Breathe to Perform

The Breathing 4.1.1. - The Best Breathing Class You Haven’t Heard Of

 

Hello, and Happy Monday! Welcome to another edition of The Breathing 4.1.1.

Thank you for reading this. Putting together the 411 emails each week is one of my favorite things to do, so I appreciate that you’re here reading it.

Now, on to the email. Below you’ll find 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (think "Jeopardy"). Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. Breath Practice versus Breath Training

Breath Practice: Time you spend every day performing breathing exercises that are comfortable and beneficial to you. Think of it as self-care. For me, this would include my 15 minutes of slow breathing first thing in the morning.

Breath Training: Time you spend deliberately pushing yourself to improve your breathing. For example, if you can comfortably box breathe with a 4-4-4-4 rate, you might spend some time at 5-5-5-5 rate as training.

Breath Training is always Breath Practice, but Breath Practice is not always Breath Training.

(This thought was inspired by pages 51-53 of Breathe to Perform.)

2. The Best Way to Make Your Breathing Practice Stick: Celebrate!

"Celebration will one day be ranked alongside mindfulness and gratitude as daily practices that contribute most to our overall happiness and well-being." BJ Fogg, Tiny Habits

Are you trying to make your breathing practice a habit? BJ Fogg, creator of the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University, says that if he taught you his "Tiny Habits" approach, the first thing he would do is help you celebrate better.

If you spend 1 minute focused on your breath, celebrate it. If you already have a solid practice, try adding some celebration to the end.

I started doing this and love it. After my slow breathing session, I reward myself with a small celebration. After my breath holds, the same thing.

Is it cheesy? Kind of. Is it rooted in science from the leader in habit development at Stanford? Yes. Will anyone know? Nope. Give it a shot.

(See the P.S. below for a great example of celebrating the small stuff.)

3. The Best Breathing Class You Probably Haven’t Heard Of

That celebration idea came from Brian Johnson’s Optimize program (I adapted it for breathing, but it can be used in any aspect of life). If you’ve been following my work for a while, you probably know that Brian Johnson is one of my favorite teachers on the planet. Actually, he is my absolute favorite.

He has an "Optimal Breathing 101" course that is phenomenal. He combines research from all of the best books on breathing into a succinct and practical course. It’s awesome.

He also recently reviewed Breath: The New Science of A Lost Art. Again, phenomenal.

4. Why Are You "Breathing"?

"Don’t mistake the finger pointing to the moon for the moon itself." - Buddhist Saying

Let us not forget that "breathing" is only the finger.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

The first "tiny habit" to build:

“Replace the habit of taking short shallow breaths into the top of the lungs with the practice of taking a full deep breath. Nearly all of the benefits begin with this one simple change.”

- Al Lee, Don Campbell, Perfect Breathing

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: This is the world record for the longest case of the hiccups.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

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Question: What is 68 years?*

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. How To Celebrate.

* I found this on dozens of websites. However, I could not find an official record anywhere on Guinness (I even tried some "dorking"). So, I can’t be sure it’s 100% legitimate. But, it’s a fascinating story nonetheless!

 
 

The Breathing 4.1.1. - Slow or Control? (+ Seneca on Walking & Breathing)

 

Happy Monday to you! Welcome to a new edition of The Breathing 4.1.1.

Below you’ll find 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (think "Jeopardy"). Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. Breath Rate or Breath Control: Which is More Important?

Last week, we talked about a powerful evolutionary advantage: Rather than evolving to breathe slowly, we evolved the ability to control our breathing.

We know slow, controlled breathing is beneficial, but what about just the controlled aspect itself?

A study published in 2017 examined this by having participants perform controlled breathing at 12 breaths per minute. This rate is on the low end of average for spontaneous breathing.

They found that this practice reduced sympathetic activity. There was something about the act of consciously controlling the breath that helped promote autonomic balance, despite the rather ordinary rate.

Slow breathing provides a host of additional benefits. But let us not forget the power of simply controlling your body’s most important function: breathing.

2. While We’re on the Subject: Slow Breathing Restores Balance in COPD

People with COPD have similar complications to diabetics, such as increased sympathetic tone and reduced baroreflex sensitivity (BRS).

A study published in 2008 found that slow breathing at 6 breaths per minute for 4 minutes significantly reduced sympathetic activity and increased BRS in COPD patients. That is, it helped restore cardio-autonomic balance. 

Their words are always better than mine:

“In summary, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease showed sympathetic excitation and depression of the baroreflex. Slow breathing counteracted these changes.” - Raupach et al.

