Metabolism is defined as "taking food and converting it to energy." Our bodies need oxygen on a moment-to-moment basis. They will begin to deteriorate rapidly without adequate supply. The efficiency of oxygen conversion into cellular energy is key to the use of its energy; therefore, oxygen has, in effect, its own metabolism. 

Oxygen is a lot like food.

Improving oxygen intake, uptake, and assimilation is critical to the body’s energy and as an inhibitor to disease and decay. Movement invites the need for more oxygen, but to move uses up oxygen. To digest and assimilate food uses up oxygen. Probably every bodily function uses up oxygen in varying degrees.

Muscular activity accelerates the rate of oxygen usage. Taking in large quantities of oxygen via large expenditures of physical effort can condition the organism to function with more efficiency to be more durable. However, this process often causes distress to the organism. Given no need to defend, durability does not ensure longevity.

Where breathing comes into play is the balance between stress and distress. A certain level of stress can be helpful and beyond that harmful. Is stress needed to ensure sufficient oxygen metabolism? Depends on the physical activity and level of skill or endurance required; Slaying dragons, yes; walking in the sunshine, much less so.

As the activity increases in stress towards distress, we need the breathing to stay deep and easy even more and more. 

Why is that?

Stress can condition, but that is not the key to longevity. Stress that conditions are most often harmful. Maximum energy intake with minimal energy. If stress and conditioning helped the organism survive, then why do athletes not live to at least 120?

The key to the healthiest conditions from a longevity standpoint is that the way we breathe is our primary stress modulator expenditure is the key to longevity. Dynamics of living often require action. There is an oxygen cost of living.

This implies that balance might be extremely relevant. A balance between depth, ease, and smoothness of breathing and cellular replenishment; ease, flow, and regeneration.

Moderate stress can require the organism to adapt to higher requirements. Taking in as much oxygen as possible with the minimal expenditure of oxygen can aid in oxygen usage efficiency/metabolism.

“Physical training and practice increase ventilatory threshold, anaerobic threshold, and mechanical efficiency,” but it does not ensure longevity.

“Regular body movement with increased breathing action aids to adaptation toward increased functional efficiency in the uptake and utilization of oxygen from the blood”1. Fast movement will condition you to act fast. The slow movement will condition you to act slowly. Fast is more stressful than is slow to moderate. Faster movement requires faster breathing. Slow movement allows for slower breathing. Metabolizing our oxygen food takes a certain amount of time. 

Most of us do not take the time to breathe.

Optimal Breathing development programs require little to no movement, are done most often slowly, and therefore provide significantly high efficiencies in building oxygen reserves and aiding in oxygen metabolism.

Here is the list of priorities from my perspective. You can also create your own program from this list or choose from several programs listed at the end of this page.

1. Rapid Breathing-Improvement
2. Building Healthy Lungs Naturally Breathe For Energy
3. Breathe For Relaxation
4. Fortify your entire biological system
5. Supplement with vitamins
6. Secrets of Optimal Breathing
7. Optimize your drinking water
8. Study the Breath