Walking is almost medicine in itself because it can rebalance our entire body, but part of the benefits are lost if we breathe poorly. Falling into this mistake is more common than you think because while walking we do not usually pay attention to our breathing. “Every time we tend to cover more things in the shortest possible time,” explains Markel Pérez, head of the Sports Medicine Unit of the IMQ Group, “and attending to many different stimuli leads us to forget something as important as breathing.” . We make breathing a mechanical act.”
The solution is to get used to taking care of it by focusing our attention on it. Precisely the mindful walk or afghan teaches us to synchronize step and breathing. When we achieve this, the entire body appreciates it and the cells receive more oxygen.
Get started in conscious walking
Not breathing properly causes us to tire sooner, even when the walk is not done at an agile pace.
The respiratory muscles It tires before the leg muscles, especially if the walk lasts half an hour (or longer) and is done at a good speed. When the respiratory muscles are working too hard, our brain – specifically the sympathetic nervous system, which unconsciously regulates many functions in the body – causes the veins to constrict and less blood reaches the muscles. It is what is known as respiratory metabolic reflex. It does this to preserve breathing, which is one of the most important functions, but the consequence is that we quickly become exhausted.
Conscious walking ends that rivalry between breathing and muscular resistance because it makes both systems work in a coordinated way.
Consists in synchronize air inlet and outlet with the steps, as we explain in the box on the right. So that you don’t have a hard time doing it, it is advisable that – in the same way that you warm up your muscles by walking more slowly at first or doing warm-up exercises – you should practice your breathing before starting. This way, your brain will be prepared.
Walk in place, without moving, and at the same time inhale slowly (better through the nose) bringing the air to your abdomen, to mobilize the diaphragm. Do not expel it immediately, do it – also slowly – after having counted to 7. Repeat this lung training for at least 2 minutes. If you usually have low blood pressure, it is preferable that you go with a partner the first few times, in case that breathing causes it to drop even further.
Breathe, hold, exhale
Conscious walking is based on 8-beat breathing. It is caught air in a slow and controlled manner while they give 3 steps; in it room step Hold your breath. The air is also expelled slowly (through the nose or mouth) during the next 3 steps; and you hope to take one more step (a controlled apnea is done) before taking another breath.
Choose a quiet environment
Especially the first few days you need nothing to distract you and put all your attention on how you breathe and how your breathing matches the pace of your progress and with the steps you are taking. Therefore, the route you choose takes on special relevance.
- Better in a green environment without traffic. The fact that it is a less traveled route will help you have the concentration you need and, at the same time, will contribute to one of the great benefits of this type of walk occurring sooner: relaxation, because it is known that it slows down the heartbeat.
- Organize the route on flat terrain without difficulty. Even when you go for a walk through a forest, you should make sure that there are not too many rocky sections on the route because you will be more aware of how you step than your breathing.
Its benefits
“Unlike other automatic physiological processes, such as the heartbeat, we are able to control breathing and make it a conscious exercise,” points out Markel Pérez. And he adds: “Thanks to that, we obtain improvements in physical health and sports performance, since we get the heart and lungs to work in a coordinated manner”. It must be taken into account that, if we walk fast, the respiratory muscles can use 16% of the cardiac output, and that causes more fatigue for the heart.
The act of holding the breath, even if only for a few seconds, stimulates the vagus nerve. In this way the heart beats slower which, as we have said, could go faster than desired if we are not yet too trained or have good physical resistance.
Besides, helps us relax, even despite making physical effort. In part, it occurs due to the same activation of the vagus nerve, but also because breathing is slower, we breathe fewer times per minute. All of this helps reduce cortisol, the stress hormone, and blood pressure.
When doing fewer inspirations per minutewe take in more air each time it enters, making the body better oxygenated, that is, all the tissues and organs of the body receive more food and can stay in better condition.
Can it slow down aging? Whether we look more or less young depends on many factors, including our daily habits and the genetic inheritance received. But the type of breathing we do also influences. It has an impact, especially, when we do physical activity, since that can oxidize the body’s tissues sooner.
If we get used to breathing slowly and deeply, as conscious walking suggests, we reduce that oxidation, that aging, associated with vigorous physical activity. It has been proven that, specifically, it decreases a biomarker related to aging, MDA or malondialdehyde.
Walk without getting tired
Adjusting our breathing to our steps also achieves another great benefit, even for daily life:
Gain stamina. Since the body – and the heart – do not have to work as hard, we can walk for longer without feeling fatigued. In fact, the Afghan people, who were the first to apply this 8-step breathing technique, could walk for long days without feeling tired.
Therefore, it is not unreasonable to propose walk for an hour or hour and a half (even two) once the technique is learned. The longer you walk –always according to each person’s capabilities–, the more health parameters you can improve (glucose control, cholesterol levels, blood pressure…).
A longer walk makes it possible to go at an acceptable pace (if you spend little time you should increase the intensity to burn more calories). As if that were not enough, studies have shown that Walking longer distances reduces risk of heart disease at all ages and fitness levels. In any case, those who have a serious heart or respiratory ailment should talk to their doctor first.
It also improves circulation
Timing the entry and exit of air with your footsteps achieves…
Stimulate the passage of blood through veins and arteries. In the opinion of Markel Pérez, “these small controlled apneas have circulatory benefits because, when the body is deprived of oxygen in a very limited time, it implements certain adaptations to make the most of the oxygen available to it.” With each movement of the leg muscles, the pumping of blood to the heart improves.
Help against varicose veins
HE strengthen the valves of the legs. These gates or valves located in the calves or calves are responsible for sending blood back to the heart. When they weaken, circulation worsens and varicose veins appear or become chronic. Going for a long walk (on flat terrain) can make those valves gain resistance.
Improves concentration
Learning to breathe this way when walking not only has physical benefits. In addition to helping us leave stress behind, it can contribute to improve our concentration and make us more patient people. And the technique is not mastered overnight; It will be perseverance and concentration that will make us learn to develop it.
Improves metabolism and facilitates weight loss
“Disciplines such as pilates, yoga and mindfulness, among others, have breathing control as one of their pillars. Inhaling and exhaling consciously and calmly promotes a state of well-being and calm.. The opposite, heavy breathing, leads us to states of anxiety or stress. And, when we are in tension or stressed, our body decreases its physiological capabilities to enhance defensive capabilities. The relaxation that is achieved directly by conscious breathing is a consequence of a predominance of the parasympathetic pathway of the autonomic nervous system,” explains Markel Pérez.
But the benefits are not limited to the respiratory system nor are they based solely on calming the mind.
“In addition to the improvements that are already obtained with physical exercise, the association of both processes is added, that is, performing physical exercise while breathing calmly and deeply. This synchrony helps regulate hormones such as cortisol, the stress hormone. The state of relaxation and greater mental focus that is achieved with this type of walk, in addition to freeing us from daily tensions, improves our metabolic function. The body becomes more efficient. Therefore, they can improve functions as important as digestion and even achieve greater weight loss“, Add.
