BREATHING, it's the one thing our bodies can only last a few minutes without.

We all breathe without any thought or effort, from the moment we are born, but how important is the quality of our breath?

We need oxygen, so we inhale, we bring oxygen into our bodies to supply our brain and muscles with the oxygen they need and we exhale to rid our bodies of the waste product, carbon dioxide.

However, the majority of the time we only use a small percentage of our lungs capacity by taking short shallow breaths, limiting the amount of oxygen which we bring into our bodies.

Limiting our oxygen intake will cause us to feel tired, sluggish and have less focus and concentration.

It can also cause negative thoughts and depression.

Our brain requires more oxygen than any other organ in our body.

The amount of oxygen you bring in will be effected by poor posture, sedentary lifestyle, poor health and age.

You can improve your breath by simply sitting tall and breathing longer fuller breaths.

Breathing well will mean that you are supplying your body with the right amount of oxygen, replenishing the brain and other vital organs with oxygen and essential nutrients they need. If you are not breathing correctly, you will be restricting these.

Oxygen also detoxifies our blood.

Your skin can suffer if it isn't receiving enough fresh oxygenated blood, your muscles can tire easily during a workout if they are not getting enough oxygen.

You may also feel constantly tired and lethargic if you simply aren't bringing in enough oxygen. Yawning?

Go get some fresh air and start breathing fully.

When we exercise,we need more oxygen and we create more of the waste product, carbon dioxide. So obviously we need to breathe more.

Breathing correctly during exercise can help you feel more comfortable and give your muscles the strength and energy they need.

It can also prevent dizziness and nausea.

Holding our breath in this way will prevent the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange in our blood stream and increase the feeling of dizziness, nausea and weakness.

Try to take a few minutes each day to breath fully.

To get in touch with Claire, follow her on Twitter @CLKpt or email ckopicki@me.com.