As adults, we breathe somewhere in the region of 12 to 20 times per minute. It’s a task that we tend to fulfil unconsciously, and most of us give this life-dependant process little thought, if ever. And yet breathing is vital in our every day life, and our athletic accomplishments too. Phil Lembkey, however, has devoted much of his life to the power of breathing, and is a co-founder of ELVT breath control patches, a tool designed to promote breathing through the nose.
M&F sat down with the athlete and entrepreneur to find out how he came to develop the product, and why everyone should consider getting their beathing “on the nose.”
You don’t need a health or fitness guru to tell you that breathing is non-negotiable if you want to make it to the end of this feature, but for those who want to maximize their performance instead of just dialing it in, there’s a lot more to breathing than just inhaling and exhaling. “If you’re not breathing and utilizing oxygen correctly, it doesn’t matter how hard you train, how well your diet is, or what supplements you take! Your overall health and endurance starts by the way you breathe,” reads the intro at elvtbreath.com. ELVT (pronounced “elevate”) breath control patches are the brainchild of Phil Lembkey, the grandson of a bodybuilder who became a sportsman in his own right through exercising with his dad, and eventually moving toward surfing, wrestling, and jiujitsu.
He also now partners in the ownership on a San Francisco-area MMA gym. “I was always looking for ways to improve my performance and just the sports that I gravitated toward,” says Lembkey. “You’re put in uncomfortable positions in jujitsu and surfing and being held under. So, you’re always looking for ways to not only improve your performance, but how to stay calm under pressure in those uncomfortable positions.”
Breath control was always an aspect of Lembkey’s athletic development, whether it be via meditation or taking cold plunges. Then, he read Oxygen Advantageby Patrick McEwan and says that this was a game-changing moment for him. By tweaking the way that he breathed, Lembkey was able to not only improve his personal records, but was also able to beat sleep apnea. “I tried keeping my mouth shut with athletic tape, and I pretty much cured my own sleep apnea and little anxieties by just optimizing my breathing and being aware, and nasal breathing specifically.”
Along with his ELVT co-founder, Sean Fitzgerald, Lembkey set about helping improving our health and athleticism, one breath at a time.
Courtesy of ELVT
Why Your Breathing Might Be Broken
“Breathing is a subconscious act…” says Lembkey. “But we’ve evolved over time to become chronic mouth breathers in the high stress environments that we live in: pollutants, diet, toxins, (so) there’s a demand for oxygen, and the easiest way to do that is to open your mouth, but that’s not an optimal way. [Mouth breathing] was actually designed for ‘fight or flight’ situations and as a backup. The nose is how you’re supposed to breathe, so the tool that we created was the breath control patch, to help optimize and restrain the respiratory system and subconscious mind toward nasal breathing.”
Still, finding the best breath tool took around one year of research, and a glut of prototypes. “We didn’t want to rush into it,” reflects Lembkey. “We tried athletic tape, you know, we’re putting women’s nipple covers over our mouth… it was hilarious,” laughs the innovator. “Even the cleavage tape, bamboo tape, everything, but one wasn’t strong enough and one would peel off. We really wanted to find something that was like a hybrid model that you can wear while you sleep and wear while you workout. So, a lot of research and development went into, until we finally partnered with a manufacturer and took some things that we liked from the different tapes, and were able to blend it all into one. “A lot of people open their mouth because it’s the quickest way to get air into your lungs,” explains Lembkey. “But it’s like pouring a glass that’s half full, you’re not actually absorbing all that oxygen.”
Build Your Nose Breathing Technique With These Tips
ELVT breath control patches are hypoallergenic and medical grade. They are tough enough for a workout and yet comfortable enough to sleep with. Wearing tape over your mouth might seem a little strange to some, but as Lembkey points out, ice baths and hot sauna’s were once considered to be novel. Essentially, they are designed to force nose breathing. Here are some tips:
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Courtesy of ELVT
Let your nose dictate the pace
Lembkey explains that beginning your new nose breathing journey should start conservatively. You could introduce it while stretching, warming up, or meditating. When you feel comfortable, progress to more aerobic exercises, and slowly increase your tolerance. Lembkey says that eventually, you should be able to workout at 90% of your max heart rate by nose alone.
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Courtesy of ELVT
Breathe through your nose for better recovery
An efficient way to rewire your breathing technique is to sleep with the patch, this way your body will be adapting for as many hours as you are getting some shut-eye. While awake, you can use your respiratory process to recover by adopting the patches during ice baths or cold plunges. Since these recovery methods activate your ‘fight or flight’ sympathetic nervous system, you can train to become an expert nose breather in these more challenging environments, while making the best of your time invested in recovery.
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Courtesy of ELVT
The results speak for themselves
Nasal breathing has been found to do a greater job at offloading carbon dioxide, leading to 10-20% more oxygen being absorbed by the body than with mouth breathing. This way, you’ll increase your maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 MAX). Breathing through the nose is also associated with better teeth and is recommended by dentists. Another positive effect of nose breathing is the production of Nitric Oxide, a gas that influences all the major systems of the body, in turn fighting disease and promoting elevated athletic performance.
Despite the benefits, some people may be too entrenched in mouth breathing to switch to the nose. It’s a fact that Lembkey is aware of, but feels that it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing scenario. Nose breathing tape can be worn as and when you feel comfortable. “We’re not telling you that you have to wear this for the rest of your life,” he explains. Still, those that have given nose breathing a try often feel that it has given them a boost, and the results speak for themselves. “It’s on track to be the next wellness trend. We’re just a little ahead of the game,” he concludes.
