Breathe Better, Move Better, Live Longer | Shebah Carfagna & Nate Wilkins

Your breath is your most powerful performance tool. In this episode of the Live Long Podcast, part of our Move for Life series, coaches Nate Wilkins and Shebah Carfagna explain how breathwork transforms endurance, strength, mobility and daily resilience.

From nasal breathing and diaphragmatic control to rhythm, syncopation and sport-specific techniques, we explore how breathing shapes your workout — and your wellbeing. Learn why beginners often hold their breath under stress, how to build fluid breathing for running, spinning, yoga and Pilates, and how controlled breathing helps you sleep better, calm anxiety and recover faster.

If you want to move better and live longer, start with your breath.

This is the latest in our 20-part series, Move for Life.

You should consult a doctor or qualified fitness professional before beginning a new exercise program, especially if you have an existing health concerns or limited mobility.

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Transcript

Peter Bowes: 0:25

Your breath is the most powerful performance tool. Breathwork fuels endurance, supports recovery and brings calm control to every movement. This is the Live Long podcast, the latest in our Move For Life series with Nate Wilkins and Sheba Carfagna, exploring simple, science based ways to move better and live longer.

Shebah Carfagna: 1:04

One of the things that I really focus on in my instruction is teaching individuals how to breathe. You know, breathing in through your nose, out through your mouth. It gives the body a chance to warm up. And it also gets the body going. It's really overlooked, but it's the bridge between the mind and the body. It also loosens the muscles up. That's why they call it aerobics. Some time ago, in the 90s, they called it aerobics because it was about breathing with movement. And that is a priority. Is this this notion of how do you breathe and you breathe different in different modalities. And so it is really important to focus on breathing and teaching people proper breathwork per modality, so they can maximize their experiences and see actual results. Although it sounds silly until you really focus on it, I never had anyone. I think I was a student six years in, and someone taught me how to actually breathe, that there's a whole concept to it versus breathing for spinning, breathing for Pilates, breathing for yoga. So it's important to know how to breathe.

Peter Bowes: 2:11

And the importance of this, Nate, is that we're not just learning how to breathe to the best of our abilities for exercise, this is breathing for life and dealing with different situations, different stresses during our day.

Nate Wilkins: 2:25

We like to think about it like you train your your breathing the same way you train your body and it'll take you to a new level of wellness. You think about it when you see beginners, they start to work out. I don't care if it's cardiovascular or weight training. You're holding their breath, as opposed to letting the body breathe and getting the most out. And and you find them almost about to pass out because they're holding their breath, because they think that that's the way to do it. So it's actually the natural flow. It opens up the body to allow it to relax, and it helps to repair the muscle, you know, and it can even help with sleep if you breathe the right way.

Shebah Carfagna: 3:10

That's true. But it also prepares the muscles for workout. So the muscles need oxygen to expand and to move. Most times you see the guys in the gym and Nate is one of them, you know, and I have to encourage him to breathe. It's all about fluid movement. You know, you have to breathe. Inhale, exhale so the muscles will continue to develop.

Peter Bowes: 3:32

Well, the tendency isn't it, for some people. I've done this myself is to be focusing too much on the the physicality of whatever movement you're trying to achieve. And you just forget to breathe.

Shebah Carfagna: 3:43

I think that's it. But you're also bracing the body. So if you picked up 220, either of you picked up 225 pound dumbbells, you're thinking, this is 50 pounds. I go, I gotta hold and hold when actually it's quite the opposite. My first trainer was a bodybuilder, so I'm bodybuilder baseline. Okay. You have to breathe and flow, but hold the body still. So isometrically you hold the body still, but you move the arms with a flow. And you inhale and exhale on the concentric and eccentric movements.

Peter Bowes: 4:13

So what are the best ways to for someone who's never really thought about their breathing in the context that we're discussing here, what's the best way to start to try to improve?

Nate Wilkins: 4:23

You know, I think it's that one that Shebah just alluded to. And through your nose, out through your mouth, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Some people do just nasal breathing, you know, but practicing in through your nose, out through your mouth. And really some people want to count it. But but really it's just allowing yourself to breathe while you're doing something. So you feel, feel your body, the bridge between your body and recovery and resilience. And, you know, it's it's that thing that I think that we need to practice doing.

Shebah Carfagna: 4:54

I think even as beginners. But I think it's also depending on the sport. So you breathe differently. When you train me to run I'm breathing differently, you know, into my nose, taking deeper breaths, inhaling and exhaling because you want that rate of perceived exertion, that heart rate, to go up. And so you want to keep that continuous breathing movement to do long distances. Right.

Nate Wilkins: 5:15

This notion of diaphragmatic coming from the diaphragm, deeper.

Shebah Carfagna: 5:20

Breathing. Yeah.

