lungs - work 'em for super strength

lungs are muscles, like glutes and traps!

and guess what you can train them!

my mamma used herbs and lung exercises to cure me of asthma as a youngster and have been complimented on my lung capacity many times by doctors well into adulthood. #superlungs

as a herbalist it is important to do as much research as possible about an illness or disease before treating it and right now we've got no choice but to have covid-19 on the mind, hard.

covid-19 presents mostly as a community acquired pneumonia (CAD) if the virus is able to enter the lungs. that's where it gets dangerous as breathlessness occurs - a shortage of ventilators with a risk of immune storms or respiratory weakness can tragically lead to death. very little research has been published regarding successful herbal tactics which has left us feeling scared and powerless.

so we figured building our lung muscles wouldn't hurt right? it is definitely better than push ups and will make mamma proud.

breathing exercises increase inspiratory muscle strength and stamina, making it easier to breathe! humans use about 10-15% of their lungs while breathing normally and training your respiratory muscles can rapidly increase that percentage. these exercises are used for patients with asthma, COPD and even by surfers, divers or anyone wanting to hold their breath longer. you can be the quarantine breath-holding champion! 

| the duck face |

pretend you're taking a selfie in 2015 - purse those lips and take a deep breath in through your nose, hold for 2 seconds. slowly exhale for 4 seconds, letting the air get hung up on how how hot your duck face is. repeat 10 times, and send us a selfie while you're at it.

| the elephant |

clasp your hands, extended in front of you, pretend they are an elephant trunk. take a deep breath in through your nose. purse your lips (yes again, we're bringing duck face back) and exhale, swinging your arms back and forth, up and down like an elephant until you're all out of breath. repeat 5 times for good ol fashioned fun!

| the funky chicken |

place hands on respective shoulders creating "wings". take a deep breath in through the nose and while exhaling (purse it partner) draw circles with your elbows. repeat 5 times. *optional - to commemorate all those cancelled weddings crank the chicken dance song **please request consent from all parties present.

| the air baby |

this exercise is for the diaphragm! focus your breath into your belly instead of your chest. most people breath super shallow barely harnessing the power of the diaphragm - you got it so flex it! if you can, lie down - it is easier and less hilarious than looking in the mirror. loosely interlace your fingers over your belly. inhale deeply through your nose inflating your belly like a balloon, your fingers should spread apart. exhale through those pursed lips deflating your air baby allowing your fingers to touch again. repeat 5 times. make joey tribbiani and his thanksgiving pants proud!

lung-ates, lung-oga, lung-ardio, whatever you wanna call it, (hopefully none of those) can be done however often you want. once a day would be best, once a week would be good too but just like any workout not much will change if you don't do it at all. 

as always - if you care, share! and stay safe out there TEAm ♡   
XO survivewell