Healthy Living – The Lungs

I wouldn’t mind placing a bet that you have no idea how many times you inhale each day. It’s not a small number. In fact, you’re about to be very impressed with yourself. Because without any conscious say so on your behalf, your lungs capably inflate about 30,000 times per day.

Granted, that’s an upper estimate for those who breathe at the top end of resting breathing rates. But if you add in a little exercise? Yeah. The numbers are through the roof. Perhaps it’s time we looked at our lungs and gave some consideration to keeping our breathing apparatus in full working order. After all, with so many miles on the clock, you’re probably overdue a full service.

healthy lung

For most people, thinking about their lungs comes too late. When developing a cough, for example, and becoming worried about the symptoms. Asking questions like ‘what causes lung cancer?’ and ‘what is mesothelioma cancer caused by?’ are all too often asked at a stage where prevention is no longer an option and a cure is required. So, let’s stay positive and look at preventative methods that can help to stave off that unwanted news from your doctor.

Stop smoking

Smoking is one of those things that future generations of humanity will look back on and think “But they KNEW the risks!?”. Day by day, more and more countries introduce more and more rules that mean tobacco companies are no longer permitted to advertise their products or sell tobacco in attractive packing etc. There is a meme (widely available) showing a lit cigarette that has burned 25% of the way down with 75% remaining, with the caption “cancer downloading”. Harsh. But for so many people, so very true.

Your lungs need your ribs

Exercising helps to develop your lung capacity, which increases your ability to exercise for longer, which in turn improves lung capacity further, and … it’s a big circle of fitness. But you can’t up your breathing rate to 60 times per minute if you’re unfit.

Your lungs can’t help make you healthier on their own. They’ll do all the heavy lifting with keeping you supplied with oxygen, but you must improve your torso fitness and diaphragm strength to support your lungs – sort of like putting up the correct scaffolding to allow the development of something much greater. You may also want to practice deep breathing exercises to further increase your lung capacity and spur on your stamina.