Actually, after I posted that, I realized the reason that I was unbalanced was because I had my backpack on while I was trying it. Personally, I don’t think it’s necessary in a normal walking situation, but when walking in a deliberate manner, or jogging, or some such similar activity, I will place my feet in that manner.
The lungs are divided into volumes and capacities. Inspiratory Capacity is defined as the volume of air that can be inspired from the end of normal expiration to taking the biggest breath you can. Functional Residual Capacity is defined as the volume of gas that you can force out from the end of a normal exhalation. What’s left is called Residual Volume. It is impossible to expire RV without being in a vacuum. Doing so would suck the blood out of your pulmonary capillaries and kill you.
RV represents the last 20-25% of Total Lung Capacity. When you relax, your lungs are 45-55% full. Forceful exhalation from that point takes effort, consumes energy, and uses inefficient muscles.
While you are correct that the lungs will refill passively to FRC due to the elasticity of the lungs, you forget that in order to accomplish that, you had to first actively force the air out. You used more energy than you would have if you inspired actively and expired passively. What you refer to as a passive inspiration really isn’t passive because of the extra work of pushing the air out to begin with. A net loss.
Add to that the fact that squeezing the air out collapses the airways and compresses the capillaries, I think you would do better for yourself not forcing so much air out. Because you are so healthy and have a good amount of cardiopulmonary reserve, you’re just not noticing it as much, but you will as you age and the lungs begin to lose their elasticity.
It is also worth mentioning that the mere stretching of the lungs tricks the respiratory center of your nervous system into feeling that everything’s AOK.
e72521:
You seem like a person who knows a lot about lungs.
In a similar fashion, I once knew a lot about this car that I owned. After all, I rebuilt it.
What didn’t know though was how to match rpms when I downshifted for a smoother transition. When this friend of mine explained it to me, I countered that he didn’t know what he was talking about, because there were synchros that automatically matched the rpms for you when you released the clutch.
He told me that that’s how he learned to do it from his father the race car driver, and that kind of shut me up. I tried practicing what he said and sure enough he’s right. It works a lot better the way he told me.
Now, I’m not saying that this analogy is absolutely valid to our situation, but I think it might be.
What I describe is yogic breathing. What you seem to be harping on is the downside of forcing your lungs to minute levels.
But really, this is not what I’m describing. Let me try it another way:
It seems to me, that in most situations we tend to breathe shallowly. We let a little air out and we suck a little air in. Under stress, we do this same thing, just faster.
It’s pure physics to see that introducing small amounts of fresh air into a large volume of stale air rapidly is more work and less efficient than replacing a larger stale volume with a larger fresh volume. With the latter one will have a larger volume of fresh air to be absorbed over the lungs surfaces, and one will have to breathe less often.
While my method entails more work per breath one is taking significantly fewer breaths.
As for collapsing you aveoli and bleeding out, again I am not talking about taking it to the extreme. We tend to begin our inhalations to soon in an effort to draw in oxygen, thus breathing inneficiently by retaining larger volumes of stale air than is efficient.
But this is kind of beside the point. Yoga and running articles as well as my personal experience over long distances demonstrate consistently better performance by concentrating of breathing out rather than on sucking air in.
I will readily concede that you know more about the physiology or the mechanics of the breathing process than I do, yet I nevertheless am quite certain that it works and is replicable.
Perhaps the reason why I think my results are right is faulty. One’s reasoning can be wrong even if they still have the right conclusion. So, while I’m certain of the result, I am less than certain of the physiology involved.
As for elasticity, you may be confusing cause and effect. You state that as we age lungs lose elasticity. Tires and rubber bands also lose elasticity as they age. They lose it a lot faster if they don’t get worked. Obviously a rubber band and a lung are two different materials, yet the principle seems sound and consonant with the fact that most body parts benefit from use and atrophy with disuse.
Pinkie.
I try to breathe through the nose whenever practical, which is not always.
I also happen to have very large nostrils.
And I’m finding your claims to absolute truth utterly unsupported. Happy?
