Can POWERbreathe improve breathing at high altitude?

At high altitude the air is ‘thinner’, containing less oxygen than at sea level. The higher we go, the thinner it gets. Climbing or skiing at high altitude places enormous demands upon the breathing muscles. In order to compensate for the thinner air, the lungs must work much harder, and exercise, which at sea level …

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Kilimanjaro here we come with POWERbreathe in tow

Hello, my name is Bernie Almond and my wife and I decided we wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. We are planning to do this in August but we knew we needed some extra support to strenthen our lungs especially and we didn’t want to make a mess on the mountain if we suffered any altitude …

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Andy and Lotte train in Lanzarote with POWERbreathe

After a week in the beautiful Lanzarote we finally came back down to earth when we arrived back to England and saw the rain. However, we had a great time out there and things couldn’t have gone better for us.  Speaking for myself I feel a lot fitter since leaving Lanzarote than I did when …

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National Walk To Work Week – Put the spring back into your step

This week is National Walk To Work Week. If you ever needed an excuse to get walking -it’s here! Walking is a great way to stay trim and helps keep your heart healthy. It saves on petrol and bus fares, and is better for our planet. It’s easy to fit some more walking in to …

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Team POWERbreathe UK – Andy Bruce & Charlotte Carritt prepare for Challenge Roth and Transalpine-Run

Andy and Lotte are endurance runners. Andy has previously raced in the Goretex Transalpine Run – a multi-day footrace across the Alps of approximately 270-315km in 8 days over mountainous terrain. With the prospect of running Challenge Roth and Transalpine-Run ahead of them, incorporating POWERbreathe seemed to be essential for strengthening their breathing muscles to …

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Can POWERbreathe improve breathing at high altitude? Kilimanjaro here we come with POWERbreathe in tow Andy and Lotte train in Lanzarote with POWERbreathe National Walk To Work Week – Put the spring back into your step Team POWERbreathe UK – Andy Bruce & Charlotte Carritt prepare for Challenge Roth and Transalpine-Run

May
01

Perfect vocal warm up exercises

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If your ambition is to be a good singer then it is essential you do some vocal warm up exercises. You might be thinking ‘I have managed just fine without them so why bother now?’ The reason is simple, doing some simple vocal exercises will put you on the first step of the ladder of becoming a singer rather than just ‘someone that can sing’.

When singing your vocal performance will improve dramatically if you do your vocal warm up exercises. Look at it from a different angle. Just like swimming, running and cycling require you to warm up your muscles to avoid straining and hurting your muscles, the same applies to singing. You have to properly warm up your abdominal muscles so that they can work the air that comes through your vocal chords so you are able to generate the correct sounds when you sing.

Here are some simple vocal exercises that you can do to ensure your listeners hear the very best from your amazing singing voice.

Humming

You must be joking? In fact no we are not. However, the humming exercise is not the simple hum, there is a twist. You need to position your mouth in the correct position before humming.  So to start with keep your lips closed but loose. Start humming but try and get a feeling as though you are pushing the sound gently away from your stomach straight to the inside of your closed mouth. You will feel how it pushes making your relaxed lips vibrate.

Lip rolls

This is a great warm up exercise for the vocal chords and it is one you can have a bit of fun with too. What you need to do is imagine yourself under water blowing bubbles, weird we know but it really works.  You need to be relaxed otherwise if your lips are not relaxed you will not be able to do the lip rolls. While pushing the air up with your diaphragm you need to let your lips move freely doing a ‘brbrbrbr’ sound. Told you it was a fun one!

Scale singing

It worked for Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music when she was teaching the children the ‘Doh Reh Me’ song. When doing vocal warm up exercises scale singing is perfect to get you warmed up. Scale singing is when you go through different notes to make it easier for you to go further when you start singing.

These are just a few vocal exercises that you can do to warm up those vocal chords. Correct warm up exercises can help you give the perfect performance when you are out on that stage.

 

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Apr
30

Breathing and vocal exercises for singers

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One of the foundations of learning to sing correctly is knowing how to breathe correctly as well as learning how to correctly control the way you breathe so that when you are singing your breathing is being used to optimum effect.

As soon as we are born our breathing is naturally correct. A baby can breathe, yell and scream at optimum capacity because they are using their lungs without any conscious thought. However, as we grow older some people become lazy in how they breathe and breathe using only the upper part of their lungs – taking a shallow breath instead of a normal breath.

Understanding how to correctly breathe and use breath control, you need to first understand the process involved to help you achieve this. Our lungs are surrounded by a system of muscles known as the diaphragm. The diaphragm is attached to the lower ribs – on the sides, bottom and to the back acting as an inhalation device.  When we take a breath in the whole muscle lowers displacing the intestines and stomach and when you breathe out the diaphragm helps to manage the abdominal muscles surrounding the lungs control how quickly the breath is exhaled.

