Sandwich Muscles I

Deep delicate lung tissue cannot actually move air all by itself and is completely dependent upon the ribcage muscles to deliver and take away air that the lung tissue processes. Therefore, it makes sense to keep all the respiratory “pumping” muscles strong, flexible and active.

A few generations ago, we didn’t live long. A body lasted a few decades (long enough to procreate) and then was gone. As the song goes, we didn’t run outta tread before we ran outta road. Today we need to keep all systems in relatively good working order at least until age 95. The operative word here is “WE.” Nature looks out for us until approximately age 35 and then it is our turn to take responsibility.

There isn’t too much we can do for the big master pumper (the diaphragm) that stretches across the floor of the ribcage. Keeping your spine aligned, sitting properly, keeping a reasonable weight and avoiding too-tight belts is about all you can do for that deeply buried and complicated structure.

However, the thin double layer of muscle (intercostals) sandwiched between your ribs is muscle you are easily able to control. Intercostals are the muscles that raise and lower your ribs to change the chest capacity. Fresh air is drawn in by vacuum that is created by an expanded chest. Stale air is squeezed out when the muscles relax and the ribs drop making the chest capacity smaller.

Any exercise that you do that stretches the torso forward, backward and especially sideways will help to keep your intercostals young.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

LINK: Sandwich Muscles II

Bored? Not.

Boredom is an insult to both your intelligence and your body. Each moment passes once and will never ever come again. All the King’s horses and all the King’s men are powerless to call back a particular moment. Time (in spite of the song) is not stored in a bottle. It is spent. It is not stored.

Besides, boredom almost always turns to stress and stress almost always churns up a chemical storm in your blood stream and messes with your nervous system. Your breath becomes short, shallow and erratic. I wrote this while waiting and waiting and waiting for my husband to test a new bike at a sporting goods store (he fell off so it took a little longer than expected but he liked the bike).

PLAN AHEAD. Always carry a small notepad and pen. Pick two favorite breathing or relaxation exercises that you turn to automatically. Potential boredom often happens in a public place so I recommend breathing exercises that are effective but not especially demonstrative.

Watch someone who is obviously bored and impatient. They look like a tall four-year old.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Increase Energy and Productivity

Your supervisor should admonish you for spending long UNINTERRUPTED hours with your
nose to the grindstone. That outdated work model is based on factory production and actually DECREASES your effectiveness in today’s information and service market.

Your employer would be better served if you followed a work pattern BASED ON THE WAY YOUR BODY AND BRAIN FUNCTION. Uneducated mill workers in the 1800s (mostly young women and children) were pushed until they dropped and were considered disposable cogs in the factory machine.

Today you are an educated, trained, motivated employee with the luxury of self-awareness. You are NOT disposable!

• Neurologists seem to agree that every brain needs to be “reset” every 20 – 40 minutes to maintain peak performance. “Reset” can occur with a quick change of venue, like walking to the window or down the hall. Set an alarm to remind yourself.
• To stay fresh, mentally and physically, you need to maintain a reasonable flow of oxygen and you must keep the bloodstream clear of the body’s spent fuel. Sitting too long results in shallow inefficient breathing. You grow tired and fuzzy-brained way too soon. Take frequent deep breaths.
• Hunched posture distorts your spine (especially your neck) and compresses your lungs. Stand up often, stretch and reposition your body correctly. Never rest your seated body on your tailbone. Keep your ears over your shoulders and your shoulders in line with your hipbones.
• Your eyes are NOT designed for a single focus at a set distance. Look away from the monitor frequently to a point in the far distance, then middle distance.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Your Nose: Guard at the Front Gate

Your mouth is a simple system designed to grind your breakfast into teensy bits that slide on down into the acid pit of your stomach. The combination of your nostrils and inner nose is an elaborate design that, in a fraction of a second, filters the grit out of the incoming air, adjusts the breath to body temperature, moistens and prepares the air for entry into your vulnerable lungs.

1. Tiny hairs just inside your nostrils act as a screen door that grabs flying gnats and the largest airborne grit.
2. Bumpy flaps and folds (turbinates) along the side walls of your inner nose force the incoming air to swirl around until the air is suitably warm and moist.
3. A traveling mucous blanket glides along over the nasal passages, protecting the underlying tissues and grabbing finer irritants (missed by the screen door).
4. A sharp right angle bend at the back of the throat (the back door of your inner nose) causes yet-finer irritants to be dropped so they can be easily swallowed or spit out. Cool.

When you breathe through your mouth, the air bypasses all this protection. The air descends directly into your delicate lungs, too dirty, too dry, too cold or too hot. The lungs themselves are built for oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange. They are not designed to defend themselves. That is a job for your nose. If you have difficulty breathing through your nose, seek help from an ear-nose-throat specialist.


Be well and breathe beautifully.

Outwitting the Lint Monster!

Some ultra-fine irritants that sneak into your lungs can never be expelled or absorbed. You are stuck with this garbage, forever. Your lungs and heart are eventually forced to work harder than necessary because of the mounting respiratory burden. After repeated exposure, the body may become sensitized and eventually only a few particles of an irritant will set off an asthma attack or an allergic reaction.

Cleaning the lint trap in the clothes dryer and changing the vacuum cleaner bag create clouds of dust, lint, carpet fibers, cat hair, mite dander and house debris.

Keep an inexpensive paper dust mask hanging near your clothes dryer AND on your sweeper handle. Remember, these little masks are great protection from airborne particles but do not protect you from toxic gases. If you have trouble remembering to wear the mask, stick up a Post-it on your dryer door. Paper masks are cheap so why not throw one in the car and one in the garage as well?

An alternative plan is to hold the lint trap or vacuum bag at arm’s length. Keep the problem as far from your nose as possible. Take a deep breath before you begin the process and while you are dumping the dirt, let your air out in a long slow “hissssssssss.” If you need more air in the process, turn your head to the side to breathe in and then repeat the hissing exhalation.

Be well and breathe beautifully.