I’m kind of hearing John Goodman in The Big Lebowski. All the same, I tried out your breathing suggestion when cycling and found that it seems to work. I’m having more trouble with the walking thing.
Scylla:
True, I do know a little about pulmonary mechanics. One of the hats I wear is being a registered respiratory therapist. That doesn’t make me an expert, maybe QTM will come by and give us his $0.02.
I am in no way trying to dissuade you from doing what feels right for you. Nobody knows your tolerances better than you.
AFAIK, yogic breathing is usually done while there is little or no stress on the cardiopulmonary system. Therefore, we may be comparing apples to oranges.
The next time you run, see if you notice yourself pursing your lips while exhaling. What I mean by that is forming your lips to mimic kissing or blowing out candles upon exhalation. This tactic is often used by people with lung disease and heart failure to create back pressure on the airways. This back pressure splints the small airways open, allowing ventilation of alveoli that otherwise are filled with fluid/mucous, or collapse from being so floppy or inflamed. This allows them to exhale more of the trapped, stale air.
The runner will sometimes do this for the similar reasons. [brain]Must get more CO2 out without breathing faster[/brain] It is your body’s natural tendency to conserve energy. You are correct that in most people, the least amount of work to sustain homeostasis is optimal and conserves more energy for your muscles. True, your body is happier with taking bigger, less frequent breaths to a certain point. Push yourself harder and you will find yourself unable to sustain your yogic breathing pattern. I’ll bet you maintain a very reasonable heart rate while running.
IMO you are not exhaling as much into FRC (see above) as you think you are, rather you are using other mechanisms, such as purse lipped breathing that is making you feel like you are. If you are ever able to take a pulmonary stress test, do it. I think you will be quite surprised.
In the meantime, do what feels right and works best for you. I envy your ability to run long distances. What a great way to clear your mind and get to know yourself. My arthritis put a stop to my running long ago. I do swim. Swimmers take deep breaths. The scenery sucks though.
As for the walking, I’ve noticed that I do in fact place less pressure on my heels when I’m barefoot outside. Us Southerners spend a lot of time barefoot:D. I think that our hunter/gatherer ancestors used their heels more for standing and probably had healthier skeletons. I don’t think we’ve quite evolved into our shoes yet. Very interesting.
Our lungs are continuously stretched from birth to death. Smoking, aging and pollution do decrease lung elasticity. I don’t know if running helps maintain it, but I doubt it. If your lungs sat in the garage all winter, I would tend to agree.
Scylla: No debate on the walking. I only wish my mother-in-law could take the time to practice this; we actually call her “Stompy McHenry” and have become concerned for her joint health. How have your joints reacted to this change?
As a child in the wilds of Quebec, I was taught to hunt in the ways of my grandfather: barefoot, minimal clothing, stealthy toe-walking. One other item you may wish to try is the “scout’s nap,” where you squat – gently and in balance (takes practice) – on the balls of your feet, your bottom touching lightly on heels. Fold your arms across in front of your knees. I used to hold my bow in my left hand, one arrow in my right. With practice you will be able to rest, yet spring into action when necessary.
E72521: Nice posts, good read. Could we predict Scylla’s breathing technique would be more difficult or significantly different for a smoker, or cause discomfort, dizziness or lightheadness? What about if one lives in California and vacations for a week in Colorado over the winter? (Crossing my fingers for good good powder).
Mr. B:
I guess it would depend on how much damage has been done to the smoker’s lungs. With emphysema, you have a higher FRC as a percentage of TLC. That’s why smokers have bigger, rounder barrel chests. I think it would be harder for the smoker to use Scylla’s technique because of the lowered ability of the lungs to “spring back” to stasis.
