I remember when I was about 14 years old and my Pops, that's what I used to call my father and he absolutely loved it when I called him that, took me to a dirt field in Ontario, Ca so I could learn to ride a new dirtbike. I was transitioning from a YZ 80 to a much larger dirtbike, 250cc. The field was sandwiched between the 60 Fwy and industrial buildings and some investors must have attempted to develop it, but never finished the project, because there were mounts of dirt everywhere from some previous excavation. It looked like their job was shut down in the middle of the day. Like everyone packed up, went home, and never came back.

 

So we get there, unload the bike, put on all of my gear, and begin to attempt kick-starting my bike. It's very difficult because I am not very tall yet the bike is very large.  I don't quite have the leg strength to thrust the lever down and I am not tall enough to elevate myself high enough to use momentum and gravity to get a good kick in. This is going on for a good couple, few, 5-minutes and this gentleman comes over and starts chatting with my Pops, which my Pops always did. He would spark up conversations with anyone and everyone at every opportunity that was provided to him. Which used to drive me crazy but somehow I seemed to adopt the same wonderful characteristic my Pops had acquired and now I love it. 

So the two are chatting away and I get a bright idea, I walk my bike over to a mound of dirt and I stand on it which instantly adds a couple of feet to my height and I fire my bike up. Look back at my Pops and I see a big smile and a thumbs up with my Pops yelling, "Way to go, Mikey, son!"

 

I'm gone! I had already been riding for about 5 years and so I have a little experience. I'm feeling good! I'm feeling confident! I fly through my gears, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, I'm on it. Maybe a little too on it, maybe a little too confident. Because it was an excavation site the mounds of dirt had paths on top of them from the heavy equipment that placed it there. So I go from riding around the mounds to jumping over them and eventually riding the paths on top of them. Well I am on a pretty large mound and maybe going a little too fast because this particular mound didn't have a nice smooth ramp to exit off of. It was a cliff about 8-9 feet down and I just didn't have enough experience on this bike and probably not enough time to react anyway.

 

I don't really remember what happened exactly between the moments of "Holy Sheep Ship" and the impact on the ground. Instantly all of my awareness went to my breathing. Or lack thereof. I was gasping for breath. Uhhh! Uhhh! And it seemed to last forever. Not to mention the rear tire of my motorcycle settled approximately 5 or 6 feet away from me along with the throttle stuck in the dirt, wide open. I'm so glad I had my helmet on! Not only for the impact that I most likely took to my head but also because it was shielding along with my goggles the nonstop stream of dirt and rock being flung from the back tire of my bike. 

Time became so slow and all I could hear what my breathing. Each gasp, seeming so difficult, over and over, and never feeling the relief of oxygen. The bike finally stops and I lay there just trying to catch my breath and then finally. I get the feeling of air and it feels so good. It feels so alive. It feels so me. 

I get up. I get my bike up. Walk to the same mound I just fell off of and use the side of it to start my bike back up. It takes a couple of minutes because the carburetor is flooded. But I get it started and begin riding again, with just a little more caution. 

​

Breathing is one of the most overlooked processes we do every day. Yet it is the most vital to our health and wellness and when it is withheld from you realize real quick just how important breathing is. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

How fit are you? Let's take a test. This test I found in The Oxygen Advantage a book for a simple, scientifically proven breathing technique for a healthier, slimmer, faster, and fitter you. The B.O.L.T test

1. Take a normal breath in through your nose and allow a normal breath out through your nose.

2. Hold your nose with your fingers to prevent air from entering your lungs.

3. Time the number of seconds until you feel the first definite desire to breathe or the first stressors of your body urging you to breathe. These sensations may include: the need to swallow or constriction of the airways, you may also feel the first involuntary contractions of your breathing muscles in your abdomen or throat as the body gives the message to resume breathing. 

4. Release your nose, stop the timer, and breathe in through your nose. Your inhalation at the end of the breath hold should be calm.

5. Resume normal breathing. 

The B.O.L.T. is not a measurement of how long you can hold your breath but simply the time it takes for your body to react to a lack of air. Notes when taking the B.O.L.T test: 

• The breath is taken after a gentle exhalation. 

• The breath is held until the breathing muscles first begin to move. You are not measuring the maximum time that you can hold your breath.

• If you do not feel the first involuntary movements of your breathing muscles, release your nose when you feel the first definite urge or first distinct stress to resume breathing. 

• If you need to take a deep breath after the hold then you have held your breath for too long. 

An ideal BOLT Score for a healthy individual is 40 seconds. The vast majority of individuals including athletes have a comfortable breath-hold time of about 20 seconds often less. However, to achieve your full potential BOLT score of forty seconds should be the goal. 

BOLT 10 seconds

Habitual upper-chest breathing and mouth breathing is also expected. The number of breaths during rest per minute can be anything from 15 to 30 breaths. 

BOLT 20 seconds

When a BOLT score is 20 seconds, breathing is heavy but regular. Both the rate and size of each breath are less than when a BOLT score is 10 seconds. A natural pause of between 1 and 2 seconds occurs at the end of each exhalation. The number of breaths per minute during rest will vary from between 15 and 20 moderately sized breaths. 

BOLT 30 seconds

When a BOLT score is 30 seconds, breathing is calm gentle, soft, effortless, and quiet. The rate and size of each breath continue to reduce as a BOLT score increases. The natural pause between each breath lengthens. The number of breaths during rest per minute will be about 10 to 15 minimal breaths. 

BOLT 40 seconds

When a BOLT score is 40 seconds, breathing is effortless, calm, gentle, quiet, soft, and minimal. At a BOLT score of 40 seconds, it is difficult to see breathing movements. The natural pause between each breath is generally about 4 to 5 seconds. The number of breaths during rest per minute varies from 6 to 10 minimal breaths. 

​

This is one of my favorite tests and it really got me to work on my breathing. If you would like to purchase this book  Click on the photo below. 

​