Tips for Maintaining Healthy Lungs
By Genevieve Cunningham
There is a lot of advice out there about how to stay healthy. For the heart, make sure you eat well and exercise. For the mind, make sure you lower your stress and talk it out. For the stomach, make sure you skip junk food and drink plenty of water. But what about the lungs? Unless we’re talking about smoking, we hear very little in the way of advice for keeping the lungs healthy. But the lungs are crucial for long-term wellness. To keep your lungs in tip-top shape, take a look at these tips.
Avoid Contaminants
So you don’t smoke. That’s enough, right? Unfortunately it’s not. It’s also a good idea to avoid other contaminants. For starters, do your best to avoid second-hand smoke, as this can be incredibly damaging to the lungs. You should also stay away from heavy pollution, burning plastics, and even heavy perfumes. When possible, get into the fresh air and breathe deep. This can boost the health of the lungs, and it can also make you feel a lot better about life as well.
Don’t Skip the Cardio
Exercise is really important for the lungs. When we do cardio exercise - like running or jumping -- it forces our lungs to take big, deep breaths in order to supply the body with oxygen. The more that we are forced to do this, the larger our lung capacity becomes. Do your best to engage in cardio sessions four or five times a week. While you’ll probably feel the burning chest in the beginning, you’ll soon notice the huge difference it makes in your ability to breathe.
Avoid Infection
In some instances, damage to the lungs cannot be undone. This is often the case in emphysema. In order to avoid this phenomenon, it’s best to avoid infection as much as possible. At the first sign of a chest infection, see the doctor. It can also help to take vitamins that boost the immune system, get your flu shot, and wash your hands often. The fewer germs you breathe into your body, the healthier you’ll be.
The lungs are vital to your ultimate health and well-being. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to breathe! Use these tips to protect your lungs now as well as long into the future. The healthier you can keep this part of your body, the better you’ll feel as your age creeps up and life goes on.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Summerville, S.C.