Table of Contents
Introduction
Parents should pay close attention to their children’s daily sitting habits.
This is because their sitting habits affect their cardiorespiratory health, especially their lung health. When you breathe in a normal position, you can feel the oxygen flowing smoothly through your upper body, nose and lungs to your head, chest, abdomen and lower body. However, breathing in a slouched posture, especially when the neck is craned forward, the back is hunched back, the shoulders are hunched forward, and most importantly, the pelvis is hunched back, resulting in a curved lumbar spine and pelvis, can feel suffocating in the chest.
Therefore, it is very important to always keep your pelvis in the correct position when sitting.
Posture and Breathing: Keys to Adolescent Health
Pelvic position is directly related to diaphragmatic muscle tension, under the rib cage, connected to the thoracic spine. When the pelvis is tilted forward (Pelvis forward Posture), it can cause Thoracic Hyper Kyphosis, Anterior rib cage compression, and diaphragmatic muscle tension, which makes it difficult to breathe deeply, allowing oxygen to only reach the upper body when breathing. In adolescents, inadequate oxygenation can lead to chronic fatigue, difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances, decreased brain function, and stunted growth.
Body Mechanics and Proper Posture
Maintaining correct posture is essential for facilitating easy and efficient breathing. Poor posture can restrict the movement of the lungs and lead to shallow breathing. Here are some exercises to correct posture and align the body:
1. Bridge Pose: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Lift your hips off the floor, creating a bridge shape. Hold for 10-15 seconds, engaging your core and glute muscles. Repeat 8-10 times.
2. Cobra Stretch: Lie face down with palms under your shoulders. Press your upper body off the floor, keeping your hips and legs relaxed. Hold for 15-30 seconds, gradually increasing the duration.
3. Standing Roll-down Stretch: Stand tall with feet hip-width apart. Slowly roll down, letting your head, neck, and upper back relax forward. Hang in this position for a few breaths, then roll back up to standing position.
4. Cat-Camel Stretch: Position yourself on all fours with hands directly below shoulders and knees below hips. Arch your back toward the ceiling, tucking your chin into your chest (cat pose). Then, let your belly drop, lifting your head and tailbone upward (camel pose). Repeat several times, focusing on deep breaths.
These exercises help strengthen the core muscles, elongate the spine, and promote better posture, allowing for improved breathing mechanics.
> To maintain proper alignment during these exercises, visualize a string pulling the top of your head upward, elongating your spine. Keep the shoulders relaxed and away from the ears.
Strengthening the Respiratory Muscles
The respiratory muscles, including the diaphragm, chest muscles, and intercostal muscles, play a vital role in deep, effective breathing. Strengthening these muscles can enhance respiratory capacity and promote comfortable breathing. Here are some exercises to consider:
1. Diaphragmatic Breathing: Lie on your back with knees bent, placing one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Inhale deeply through your nose, allowing your abdomen to rise as you fill your lungs with air. Exhale slowly through pursed lips, feeling your abdomen fall. Repeat for several minutes.
2. Deep Belly Breathing: Assume a comfortable seated position. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Breathe in deeply through your nose, expanding your abdomen. Exhale fully through your mouth, letting your abdomen fall inward. Repeat for several breaths.
3. Pursed Lip Breathing: Inhale deeply through your nose. Purse your lips and exhale slowly through your mouth, trying to make the exhale twice as long as the inhale. This exercise helps slow down breathing and expel stale air from your lungs.
4. Rib Cage Breathing: Place your hands on the sides of your rib cage. Inhale deeply, expanding your rib cage horizontally. Exhale fully, allowing your rib cage to contract. Repeat for several breaths, focusing on lateral expansion and contraction of the rib cage.
5. Alternate Nostril Breathing: Close your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale slowly through your left nostril. Close your left nostril with your ring finger and release your thumb, exhaling through your right nostril. Inhale through your right nostril, close it, and exhale through your left nostril. Repeat the cycle for a few minutes.
These exercises increase awareness of breathing patterns, engage the diaphragm, and strengthen the respiratory muscles for comfortable, deep breathing.
> Incorporating breath-holding exercises, where appropriate, can further improve respiratory muscle strength, lung capacity, and efficiency.
Seeking Professional Help
While body-correcting exercises can be beneficial for most adolescents, there may be cases where seeking professional help is necessary. Recognizing the need for expert guidance is essential to ensure the child’s safety and efficiency in correcting breathing issues. Here are some instances where professional assistance may be required:
1. Persistent or Severe Breathing Problems: If an adolescent’s breathing issues persist or worsen despite consistent practice of body-correcting exercises, it is crucial to consult with healthcare professionals or specialists.
2. Underlying Medical Conditions: Adolescents with pre-existing medical conditions, such as asthma, respiratory disorders, or structural abnormalities, may require guidance from healthcare providers or physical therapists to tailor exercise programs specific to their needs.
3. Sports Activities and Performance Enhancement: For adolescent athletes or those participating in sports activities, seeking guidance from sports coaches or trainers can be beneficial in optimizing breathing techniques and enhancing performance safely.
Professional assistance ensures a tailored approach, addressing specific concerns, and providing appropriate guidance for safe and effective practices.
Conclusion
Comfortable breathing is essential for the overall well-being of adolescent children. Body-correcting exercises play a crucial role in correcting breathing issues, improving posture, strengthening respiratory muscles, increasing lung capacity and efficiency, relieving nasal congestion and allergies, and managing stress. By incorporating these exercises into their daily routines, parents and adolescents can enjoy the benefits of comfortable respiration, leading to better physical health, emotional well-being, and overall quality of life.
Please guide your children to sit upright on their chairs and straighten their backs on their backs by the end of the day, and make them have a successful internal and external examination life with a tall, healthy, empty, and good body shape.
The order of exercise:
1. Open your legs shoulder-width apart and look straight ahead.
2. Squeeze your hands, stretch your arms and lift them above your head.
3. Pull your hips back, tilt your neck back, and extend your arms further into the air.
4. You can feel your back refreshing.
5. If the above exercise is repeated once in the morning (3 to 5 times), 1 set in the evening (3 to 5 times), and once every 1-2 hours during the day, you can get a refreshing and comfortable body.