3. Another Non-Breathing Tip: I Take This Every Morning

To build off of my #1 non-breathing tip (2-4 hours between dinner and bedtime), here’s another one I use every day: baking soda.

Baking soda has been shown to improve performance and even help with autoimmune conditions. From a breathing perspective, it has also been shown to increase breath-hold time (something I have anecdotally experienced).

Here’s how I take it every morning:

  • 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

  • Mix and "enjoy"

It sounds disgusting, but it’s actually not too bad. Apple cider vinegar might also help control blood sugars, so that’s an added bonus for us diabetics.

4. A Race for the Future

"Looking at the evidence, it’s hard not to conclude that our entire physiology was engineered to reward us for moving." - Kelly McGonigal, The Joy of Movement

I love Physiology First, its mission, and the people behind it. On August 15, they are holding a run/walk to collectively cover 1,000 miles. You can join virtually anywhere (my wife and I will be joining from here on the Space Coast of Florida).

It’s been a while since my 100-mile ruck, so this is a great reason to get out and move for a good cause. Every mile helps, and there is no minimum. I hope to "e-see" you there!

More Details:

A RACE FOR THE FUTURE
(We’re signing up for the "1000 Miler")

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

Speaking of walking and breathing:

“We should take wandering outdoor walks, so that the mind might be nourished and refreshed by the open air and deep breathing.” —Seneca, On Tranquility of Mind

(I found this quote in Ryan Holiday’s Newsletter.)

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: The number of oxygen molecules in each red blood cell.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

…

Question: What is 1 billion?

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Keeping Cool During COVID.

 
 

The Breathing 4.1.1. - Can This Acid Help You Digest Oxygen Better?

 

I hope this edition of "The Breathing 4.1.1" helps start your week off right.

Below you’ll find 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (think "Jeopardy"). Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. My #1 Non-Breathing Tip to Improve Your Breathing

There are non-breathing ways to improve your breathing. Here’s the easiest and most helpful one I’ve found: Add 2-4 hours between dinner and bedtime.

For example, I now eat dinner around 5:30 p.m. and go to bed around 7:45 - 8:00 p.m. (I used to eat closer to 7:00 p.m. with the same bedtime).

After one or two nights of the earlier dinner, my CO2 tolerance increased by about 20 seconds. And it’s remained that way ever since. If you’re not already, give it a shot and see how you feel after a couple of nights.

(As a side note, I also lost about 5 lbs after 1-2 weeks of doing this. So, when I saw this article on ScienceDaily, it jumped off the page at me: People who eat a late dinner may gain weight.)

2. Can This Acid Help You Digest Oxygen Better?

"Oxygen is what we breathe in. CO2 is what we internally produce in order to allow us to use that oxygen most efficiently." - David Bidler, Breathe to Perform

I love that interpretation. Rather than thinking of CO2 as a waste product, why don’t we instead view it as something our body produces to use the oxygen we breathe in.

While reading this passage, I also thought of a new analogy. It’s not technically correct, but I think it helps get the point across:

Your body produces stomach acids to digest food. It produces blood acids to digest oxygen.

3. Why Don’t We Breathe Slowly, 24/7?

I talk about the benefits of slow breathing a lot (maybe too much). With all of those benefits, it begs the question: Why didn’t we evolve to breathe slowly all the time? (Thanks, Ben!)

Rather than breathing slowly all the time, I believe we evolved something even more powerful: The ability to control our breathing.

We have been given access to our autonomic nervous system. We can choose to ramp it up or choose to slow it down. We can respond to our outer environment while being in control of our inner one.

With great power comes great responsibility. It’s up to us if we use it or not.

4. How Your Body Remembers High Altitude (1-Minute Podcast)

This episode of 60-Second Science from Scientific American explains how our red blood cells "remember" exposure to high altitude:

Red Blood Cells Remember Your Mountain Vacation

Although breath holds and high altitude exposure are not the same thing, we can elicit similar drops in blood oxygen saturation, presumably leading to similar effects. But, they’re not permanent:

"So the longer you stay at sea level before you re-climb to high altitude, then such memory will gradually disappear." - Yang Xia, UT Health Science Center

That’s why I’m also a fan of consistency over intensity to hep keep the benefits around.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"However, there is a bridge between our conscious mind and the subconscious action of the autonomic nervous system – breathing."

- Stephen Elliot with Dee Edmonson, The New Science of Breath

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: In 1978, two mountain climbers achieved this monumental feat for the first time.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

…

Question: What is climbing Everest without supplemental oxygen?

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. When You Finish Your To-Do List.