How to Breathe While Running: 5 Tips to Try

When running, one of the things that most people complain about is their breathing. They often feel like they cannot get enough air, which is going to affect how they are running and it may mean that they not get as much of a run in as they had in mind. With this being said, there are some tips that you can try that are meant to help you breathe while running!

1. Make Sure That You Focus on Your Form

You want to make sure that while running, you focus on your form. This will make it easier to breathe. You will want to maintain good posture, with your head in-line with your spine. Do not let your head doesn’t drop forward or down. Also avoid hunching, as this can affect how well you can breathe while running.

2. Do Breathing Exercises

Before you start running or doing your down time, focus on breathing exercises. This way you are helping to develop breath awareness. You can find that there are several breathing techniques to use including equal breathing, alternate nostril breathing, pursed-lips breathing and even numbered breathing.

3. Do Diaphragmatic Breathing While Running

You will find that breathing with your diaphragm will get you more air. This is the same practice that vocalists throughout the world use in order to get more air for their singing and it can work for runners as well. This is otherwise known as belly breathing. You will want to get used to doing this and do it in sessions. Once you have this practice down, then integrate this into your runs.

4. Go For Fresh Air

If you are running and find that you can’t get a good breathe, it may be the air. This is why many runners prefer to run outdoors so that they can get fresh air. Fresh air is so much better than running inside. And if you are in a populated area, choose a time to run that the traffic isn’t that bad so that you are getting the freshest air possible.

5. Alternate Your Breaths

One of the best tips that runners use to ensure that they are getting their breathe while running is to alternate their breaths. For example, when running chances are you are getting a breathe in when a certain foot hits the ground. Many people suggest training yourself to take a breathe in when you are stepping with the left, release with the right, then alternate this as needed.