If your lungs aren’t able to function properly, your overall health can take a huge hit. Not only will you not be able to do the things that you love in life when you can’t breathe well, but you may also be in a lot of pain as you breathe as well. Luckily, in many cases, there are things that you can do to keep your lungs healthy.

To help you learn some ways that this can be done, here are three tips for protecting your lungs and breathing easier.

Exercise Your Lungs Regularly

Exercise is a great way to help your lungs become stronger. When you get your body working hard and you start to get out of breath, this extra stress that you’re putting on your healthy lungs can help them to become stronger each time they expand and contract.

And as your lungs get stronger, you’ll be able to get more oxygen into your body and have better stamina for future times where you’re exercising.

Because your lungs and your heart are so connected to one another, as you strengthen one, you will also be strengthening the other. So while exercising your lungs is great, automatically exercising your heart at the same time is just another added benefit.

BoohooManLaunchesActivewearCollectionStarringFitnessTrainerJeffLogan

Be Careful With Air Pollutants

While you don’t always have control over what’s in the air that you’re breathing, if you know that there are pollutants in the air around you, it’s wise to take measures that will help to protect your lungs from these irritants.

If you smoke or are around people who smoke, do your best to quit this habit and stay away from people who are actively smoking.

Additionally, if you’re working in an area that has particles being kicked up into the air, like if you work in powder processing or farm work, make sure you wear a mask that will filter out these particles and keep them from getting into your lungs.

Try Breathing More Deeply

When the air around you is clean and you’re able to spend some time focusing on your breathing, one of the best things that you can do to protect your lungs and help make breathing easier into the future is to practice deep breathing exercises.

Taking big, deep breaths can help to open up and expand your lungs. These exercises can help you to recover more easily from illnesses that affect your breathing, help to reduce stress in your body, help you better control any anxiety you might be feeling, and help you to get better sleep at night, too.

If you want to have stronger, healthier lungs, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how you can achieve this within your own body.