| 1. WORK TO THE MAX
“Stronger lungs mean more stamina and physical sharpness, whatever sport you do. Strength and conditioning coach for the US Olympic team. Want faster five kilometre times? Boost your VO2 max – the speed at which your lungs oxygenate your blood, which in turns fuels your muscles. “Do 30 minutes of cardio three times a week and increase the distance by five percent every week.”
2. GO STREAMING IN
Germs and bugs clog up your breathing pipes, sapping endurance and making you cough like a 50-a-day smoker. According to the American Journal of Medicine, steam will flush them clear. Crank up a scalding hot shower, close your bathroom door and sit in the steam for 20 minutes. You’ll emerge with the stamina of running legend.
3. GET YOUR OWN GILLS
Get the underwater skills of a fish by eating them. Simple. American Lung Association studies found that consuming 20g of fish oil a day boosted
lung function by a breathtaking 64 percent. Stock up on oily fish or take an omega-3 supplement daily. Then you can walk around in a Speedo all day.
4. LOTUS LUNG POWER
There is more to yoga than the hot female practitioners. Researchers from Ball State University, Indiana, found taking stretching classes twice a week for 15 weeks signifcantly stretched their air-bags. Try ashtanga yoga – it’s nicknamed the “athlete’s yoga” for its aerobic qualities. “Lung function increases with anything that encourages deep breathing.
5. FIVE O’CLOCK SHADOW BOX
Training after work is the perfect time to boost your lung function. “Hitting a punch bag for about 20 minutes a day, three or four times a week is a tried-and-tested way of improving your cardiovascular and respiratory system. And there’s no better time to do that than after work. “The lungs are nearly 20 percent more powerful at 5pm than at noon”. |