We don’t realize how important our lungs are until we end up having respiratory issues. Whether we want to admit it or not, taking care of our lungs is a crucial aspect of a long life and overall happiness. You don’t need to run a mile a day or stick to a vigorous meal plan. The steps to having healthy lungs are short and easy to do.
Don’t Smoke Or Be Around People That Do
The easiest and surest way to keep your lungs healthy is to avoid smoking or inhaling toxic chemicals. No surprise here, but prolonged smoking leads to the destruction of lung tissue and an increased chance of getting chronic bronchitis. Avid smokers experience difficulty breathing and deal with narrower air passages later in life. Of course, you cannot forget that fact that smoking consistently can lead to cancer. Smokers are 15-30 times more likely to die of lung cancer or get it than those who do not.
Prevent Infection Or Sickness
The last thing that you want is a respiratory infection or cold that will wreck your lungs. Good hygiene is going to help keep your lungs in shape. Take the same preventative measures as you would to avoid getting the flu to take care of your lungs. That means wash your hands or use hand sanitizer often. Lastly, if you are sick ensure that you rest and drink plenty of fluids.\
Exercise
Improve your lung capacity by scheduling aerobic exercises on a regular basis and complete breathing exercises. Exercising your lungs is like training any other muscle in your body. When you workout, you relieve stress and improve your mood. Take a moment to do some belly breathing, the exercise focuses on expanding your stomach and lungs.
Be Conscious Of Your Posture
Not only is sitting up straight good for your back, but it also ensures that your lungs have the space they need to inflate and deflate property. When you hunch over or sit improperly, during the act of breathing you push your internal organs into your lungs and do not give them enough room to move. Don’t squish your internal organs by sitting with your back straight.
Stay Hydrated
Drink lots of water to ensure that the mucous lining in your lungs stay thin and help them function efficiently. When the lining is too thin, you become susceptible to more lung infections. If you sit at a desk all day, the easiest way to achieve this is to have a water bottle on hand all day. Avoid running out of water and needing to refill it often by getting a water bottle that is more than 32 oz.
Having healthy lungs is not hard to achieve, it takes time and patience. But making these small changes to your everyday life is the start that you need to ensure that your lungs stay in the best shape they can be.