Breathe !!!!

We can go without food for a number of weeks and survive, we can even go without water for 3-7 days, but we cannot survive without oxygen beyond 5 minutes. The adult human body requires about 88 pounds of oxygen daily

Given the importance of this ‘breath of life’ here are some interesting facts about oxygen.

· Oxygen provides us with 90% of our nutritional energy, with just 10% coming from the food we eat. The more our cells are saturated with oxygen the lower is the wear and tear that occurs in the body. Hence, oxygen is one of the most important anti-aging substances.

· Oxygen’s natural ability to oxidize viruses, fungi, and bacteria is vitally important in order to sustain the cells’ natural ability to prevent degenerative diseases.

· Oxygen is also an essential factor for burning up the body’s toxins – those that are generated by us internally as well as those that we get from external sources such as the environment, water, and food – particularly junk food. The lower the content of oxygen, the less ability we have to burn up toxins, to heal, and to fight disease.

· In fact, diseases can actually occur when there is a deficiency of oxygen. Without enough oxygen, cells lose the ability to function properly, which leads to disease setting in. All kinds of diseases are basically linked to oxygen starvation.

· The lowest concentration of oxygen required to maintain life is around 52%, however, at this level, one is hardly alive.

· Because oxygen is used to burn glucose, the fuel preferred by the brain. At rest, you use about 20% of the oxygen you breathe to keep your brain running.

It is quite evident why it is essential to keep our body oxygenated. Oxygen is the sole element that has the capability of combining with practically all other elements in order to form the essential ingredients that are required for building and maintaining our body. For instance: water is made up of oxygen and hydrogen; carbohydrates are made up of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon; proteins are made up of oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen.

The list of crucial roles played by oxygen is quite endless. It is necessary for oxidization, or combustion, and also acts as a preserver, sanitizer, deodorizer, and disinfectant. Our cells are energized by oxygen, which helps them to regenerate. Oxygen regulates all the functions of the body. Our ability to talk, sleep, eat, move, feel, and think are all dependent on the energy that is generated by oxygen. Our body uses oxygen for the metabolism of food and the elimination of waste and toxins via oxidation. Oxygen is used by the brain to process information.

And strangely enough when we are under stress, the first thing we do is to hold our breath, the very thing that would help us the most.

Learn to breathe properly. At least 3 times per day do some deep breathing exercises. Holding your breath is a habit and a bad one at that. You can develop a better habit by doing those deep breathing exercises. I used to force myself to do them every time I was stopped at a red light. It not only gave me something to do to kill time, it was healthy and good habit forming.

Help yourself to a cup of oxygen. It’s free and now you know why you can’t live without it.