Breathing exercises can help curb stress, anxiety and help maintain yoga poses, but did you know they can also help your workout performance?

Not only can proper breathing make cardiovascular training more efficient, it can also help improve power and stability during strength training and endurance running, says Jessica Matthews, certified personal trainer and spokesmperson for the American Council on Exercise.

A recent study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine found that training respiratory muscles can help improve athletic performance. Twenty-seven soccer players participating in the study used a device called a respiratory muscle trainer, which makes respiratory muscles stronger by applying resistance as the user inhales through a valve. After five weeks, most athletes showed improvement in their ability to perform short bursts of exercise.

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, the holiday season is in full swing. All the hustle and bustle of the season can start to feel quite stressful. To help keep your stress level in check, try dedicating some time each day to meditate. There's no need to say "oohhmm" and sit in the lotus position. You can lower your stress level with a few easy steps:

• Quiet place. Find a spot in your home or outside that's quiet and removed from other distractions.
  
• Music. Play some quiet, mellow music that helps you relax.
• Deep, full breathing. Breathe deeply and concentrate on your breathing.
• Focus. Your mind may wander, but as it does just refocus on your breathing -- this isn't a time to sort through your thoughts, this is a time to recenter yourself and clear your mind of the daily stressors.

Take 10 minutes each day to meditate and you'll see your stress levels reduce. Remember, exercising, eating healthfully, and getting proper amounts of sleep will also help you manage stress.

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Of course, in a perfect world, candy would have never been invented. We'd all have perfect teeth and couldn't imagine consuming anything but fruits, veggies, lean protein, and whole grains. But really. That world does not exist. So, my job as your online fitness trainer is to get you to make better choices.

I just found a good one. Tic Tac Chill is the new deal from Tic Tac. These new Tic Tacs are small, tasty, sugar-free, and come in a cool box. One flavor can save you in a pinch too. The Paradise Mint acts as a ridiculously strong breath mint. I promise that whatever stinky thing you consume before this product will be left undetectable. It's odd how strong these little things are.

The flavor I like best is Exotic Cherry, but I'd definitely use the Paradise Mint before a meeting of some sort. Hey. It's still candy, but the Tic Tac brand has been well known for providing low calorie candies for a long time.

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We all want a set of beautiful pearly whites, don't we? But a white smile goes well beyond appearances; strong, healthy teeth are important for your overall health.

For sparkling white teeth, in addition to proper oral hygiene, avoid foods that can stain. The general rule of thumb is if it can stain a white t-shirt, it can stain your teeth. Coffee, red wine, and tea are common culprits.

But there are plenty of foods you can add to your diet to improve the health of your teeth. And -- bonus! -- the foods that are good for your teeth are good for your general health as well. Check out the gallery for a summary of the foods mentioned in the video.

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Recent research shows -- believe it or not -- that sweat and airway secretion are linked. For people who have exercise-induced asthma, dryness in their airways can trigger asthma symptoms. Increased airway secretions can minimize or prevent symptoms during exercise.

Study participants were given medications to induce asthma symptoms and/or sweating. Obviously, the average Joe can't pop a pill to increase sweat production. And honestly, who would want to? So while researchers still work out the practical applications of this knowledge, follow these tips from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology:

• Try swimming -- the warm, humid atmosphere reduces the risk of symptoms.
• If you want to play team sports, opt for those -- like baseball -- that have short bursts of intense activity rather than continuous movement.
• In cold weather, wear a scarf or mask over your mouth and nose to warm the inhaled air.

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It isn't brand-new news that obesity can worsen asthma symptoms. Previous research has indicated that obesity can cause more severe symptoms for people with asthma. New research expands on that fact and shows that people who are obese and have asthma are more than five times as likely to be hospitalized for their symptoms.

Sometimes I wonder why we need a funded study to tell us these things. I'm not a scientist, I'm not a doctor, and I'm not a researcher, but it seems relatively obvious to me that obesity could potentially exacerbate asthma symptoms.

If you have asthma, maintaining a healthy weight is an important step you can take to protect your health. For tips on weight loss, check out AOL Health.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hey Fitz, My name is Sarah and I'm almost 16. I have always been involved with sports including: hockey, basketball, soccer and you name it! Now that I am older, I have slowed down a bit and only play basketball for high school and travel. This is what is bothering me: I can't seem to run as long as I used to. I get tired easily and run out of breath. I'm not fat or anything, and I am even really fast. But by the time I run one length of the court I'm pretty much dead. What am I doing wrong and what do I need to do to change this? It seems like I get more out of breathe each season. Thanks, Sarah

A. Hi Sarah, Thanks for writing. I have two thoughts on what may be happening with you, the first being more probable than the last. Most likely, you've just become out of shape. That doesn't mean you're obese or in horrible shape, it just may mean you're not capable of doing as much as you were two years ago when you were involved in three sports! You take pride in the fact that you run fast. That's great! But, the fact that you like to go all out probably makes you more likely to suck wind at the end of one lap.

