A man and woman are in the plank position whilst using a POWERbreathe device.

Want to do something positive during COVID 19 lockdown? Then why not take a look at your breathing. For the duration of lockdown, if you started to exercise your breathing muscles, in 4 weeks time your breathing will thank you for it. Yes, 4-weeks is long enough to make a difference. Scientific trials into POWERbreathe breathing muscle training tell us this.

Use it or lose it during coronavirus lockdown

The phrase ‘use it or lose it’ applies equally well to your breathing muscles as it does to your leg muscles. The less exercise or physical activity you do during coronavirus lockdown , the less exercise your breathing muscles are getting. The result? Weaker breathing muscles which will make any activity, exercise, or sport feel harder. It’s a vicious circle.

The good news

Your breathing muscles are like any other muscle. So, just as you would train your calves or hamstrings to give you better endurance and strength for a particular sport or activity, you can also develop your breathing muscles to improve their strength and stamina. In turn, stronger breathing muscles reduce breathing fatigue. This means you will be able to do more with less effort. Just imagine how you’ll feel after coronavirus lockdown when you’re able to exercise, train and workout like you were able to before – or even better.

The bad news

If you already have a POWERbreathe breathing trainer and it is stowed away in your sock drawer, I’m afraid it’s not going to do much good. However, lockdown is an ideal time to start using it again. It only takes 30 breaths twice a day to benefit from it. That’s about 5-minutes per day. You could incorporate it into your morning and evening routine. And if you haven’t got your POWERbreathe breathing training device yet, now’s the ideal time to start your breathing training. Come December, your breathing will thank you for it.

Improve your lung health over 4 weeks’ lockdown

Your lungs are major internal organs. They are hugely vulnerable to infection and injury from the external environment. This is because you are constantly breathing in oxygen from the air, directly into your lungs. And this is why lungs are being affected so drastically by COVID. However, there is quite a lot you can do to improve your lung health. And COVID lockdown is an ideal time to start looking after your lungs.

POWERbreathe breathing training review by NHS Paramedic