1、 The engine of respiration: Understanding the respiratory muscles
The lungs cannot breathe on their own: the lungs themselves are like passive ‘balloons’, unable to expand and contract on their own. The true drivers of respiration are a group of muscles called respiratory muscles, which move the chest to complete inhalation and exhalation in the lungs.
The decline of respiratory muscle function is the core issue: as people age, respiratory muscles gradually lose elasticity and become harder, leading to insufficient chest expansion, decreased lung gas exchange capacity, and increased “functional residual gas volume” in the lungs, which can cause respiratory difficulties, fatigue, and other problems.
Strengthening the respiratory muscles is the best shortcut: among the many factors that cause a decrease in respiratory strength (age, stress, posture, disease, etc.), directly exercising and strengthening the respiratory muscles is the most effective and fundamental way to restore respiratory function, which can reduce “respiratory age”.
2、 The protagonist of respiratory muscles: unique intercostal muscles
The dominant force is in the chest: the broad respiratory muscles include more than 20 muscles such as intercostal muscles, diaphragm, and pectoralis major. Among them, the intercostal muscles are the “leading protagonists” distributed along the ribs and play a dominant role in respiratory movement, while the diaphragm mainly plays an auxiliary role. The term ‘chest respiratory muscles’ in the text mainly refers to intercostal muscles.
Clear division of labor between inspiratory and expiratory muscles:
Inhaling muscles (such as intercostal muscles): responsible for dilating the chest cavity, creating negative pressure, and inhaling air.
Exhalator muscles (such as intercostal muscles): responsible for contracting the chest cavity, creating positive pressure, and expelling air.
These two groups of muscles work in coordination to complete the respiratory cycle.
Unique ‘Heavenly Selected Muscles’: The composition of intercostal muscles (especially intercostal muscles) is extremely special, almost entirely composed of red muscles (slow muscles), and the proportion of white muscles (fast muscles) is extremely low (intercostal muscles and white muscles only account for about 3%). This is completely different from the composition of the red and white muscles in other parts of the body.
The characteristics of red muscle determine the training method: the characteristics of red muscle are strong endurance, not easily fatigued, and rely on oxygen to continuously generate energy. This endows the intercostal muscles with extraordinary endurance to work continuously for life. Therefore, the effective way to exercise it is not strength training for white muscles (such as weightlifting), but aerobic exercise that can continuously supply oxygen.
3、 Five daily essentials for improving breathing ability
The key to preventing respiratory muscle decline and improving respiratory function is to integrate training into daily life and form habits. The following five points are crucial:
Keep your chest and back straight, and maintain a good posture
Principle: Bending and hunching over can limit the expansion space of the chest cavity, resulting in shallow breathing and inability to fully utilize the respiratory muscles.
Method: Consciously retract the head, straighten the chest, move the shoulders backwards, tighten the abdomen, and straighten the back. Strengthening trunk core muscles such as erector spinae also helps maintain good posture.
Do stretching exercises to make the breathing muscles flexible
Principle: The hardening of respiratory muscles is the main cause of functional decline. Stretching exercises use a “thixotropic effect” to relax and soften the muscle fiber connections, restoring muscle elasticity and allowing for greater movement of the chest and lungs.
Function: This is an effective means to prevent respiratory muscle aging and break the vicious cycle of “hardening → functional decline → increasing susceptibility to hardening”.
Make long notes or sing
Principle: Loudly producing long notes or singing requires significant and prolonged control of exhalation, which in itself is an excellent stretching and exercise for respiratory muscles and lungs.
Method: Reciting poetry, singing karaoke, etc. can help you get used to deep gas exchange and master deep and slow breathing.
Practice thorough exhalation
Principle: In response to the increase in residual air volume in the lungs caused by respiratory function decline, conscious and thorough exhalation training can force the respiratory muscles to contract more fully, enhance their strength, and effectively reduce residual air volume.
Method: Activities that require controlled exhalation, such as blowing arrows and playing musical instruments, are good training.
Engage in aerobic and endurance exercises
Principle: As a red muscle, intercostal muscles need to obtain “nutrition” and improve endurance through aerobic exercise.
Preferred recommendation – walking: the simplest and easiest to stick to. It is recommended to integrate into daily life (such as walking, commuting, shopping), pay attention to maintaining good posture, and proceed at a pace that does not cause wheezing. Aerobic exercise such as walking is like a “nutritious meal” for respiratory muscles, which can help them maintain long-term health and activity.
4、 Ultimate goal: Strengthen respiratory muscles and extend healthy lifespan
Breathing determines the foundation of health: whether the human body is prone to fatigue, activity ability, blood circulation, metabolism, and various organ functions are almost all closely related to respiratory quality. Therefore, respiratory function is the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle.
Breathing is related to healthy lifespan: Data shows that the healthy lifespan (years of self-care) of Japanese people is about 10 years shorter than the average lifespan. By exercising respiratory muscles and maintaining strong respiratory function, it is expected to fill the 10-year gap and significantly extend healthy lifespan.
Call to Action: Breathing is an unconscious activity that can be easily overlooked until function declines. Be prepared and start respiratory muscle training as early as possible. Exercising respiratory muscles every day to achieve deep and slow high-quality breathing is the fundamental secret to resisting physical aging, maintaining physical and mental health, and moving towards vitality and longevity.
The health and function of respiratory muscles, especially intercostal muscles in the chest, are key factors in determining respiratory quality, physical vitality, and even healthy lifespan. Strengthening respiratory muscles through daily training is the most effective way to achieve “deep, slow, and stable” high-quality breathing, combat aging, and extend healthy lifespan.
