Breathe intensely to live calmly
Calm deep-breathing exercises are an integral part of yoga, tai chi, mindful meditation, and many lesser-known practices, such as 4-7-8 breathing, the 365 method, and Nadi Shodhana, aka alternate nostril breathing.
But a new study shows that deep breathing during intense exercise (as opposed to meditative inhaling and exhaling) is also a powerful way to calm anxiety and anger and develop greater emotional resilience.
Researchers had 40 participants ages 18 to 40 with no diagnosed anxiety or other mental disorders or use of psychoactive medications go through sessions of intense aerobic exercise and tests for anxiety and anger responses. They discovered that folks with the highest VO2 reading -- it measures cardiorespiratory fitness by seeing how efficiently your body uses oxygen during intense exercise -- were more emotionally resilient and had far less anxiety and anger than less fit participants.
In fact, folks with below-average aerobic fitness (and lower VO2 readings) had a 775% greater risk of going from a basic level of moderate anxiety to becoming highly anxious, compared to folks with good aerobic fitness.
The researchers suggest that more aerobically fit folks experience increased regulation of their stress-related hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, increased levels of chemicals that help the brain adapt and grow new emotion-regulating pathways and exert increased control of the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting faster stress recovery.
For info and guidance on both meditative and aerobic-intense breathing, check out my books, "You: Breathing Easy: Meditation and Breathing Techniques to Relax, Refresh and Revitalize" and "The RealAge Workout: Maximum Health, Minimum Work."
Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.4YOUngevity.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at questions@4YOUngevity.com.
(c)2026 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2026 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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