It is most important for those with lung disease to strengthen breathing muscles.

As these muscles become strong and "in shape", they require less oxygen to do their work; they become more efficient.

Thus the work of breathing, from the point of view of oxygen consumption, decreases.

This means that more energy is available for other activities.

Since energy and calories (of food) are interchangable, this also means that the person who has breathing muscles in shape will have more energy available to build up the muscle mass in his body.

We have two kinds of breathing muscles (in the final analysis); diaphram and auxilliary.

It is most important to build up the diaphram muscles for two reasons:
1. It is more efficient to breathe from the diaphram; ie- we get better utilization from our below optimum lungs.
2. When we sleep, our body shuts down our auxilliary muscles and the diaphram muscles do the breathing for us during our sleep. The stronger the diaphram muscles, the better our sleep will be.

Here are two ideas for strengthing diaphram muscles.

1. The first is a device that you breathe thru which has small holes to pull the air thru. I will add ordering info for this in the "product info" area of this web site soon. A drinking straw may also be used. Just make sure that WHEN YOU ARE INHALING, YOUR STOMACH IS GOING OUT.
2. The second is to lie on your back (prop up your shoulders and upper body if you need to) and put a book on your stomach. AS YOU INHALE, MAKE SURE THE BOOK RISES. As you become stronger, you can increase the weight of the book or even start using other weights that are even heavier (like those weights you strap on to your ankles).

As with all our exercises we do, start out slowly with just a few reps with a light book and build up a little bit more every day.

It is even reported that you will get those washboard abs from this kind of exercise!

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