If you hold a finger close to your lips and breathe out slowly, your breath should be warm and moist and you should notice the action of the diaphragm as you exhale. For singing normally this is the correct amount of breath that should be used.  A singer does not need to ‘force’ or ‘push’ air through the vocal chords to produce a good strong sound, doing so creates too much pressure against the chords, preventing them from operating correctly which can cause damage to the voice.

Your stomach area should move naturally inward toward the end of the breath but it should not be sucked in as doing this will prevent the diaphragm working effectively. Instead the abdominal area should remain expanded to the level it was when you inhaled and allowed to gradually decrease naturally at the end of the breath.

At this point ‘control’ comes into play. As a singer you expand your lungs by inhaling therefore controlling the amount of air that is expelled when singing a note by allowing the muscle support system to remain expanded – this doesn’t mean the stomach is pushed out, rather that it is blown up like a balloon when the air goes in and the singer slows down the natural rate at which it goes down. In most people the breathing is shallow and only the top half of the lungs are used – breathing correctly uses the whole of the lungs so that more air is available, the singer then uses the natural action of the muscles (diaphragm and abdominals) surrounding the lungs to control the amount of air that is exhaled when singing a note.

Good breath support during singing and speech requires good posture, abdominal breathing and breathing during natural pauses. Breathing and correct support does not require great physical strength – although having toned abdominal muscles and doing some vocal exercises does help.

However, it is important to remember one thing…….the diaphragm doesn’t exhale for you – just helps to control the amount of air exhaled.

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Apr
30

Top tips for comfortable breathing this allergy season

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This time of the year usually means hayfever, itchy eyes, runny nose, asthma and itchy skin.  If you suffer from any of the above there are some simple and natural strategies that you can use instead of running for the antihistamines or steroids which tend to worsen the problems that cause you to have allergies.

So here are some top tips from us:

#1 Boost your immune system

Often when we talk about allergies, we are looking at relief and the best way to achieve this is by boosting the immune system. You should look at eliminating anything that can weaken your immune system – usually foods which are high in sugar.  Look at your diet and eliminate refined foods and foods high in sugar. Substitute these foods with foods that have natural ammunition, foods such as carrots, sweet potato, spinach, broccoli and garlic.  Try and bin the stress you are under and take up meditation, deep breathing exercises as well as going for a nice long walk.

#2 Visit that diet

Any sensitivity issues you have with food can also cause the same runny nose, and sinusitis symptoms you experience with environmental allergies.  Set yourself on an elimination diet which is simple to do. All you need to do is remove the most common culprits including any dairy, wheat, eggs and soy products.  After two weeks you will know if food sensitivities contribute to your allergy symptoms. The next step is to introduce the foods back into your diet every few days until you find the offender. You should only do this under the supervision of your GP.

#3 A healthy liver leads to a healthier life

The liver is the organ in our body which is solely responsible for metabolising all of the histamine that is released by numerous cells in the body. If the liver becomes distressed or congested it doesn’t work as it should and all the histamine removal gets backed up, hence worsening the symptoms you are suffering.  A distressed liver may not show up in blood work until it is 80 percent compromised.

Eliminating or reducing unnecessary drugs, alcohol, caffeine and environmental stressors needs to be considered. Feeding the liver vegetables, beet greens and milk thistle helps in restoring function to the liver. If you are on any medication, it’s always best to check that there are no contraindications before taking a supplement, such as milk thistle.

#4 Healthy adrenal glands

Your adrenal glands function as the braking system for your immune system by secreting cortisol to keep the immune response from going unrestrained. Common symptoms of adrenal dysfunction include lack of energy, fatigue, sleep disturbances, muscle and joint pain and chronic stress

Adrenal function can be easily assessed with saliva testing. If adrenal dysfunction exists, caffeine and sugar need to be eliminated from the diet. Foods and whole food supplements rich in the B and C complexes nourish the adrenals.

#5 Move well and rest well

Much research, studies and tests have shown that regular exercise can be a help in combating seasonal allergies.  Regular exercise helps your body burn off accumulated stress that is placed on the liver, immune system and gut.  Regular exercise improves the function of these systems.

Inspiratory muscle training using a breathing trainer can help you perfect your breathing as well as maximise your physical exercise, and strengthen the muscles that you use to breathe.

If you found this blog post useful, please leave a comment below.

 

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Apr
26

POWERbreathe Desford Sprint Triathlon, 12th August

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Racetime Events first ran this event in 2011, and this year are back with a great new headline sponsor- POWERbreathe.

