How to Breathe While Running

Breathing is something you do all day, every day--and mostly without paying too much attention to it. Except when you're running. In fact, breathing may sometimes be the only thing you can think about when you're out for a jog.

So why does running make breathing harder? Running puts a greater demand on muscles, particularly your leg muscles. To supply energy to the body, you need to breathe at a faster rate to bring more oxygen into your lungs, 

the oxygen moves into your bloodstream where it's transported into your tissues. Ultimately, for this all to happen, you can't just breathe like you do when you're at rest. Your breathing rate has to increase, ultimately rising four-fold, from 15 times a minute to 40 to 60 times per minute, the researchers say.

Check your breath at rest

The first step to better your breathing technique while running is to pay attention to how you breathe all the time, including when you're at your computer, watching TV, or taking a walk. "Few runners are breathing well because they aren't breathing well outside of running," . Most often, we're taking shallow chest breaths, which will only fill up a portion of the lungs with oxygen. "This limits the volume of air coming into the body, and thus to the muscles and brain," 

Use your warm-up to warm up your breath

Get in the groove before a run with a light warm-up, which serves two purposes: ready your body for the movement ahead, and get you in the right state of mind. "Running is really supposed to be stress-relieving. If you're stressed out about it, you're not going to be breathing effectively," , 

Try some walking followed by dynamic movement, such as marching in place, side-to-side and front-to-back lunges, or even dancing at home. "Take a few calming deep breaths by putting your hands above your head and filling your lungs with air," she says. This is where you'll start your breath for running.

Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth

So, should you focus on breathing with your nose or your mouth when you're hoofing it? Turns out, it's a combination of both.  breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. If you notice that you tend to aggressively suck in air through your mouth, it may be a sign that you're overexerting yourself. "When doing all of the breathing the mouth, it's a sign that we're running too hard," 

Cool down

After you finish your run, give yourself a brief cool down. Walking for five or 10 minutes is effective in bringing your breath back to a more normal rate. Now you're ready for your post-run routine, such as stretching, foam rolling, or smoothie drinking.