Nate Wilkins: 5:21

And really allowing yourself to to settle down. Right. While you're doing it. Because sometimes it's trying to catch your breath as opposed to.

Shebah Carfagna: 5:31

But the rhythm happens for you to keep going. Miles and miles, like you see marathoners or just running to the end of the block is a it's kind of a syncopated breathing. You have to find a rhythm. Breathing is about rhythm, and the success of doing just about any exercise or movement is related actually to the breathing, you know? So when I breathe, when I teach, I depending on what the the modality is, I have people breathe in through their nose and out through their mouth by making a circle. So if you're spinning, you're sitting on a spinning bike, which I love. Your breathing is very different than if you're running. It's very different if you're in Pilates. It's very different if you're in yoga. But a good way to teach, everyone to do it is to breathe and inhale and exhale and get that regulation of breathing. It also calms the body down. You know, it aids in the abdominals going in and out, which we see in Pilates and yoga and more slower modalities. But you just have to begin and understand it's a flow, and you cannot continue without the flow in order to last. Running or lifting if you do multisets, if you're doing Hitt training farmers carries, it's very difficult to do that successfully and brace your body because you're asking your body to absorb this weight and this impact, and you have to stay calm.

Peter Bowes: 6:51

And as well as the breathing in and out in terms of the breathing exercises, to some extent, breathing in and holding your breath for a few seconds before exhaling is also valuable.

Shebah Carfagna: 7:02

It is. It's a good technique. They use that a lot in yoga and Pilates sometimes. Yes yes yes yes yes. When you when you work with Pilates and I know we have a session, we're going to talk about that when you do the hundreds. It's short syncopated breathing. And so it's a very different kind of it's more of a shallow breathing that prepares the body differently. So again, just like dynamic and stationary static stretches, you know, it's just it's a different feel for each one. But I, you know, I wouldn't make it complicated for the average person. I would just get them to breathe.

Peter Bowes: 7:37

And good breathing practice is also invaluable when it comes to our sleep or preparing to sleep.

Nate Wilkins: 7:43

I think about that on my own, with my own breathing, before I'm, actually ready to go to sleep. I mean, I have to settle myself down and find a rhythm of breathing that works for me, that puts me to sleep. Otherwise, that's still, you know, even snoring. I mean, like, because I'm not breathing as well. So I have to work on that and be more mindful of that with myself.

Shebah Carfagna: 8:08

And those of us with sleep apnea, the breathing is so important. I probably have it. Don't wear the mask and the breathing is difficult for me if I'm lying flat for a long period of time.

Peter Bowes: 8:21

And one thing I've learned and know, know breathing expert. Know sleep expert. One thing I've learned from personal experience is, is during that. And some people describe it as the wake up time in the middle of the night. And I think this affects people most as you grow older, that you might go to bed at 10 p.m. 9 p.m., but you wake up at 1 or 2 in the morning kind of wide awake, you know, you haven't had enough sleep. And that's the point that I purposefully breathe in and out and maybe hold my breath for a few seconds and, and just try to get into a more relaxed state. And I find that helps me get back to sleep quicker than I would otherwise.

Shebah Carfagna: 8:57

Yeah, I do something where I actually count backwards, and if I can make it to one, then I need to breathe all over again. So typically I can't make it there. It's just it's something that I do. It's not a scientific study. It's just something I'd like to share with your audience. You know, you started 100 and you go back and you're trying to breathe through it, you know, and then it just calms me down. We use breathing for my son, my son, who is a special needs individual. Autistic? We ask him when he gets overexcited or overanxious to take ten deep breaths in and out, and it seems to calm him just a bit.

Nate Wilkins: 9:32

Right. I mean, it's same thing can be used for after a workout if you're already, you know, you know, you've worked up your heart rate and then you start to cool down. You bring it down. You work on your breathing deeper breathing, slowing it down. I mean, it's just a any number of ways that you could actually work on breathing for different purposes. And, you know, your life.

Shebah Carfagna: 9:57

And I think it's important for the stretching. We talked about the stretching, both warm up and cool down. The breathing is so important that you relax into it. You know, you drop the shoulders. You can simply inhale here. Inhale and exhale. One of the things is I like to promote is that you never press the lips together. So typically I'll see participants in class going. You know you want a free flow so you can raise your shoulders and exhale. This is a simple exercise you can complete at a desk that raises and depresses your scapula, and gives you a better overall feeling, more of an upper body kind of release.

Peter Bowes: 10:38

So breath connects mind and body, effort and recovery. Learn to control it and you'll perform better, recover faster, and live calmer. One breath at a time. The Live Long podcast is a Healthspan Media production. I'm Peter Bowes, you can contact me through our website, livelongpodcast.com. Where you'll also find show notes for this episode.

DISCLAIMER: 11:00

This podcast is for informational, educational and entertainment purposes only. We do not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should first consult your doctor.