Breathing for Performance, Recovery, and Resilience
Breathing is a subconscious action we perform approximately 25,000 times a day at rest. It not only provides our bodies with oxygen but also plays a vital role in regulating the central nervous system to help us perform at our best—physically and mentally.
Yet, breathing is often overlooked as a key component of both health and performance. Learning to optimise your breathing mechanics and understanding how this affects stress, recovery, and stability can dramatically improve your performance—on and off the field.
Understanding the Autonomic Nervous System
Breathing has a direct impact on the two branches of the autonomic nervous system:
1. Parasympathetic Nervous System (“Rest and Digest”)
- Promotes recovery and relaxation
- Reduces heart rate and blood pressure
- Enhances digestion and sleep
- Calms the central nervous system
When this system is dominant, the body and brain feel safe and balanced, ideal for recovery and long-term performance gains.
2. Sympathetic Nervous System (“Fight or Flight”)
- Increases alertness and focus
- Elevates stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline
- Raises heart rate and blood pressure
- Prepares the body for action
This system is essential for high-performance moments—training, racing, reacting to danger—but overexposure can wear us down if not balanced properly.
In today’s fast-paced world—long work hours, financial stress, and social media pressure—many of us live in a constant state of sympathetic activation. Add intense training to the mix, and recovery often takes a back seat.
How Breathing Affects Stress and Recovery
When we experience stress, our breathing tends to become rapid and shallow, often through the mouth. This can lead to excessive carbon dioxide (CO₂) loss, which may sound like a good thing—but it’s not.
Why CO₂ Matters:
- CO₂ helps regulate the pH balance of your blood.
- It aids in the release of oxygen from red blood cells to working muscles.
- It plays a key role in nerve regulation and calming the body.
Think of the old advice to breathe into a paper bag during a panic attack. It works by reintroducing CO₂ into the system to restore balance.
Enter Diaphragmatic Breathing
This simple but powerful technique can help:
- Slow down your breathing rate
- Improve the oxygen-CO₂ exchange
- Activate the parasympathetic system
- Promote calmness and faster recovery
How to do it:
- Breathe in and out through your nose
- Inhale slowly, allowing your stomach (not your chest) to rise
- Match the length of your exhale with your inhale
- Practice for 10 minutes daily, or use in high-stress moments like:
- After a tough hill climb on the bike
- Between intervals on a run
- After a stressful meeting or deadline
Final Thoughts
Stress is a natural and necessary part of performance—but it must be balanced with recovery. Importantly, your body does not differentiate between stress from work, life, or training. It all adds up.
Even though exercise makes us feel good and has numerous health benefits, overtraining without adequate recovery can lead to burnout or injury. Breathing consciously throughout the day—especially after exercise or during mentally demanding periods—helps shift your body into recovery mode.
My recommendation: Set aside at least 10 minutes each day to lie down and practice controlled, diaphragmatic breathing.
I finish every session in the Movement Series with a guided breathing routine—these can be a great place to start. Also, breathing is a foundational pillar of core stability. For a deeper dive, check out my article on Core Stability and Breathing Mechanics.