breathing & exercise

You want to take nice even breaths while walking, especially at a fast pace. Think in your head "inhale 1-2" "exhale 1-2" breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

In through the nose, out through the mouth. Swing your arms, any additional muscle activity burns calories.

I was curious about the difference in calorie burn too with arm swinging. I tested on the treadmill with the hrm. You definitely burn more calories swinging your arms than holding the handles.

walking (and swimming) are about all I can do right now myself - my breathing gets a bit tricky too sometimes. I've found what works best is for me to count in-1-2, out-1-2 (as someone else mentioned previously). Being sure to take as deep as I can an incoming breath and letting the outgoing breath be just as satisfying. I've also read/heard that if you have like big/fat/plushy cheeks/nose area - it can help to wear those breathe right nose strips while you're walking - helps to open up the passageways a bit so that you CAN get more air on the incoming breath so that you feel more satisfied. I find with me, although they say exercise is suppose to energize you and make you feel better, I'm often a bit tired when I'm done - and not because I walk fast at all (370lbs don't move fast lol) - but because I can't get as satisfying incoming airflow. So I tend to do more of a general slow stroll, so I can make sure my airways are getting enough air. Zaps all the 'fun' right out of it lol.

Far as the swinging arms bit - more you swing your arms, the more momentum you're going to get, so the faster you're going to walk. Your arms will 'move' as you walk. it's only natural. but if you focus on swinging them on purpose too - it's going to move you along faster. Faster walk=more cals burned=woohoo for you! lol

Good luck and enjoy the burn!

There is a difference between "breathing technique" and "relaxation technique". Ventilation (the fancy term for "breathing") is a function of the metabolic demand of the activity and is the mechanical process of getting enough volume of air into your lungs. (As opposed to "gas exchange" which is the movement of oxygen and CO2 in and out of the blood cells).

Ventilation is accomplished "by any means possible". If the metabolic demands are high enough, then one MUST inhale through nose and mouth simultaneously in order to achieve sufficient ventilation. Adhering to some arbitrary "in through the nose, out through the mouth" theory in this case is the same as putting a plastic bag over your head.

"Breathing problems" when running or exercising usually fall into one or more of three categories:

1. Intensity: since breathing is closely linked to oxygen demand, if you are attempting to exercise at an intensity that is beyond your fitness level, you will be gasping for breath. The only solution to this is to slow down until you are in better shape. Not everyone has the fitness capacity to run.

2. Obstructed breathing due to a medical/environmental condition.

3. General tenseness, especially in the upper body. For various reasons, some people tense up when they run or exercise, sometimes even subconsciously holding their breath.

Breathing "techniques" are most effective for scenario #3, as part of a general relaxation effort, and only at lower intensities when metabolic demand is lower.

Thanks to everyone who has given the GREAT SUGGESTIONS. Now how about using small cans of soup while walking. Will that help me out with my cardiovascular workout. Currently I am doing nothing in that area!!

Oops, forgot about that part.

Research has shown that the amplitude of the arm swing has more of an effect than carrying a weight.

Swinging the arms while walking, so that, on the upswing, your thumb reaches shoulder height, can increase the intensity of the workout by a decent amount. This is an option if you:

Need to work harder
Cannot walk faster
Don't have a treadmill or any sustained hills
Cannot or do not want to run

Adding weights gives only a tiny extra increase--until you get up to weights like 5-10lb which can then lead to other issues with joints so are not recommended. It's the arm swing alone that accounts for about 85% of the intensity increase.

Carrying weights adds little or nothing.