There is a right way and a wrong way to breathe, and most of us do it wrong.  But breathing can be especially important to deal with the stress when working your way back from heart or lung disease.

Vicki Lindbergh, coordinator with the Cardiac Rehab program at the Alegent Health Heart and Vascular Institute says, "Stress makes blood vessels around the heart and all throughout the body restrict or clamp down.    If you already have blockages, the the blood flow decreases and depending upon the extent of the problem it's possible for a clot to form," she adds.

"The moment we were born, we were breathing correctly, and as we become older, we get into the bad habit of becming upper chest breathers.  What we want is for shoulders to stay downward and for the abdomen to come out," Lindbergh adds.

One patient who has gone through the program, along with his wife, says "I've got more energy and I can do more things."

According to Vick Lindbergh, if you practice breathing right, you'll find you feel better, and it's better for you.

For more information about programs offered in cardiac rehab, contact the Alegent Health Heart and Vascular Institute, or call 1-800-ALEGENT.