When you go from a lower elevation to a higher one, many factors affect breathing. First you don’t have as much hemoglobin in your blood as the natives, but you could acclimate over a week or so. Secondly, the air is thinner; the same percentage of gases in the atmosphere but fewer molecules. You may find yourself breathing faster to compensate for the fewer O2 molecules. In doing so, you will exhale “extra” CO2–more than you’re used to, and that can cause vertigo. You may also get a little tipsy or get a headache from the lowered blood O2 levels until you build up hemoglobin. You’ll be having so much fun skiing, you won’t care and I doubt it will spoil your fun.
Scylla, does this mean that you forcibly exhale through your nose as well as inhale passively through your nose? It seems that there would be quite a learning curve to do that. Your walking advice seems pretty good so I’ll start doing that and see if it helps my plantar fascitis. Thanks for your suggestions.
Forget all this walking and breathing. I want to know how you’re supposed to match the RPM’s on your car when downshifting.
What kind of car were you driving? How exactly do you do it? Is it better for the car, or just smoother for the driver? Could I do it in my stationwagon that doesn’t even have an RPM meter?
E7521:
Yes, as a matter of fact I do purse the lips at times, like going up a hill. I’d imagine swimming long distances for exercise requires a fair amount of breath control.
Fabioclone:
Matching rpms can only be done on a stick shift. Let’s say you’re slowing down in preparation for a turn and you are going to go from third gear to second. Your car is revving lower at third then it will be at second.
So, put the clutch in, pull it out of third, blip the throttle up to the higher rpm level of 2nd gear as you slip it into second and release the clutch. If you’re doing some serious braking you may have to heel/toe the brake and throttle simultaneously.
Tne next important thing you will need to know to impress the babes is how to burn out and lay down some rubber.
With the car at a full stop put it in first gear with your heel hard on the brake. Rev the throttle up to redline with the toe of your same foot, and slowly release the clutch. As soon as your wheels spin let off on the brake, and you will lay down some mother rubber.
This will only work on cars with front disc brakes and rear wheel drive. If you try this on a car equipped with four wheel brakes or front wheel drive you will just trash your vehicle (you may trash it anyway, what I’m describing isn’t exactly good for your car.)
With either of these latter types of vehicles you will need to use the handbrake, and it will only work if they brake the nondrive wheels.
You can do this with some automatics too by putting one foot on the gas and one foot on the brake and flooring it (Again, this kind of thing is very bad for your car)
Executing a perfect downshift or laying down forty yards of rubber is one of the greater truths of life in Scylla’s world so I’m glad you asked so I could share it.
Thanks Scylla. It’s like a whole new world of downshifting has opened up to me. I’ll put your advice to use immediately.
I’d try the burnout too, but I suspect the main purpose of “looking cool” would be compromised by my choice of vehicle. I fear the babes will remain flatly unimpressed when I peel out in my Ford Escort Wagon. But at least now I can offer them a smoother, comfortable, fuel-efficient ride. With lots of room in the back.
Ladies, prepare to get sensible!
Burnouts are inherently cool not matter what car they are done in. With 40 feet of rubber behind it, your Escort is badass!
:smack: You will also leave your clutch in little pile of dust under the car. Most cars should be able to lay rubber whether dropping the clutch from lower RPMs or slipping it from something more reasonable than REDLINE.
Heck, even a WRX, with four wheel drive, will lay rubber if dropped at over six thousand RPM.
No, I don’t reccomend doing that. AT ALL.
I can get my beetle to burn rubber in the bottom three gears, if I work at it. But it’s not half as impressive as drifting it sideways just enough to clip a soda can.
I didn’t say drop the clutch, I said slowly release it. The trick is to get the back wheels spinning with the car held in place by the front brakes.
And yes, you are likely to have the transmission fall out, your clutch burn up and your tires ruined.
Wow. What a masterful debater.
Promises, promises…
As a southerner (US), I am well versed in going barefoot, on pavement and in wooded areas. Scylla is absolutely correct in this respect. I also tend to sprint in this fashion, with or without shoes. There is no way I would run barefoot, heel-toe. That hurts.
And as an asthmatic, pursing lips probably has the same effect as the forcible exhaling he describes. It does in fact help me to breathe better, as does lifting (hunching) the shoulders.