POWERbreathe are the world’s number 1 breathing trainer and are a new sponsor for 2012. We will be at the event to showcase our range of products, including the recently launched innovative K5 model with Breathe- Link software and answer any questions you may have. To view our great range of products and see the benefits of using a POWERbreathe go to our website. With a stunning bike route and multi lap spectator friendly run this fast race is one to add to your 2012 calendar.

Entries are now open for both of the Racetime events and you can enter online or download a paper entry at Racetime Events

 

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Apr
25

POWERbreathe at the Road Cycling Show 21 – 22 April 2012

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The Road Cycling Show is a brand new event, recently held at Sandown Park and designed to provide the road community with an event tailored to their needs.  It was a fantastic event for the road racer, time triallist, track, sportive or commuter cyclist, featuring over 100 trade and retail exhibitors, seminars, workshops, competitions and much more.

Our very own Duncan from POWERbreathe attended and serious roadies got the opportunity to test their breathing abilities. The POWERbreathe K5 was on display alongside the Koolstof stand where cyclists took the opportunity to measure their current performance levels and gained advice on how to improve upon them.  There were some excellent results, and for the first time ever individuals tested were able to have a test report e-mailed to them for further study.

Some fantastic new bikes were on display and the show was opened by Super Mario himself, Mario Cipollini, former World Cycling Champion and winner of numerous prestigious cycling events. View photos taken at the show, including Mike Sharon, editor of the Daily Peleton looking like an alien wearing the very latest racing helmet.

If you attended the show and paid a visit to Koolstof or POWERbreathe please leave a comment here as we’d love to hear what you thought. We’d also love to hear from those of you who’re using POWERbreathe to improve cycling performance.

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Apr
25

My POWERbreathe – by Josephine Gull

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Josephine is a long-time POWERbreathe user, loyal friend of POWERbreathe and a valued athlete to us all here at POWERbreathe Towers.

Josephine has over time provided in-depth feedback on her training, including her POWERbreathe training, and the benefits and achievements she’s made as a result. Please read all Josephine’s posts here as they make for a very interesting and inspiring read.

Here are just a few additional posts Josephine has made on the POWERbreathe Facebook page which she shared with all POWERbreathe friends:

16 April 2012

“My coach estimated a sharp Personal Best within my grasp if I can replicate what I’ve done in training. Looking back to last year and the beginning of 2012, it’s night and day. At least 50% of that amazing progress in such a short time is due to my POWERbreathe. It is thanks to it that I had the strength and endurance to lift the weights, run the distance and recover faster. The running almost feels effortless and every footstrike is powerful. I’m even starting to look forward to the 200, which is a huge step from end of December beginning of January and finally setting an official new Personal Best in the event outdoor.
The comp season kicks off on sunday and will last through to September, so my POWERbreathe will practically be sleeping in my sportsbag til the end of the season…POWERbreathe wont be visible much except during warm up and cool down.”

14 March 2012

“Hi! I’m currently POWERbreathing at lvl 2 (high resistance) & I just wanted to let you know, that it took roughly the same amount of effort to POWERbreathe this lvl twice a day as it did to weightlift a new Personal Best on all apparatus in the gym on monday. First it was tough, then it became easier. I’ve struggled with the snatch exercise ever since I started, so to finally have enough speed to do it right was fantastic. And that wasn’t all, yesterday I came close to my 100m time from last year & the season hasn’t even started yet :) Today my sports masseuse told me I’m in great shape & ready for anything, so it just keeps getting better. I knew POWERbreathe was great, but this much progress shortly after restarting POWERbreathing at lvl 2 last week, I honestly didn’t expect such fast results :D ”

“The reason why it works so well for me, is that it costs slightly less effort and energy to perform an exercise and it leaves room for me to relax and enjoy the experience more. The more relaxed I am, the less energy I waste and the more i can do. Logical, but the increased endurance of my lungs is that stepping stone. When you get to lvl 2 and above it really takes time and effort to keep on advancing and it’s roughly the same as it takes to explode with weights or out of the blocks. Once you get started it gets easier and towards the end a little heavier again.”

31 January 2012

“The BIGGEST THANK YOU goes to all you at POWERbreathe for the part you play in developing & marketing this product & to all POWERbreathers out there, because each and every one (incl. all who aren’t posted on FB) is a living witness of the amazing effects of POWEbreathe. Those of you who have overcome asthma, slowed MS, recovered from COPD and all other problems, you have done what the doctors couldn’t do despite their far more extensive & expensive resources. When things are down, your success stories inspire me to keep fighting, so be mighty proud of what you have achieved & know that I am proud of all of you.”

We thank Josephine for sharing these comments with us all. If you’d like to send Josephine a message, then please leave a comment for her here.

If you are using POWERbreathe to improve running performance then we’d love to hear from you too.

