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If you want to improve your lung capacity, you have to train your lungs like you would any other body part. You will have to rethink the way you breathe on an everyday basis and overload your lungs to improve their performance. Your lungs impact every other organ in your body (you need oxygen to live, after all!), and improving their capacity is one of the best things you can do to improve your quality of life.

If you are a smoker, stop smoking now. Your lungs are coated with disgusting black slime that prevents your lungs from working at any capacity, much less average or normal capacity. The great news is that the damage you are doing to your lungs is reversible, and after a few years, you will hack up or absorb the oozing black slime and your lungs will regain most (not all) of their original healthy pink color.

For the rest of you normal people out there who do not smoke but are tired of feeling winded at the top of stairs, or as if you cannot get a good breath, the great news is that there are specific exercises you can do to improve your lung capacity. While most of us will never have the lung capacity of a sponge diver, we can come close with dedicated effort.

Most of us have been breathing the same way our entire lives, and never stopped to think that perhaps there might be an even better way to drag oxygen into our lungs. Many people only use three quarters to two thirds of their lung capacity on a given breath! Why? They were never taught deep breathing techniques.

First, check your posture. Do you sit hunched over? Do you always seem to be looking at the floor instead of straight ahead? If so, your posture is a strong culprit in limiting your lung capacity, as your lungs cannot function properly in that position. Sit up straight, throw your shoulders back, and think about lengthening your torso. Doing so will provide your lungs space to reach out and down to achieve greater capacity.

Now focus on your diaphragm (that is the muscle in between your lungs and stomach that makes you breathe) and think about pulling it down into your stomach as you take a deep breath. Now slowly exhale until you think you have squeezed all of the air out of your lungs. Repeat this exercise ten times. For the next ten times, when you think your lungs are at full capacity, try to suck in one last ounce of air. When you feel like you pushed out every last particle of air on the exhale, give one last strong "ha!" to get the very last bit out. Repeat this exercise ten times. You

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