loads we want to exhale on exertion. So why is breathing such a big deal?
Let's first take a closer look at what should happen as we breathe if everything is working well:
- On INHALE the diaphragm contracts and flattens, the ribcage expands, the abdominal wall relaxes and expands and the pelvic floor relaxes and drops slightly.
- On EXHALE the pelvic floor activates and rises slightly, the abdominal wall engages, the rib-cage contracts and the diaphragm relaxes and returns to its domelike shape.
(Image Courtesy of BurrellEducation)
This should all happen automatically but for many women - especially those who have had kids (whether recently or a while ago) - that relationship between breathing, your core and pelvic floor needs to be re-taught.
Certain things can prevent optimal breathing such as flared ribs, chest breathing, belly breathing, poor posture, nerve damage, poor connective tissue quality due to poor nutrition and hydration.
When working with me either one to one or in class (in particular at the Pelvic Floor, Core & More class) we spend time looking at your breathing, work on your posture through releases and mobilisations (think dynamic stretches) and use certain exercises to encourage that automatic connection between your breathing and core to re-establish itself.
I also teach women to exhale on effort. WHY?
Think about the times during the day you are lifting heavy objects - lifting your kids, the shopping, the washing, the car seat - the list goes on. Lifting any load leads to a natural increase in intra abdominal pressure and if your pelvic floor and or abdominal wall have not regained full function/integrity then this increase in pressure is forced out against a weakened abdominal wall or pelvic floor. Not ideal if you are trying to heal your pelvic floor and or Diastasis Recti.
If, however, you exhale on exertion (eg when you pick up your kid or the car seat) you will be activating and engaging your core and abdominal muscles which will help protect them against the increase in pressure.
And lastly let's not forget that our vagus nerve communicates with the diaphragm. With deep breaths a person feels more relaxed. Try it now - make yourself comfortable and take some deep, slow, diaphragmatic breaths. Try to breath from your belly rather than take shallow breaths from the top of your lungs. How do you feel?
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