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Apr
25

We asked, “The reason I use POWERbreathe is because…” and these were the responses

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We asked our Facebook friends the following question:

“The reason I use POWERbreathe is because…” (fill in the blank).

These were a few of the responses:

“Being an asthmatic, I need to look after my internals, especially my lungs. POWERbreathe is a drug free alternative which does just this. They are also a great team with lots of advice…Without POWERbreathe, I’m restricted to what I can do. POWERbreathe allows me to push my limits.” Colin White.

“The reason I use a POWERbreathe is because it works. It lifts performance without sacrificing recovery.” Levente Dorogi

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Apr
24

Corporal Darren Peacock – POWERbreathe 90 days in

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Darren PeacockIt’s been 90 days now since I started using powerbreath and my time here in Afghanistan is almost up.

I am currently up to level 8 on my Iron Man Medium, I have found all the levels hard at first then once it got easy with a quick turn you can up the resistance.

I have noticed changes in my breathing while I have been undergoing training to run a marathon, now with 15, 17 and 20 mile runs completed, my next challenge was the London marathon on 22nd April.

I have also chosen to run for Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, my girlfriend back in the UK set up a just giving page and I have been going round with a bucket here collecting.

As for the changes, I commented before on how I no longer feel the “second wind” and start running with no shortness of breath, what I never mentioned was the recovery aspect.

At medium and high tempo running afterwards I was out of breath for a few minutes but now my breathing returns to normal in no time at all. I started following a TRX cardio training DVD that has involved skipping with instruction from Jump Master Buddy Lee.

As I have never skipped before I was shocked with what a great exercise it can be, if I had tried this training before there would be no question that I would have found it far harder as I would have had to concentrate more on my breathing. But now my sole concentration was on the skipping.

I think combining skipping and POWERbreathing at the same time might be my next progression, but I think I will need some guidance on this from the experts.

I have to say I am more than impressed with my fitness level and how the 30 breaths twice a day has made me able to run harder and train harder without having to worry about being restricted by my breathing.

The temperature out here has risen quite dramatically and running in the heat has not been that easy but I have managed to push through and have been helped by using a POWERbreathe breathing trainer product.

I cannot wait to get home and re-book a Peak Flow lung test to get the official results and see if I have lowered my lung age.

Here is a link to my Just giving page

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Apr
23

Madeline Simon (MS) – I’m quite impressed with my POWERbreathe results

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Madeline SimonI’m in my 2nd week of rebuilding and things are looking up. It’s always good to know what your own body needs, so you don’t get despondent. I have even started making plans for May, one of them being a luncheon with some of my ex-colleagues and friends which I had to miss out on last year as I had over done things.

Like I said last week, I am quite impressed with my POWERbreathe results. I am making steady progress every week and feel better and stronger for it. I don’t do excessive training but what I do is working for me. Long may the progress continue.

As of this week I am reducing my journals to once a month, reporting in on my breathing training results from my K3, as well as a general check-in.

TRAIN

TEST
Date Level Load cmH2O PowerWatts VolumeLitres T-index% S-IndexcmH2O FlowL/s Volume Litres
21st Apr 2012 Hard 54 4.9 1.7 98 High 82Average 4.7 1.8
25th Mar 2012 Hard 50 4.4 1.6 100 High 75Average 4.3 1.7

Madeline

If you would like to leave a message for Madeline, then please leave a comment here.

If you have a health condition that leaves you with inspiratory muscle weakness then please get in touch. We’d also really like to hear from you if you are using POWERbreathe breathing exercises for asthma or to complement your COPD treatment.

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Apr
23

Dean Ball – POWERbreathe week 1 completed

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So, I’ve completed my first full week with my PowerBreathe Plus and I must say that I’ve enjoyed my 60 breaths a day for 7 days, eventually.

Dean BallI’m not a teller of lies; I’ve found it difficult, the first couple of days, I thought what had I got myself into, I decided on a rethink of what I was actually doing and how I was going about things.

After looking at how I was using my POWERBreathe I figured I was looking for a quick fix, I wanted the results there and then, I wanted healthier lungs in 2 days but my rethink made me discover that wasn’t going to happen.

One issue I addressed, which the PowerBreathe highlighted to me, was how shallow my regular breathing was.  I had never noticed before how short and shallow my breaths were, this is obviously not good when using the PB device as you need a nice long, slow exhale when using it.

I’ve been sticking to the 30 breaths, twice a day and I have to admit that the change in just my breathing habit has been immense, seriously pleased with the results so far and can see why top athletes use it to increase their physical capabilities.

I have managed to get to level 1 so far, which I don’t think is too bad for a week of training.  I’m expecting the next step up to be a way off though but we’ll see!

So, I’ve got to keep looking forward and keep moving through the levels!  I have level 2 in my sights!

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