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I adopted my son from the US foster care system when he was 10-years-old. He has ADHD and often struggles with focus. He also has high anxiety and can get quite nervous in certain situations. One tool that helps him regain focus and composure is taking a few deep breaths. We face each other, look directly in each others' eyes and take a deep breath in... and out. He usually says "one more, Mom" and we continue until he's feeling in control again. The simple act helps to ground him, reduce his anxiety, and help him focus again. Breathing exercises can help everyone reduce stress and relax.

When you're faced with an abrupt, unexpected stressful situation (such as a car cutting you off in traffic or someone saying something offensive to you) take a moment to pause and breathe deeply before reacting. Those few seconds will calm you so you can respond appropriately and thoughtfully -- avoiding a hasty reaction you might regret later.

When you're faced with longer-lasting stress (such as a difficult deadline at work or ongoing problems with your significant other) make a regular practice of this breathing and stretching technique. It will imbibe your body with oxygen and help relieve stress.

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A breath mint is another coffee breath killer, but it will only work in the short-term. Consider it a hold-over until you can round up your toothbrush and paste. Can't get to a mint or the bathroom sink? In a pinch, you can fill your mouth with water and give it a good swish.

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Chris told us recently about a revolutionary mint that might soon kill bad breath. Made from Magnolia bark, the new extract is about 17 times stronger and more effective than leading breath savers. Martha mentions this very same traditional Chinese remedy in this post. Chris tells us in another post to battle bad breath by staying hydrated, eating parsley, drinking green tea, and keeping up with vitamins. Search "bad breath" on this site and you'll come it with plenty of archived material to peruse. Clearly, we're on the hunt for the perfect bad-breath fix.

Real Age weighs in on the topic of toxic breath too, with these six fixes.

• Suck on a lemon wedge or nibble on the rind.
• Chew on parsley sprigs to release it's breath-refreshing oils.
• Chow down on an apple or other crisp foods, like pears and carrots. The combination of fiber and saliva production acts like a scrubbing rinse for the mouth.
• Crunch on some spices, like anise, cardamom, coriander, and fennel seeds. Mix equal parts, cover, and let sit. Grab when you want yummy breath.
• Savor some mint sprigs or cinnamon. Both are especially effective for onion and garlic breath.
• Eat berries and yogurt for prevention. A half-cup of plain, sugar-free yogurt twice a day lowers mouth levels of hydrogen sulfide, and berries deter stinky mouth bacteria.

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Nobody wants raunchy breath, which is why mouthwash can be found in many bathroom cabinets across America. The crazy part is, though, it may actually cause your breath to smell worse.

If your mouthwash contains alcohol -- which about 90 percent of all brands do -- you may want to rethink using it before your next big date. As it turns out, alcohol dries your mouth to the point that bacteria gets stuck there, rather than being washed away by saliva. What's more, alcohol can actually feed surviving bacteria, say researchers from Tel Aviv University, causing your breath to smell even worse. So, swishing some mouthwash around may provide a quick fix, but it will probably be very temporary.

Try alcohol-free mouthwash for fresher breath and be sure to floss. Also, try not to go hungry, as prolonged periods of not eating have also been shown to cause funky breath. Then, you should finally be ready to pick up your date and not have to worry about them wilting like a flower.

Fight bad breath with these 6 tips

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By now, we should all be aware of the importance of breathing. After all, it's what keeps us alive, right? So why is it that when we work out our hardest, we sometimes forget to breathe? That's when our bodies need it the most--when we're pushing our limits and challenging ourselves to the max.

So how's your breathing during your workout? For me, it's the weights that make me forget my breath. I take a weight-lifting class a few times a week and funny though it sounds, I usually need to be reminded by the instructor to breathe--otherwise I'll hold my breath until I get a short break. No wonder I get dizzy sometimes!

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All of my friends in the so-called "allergy capital of the country", Gainesville, Florida have allergies. I mean ALL of them. Growing up on the beach in South Florida, I didn't know a sole who spoke of the evils of allergies. Now, everyone on my speed dial is speaking with a raspy voice and choking up a lung.

Winter can be especially rough. If you're dealing with the aggravations of allergies or worse, the brutal side-effects that come with asthma...Women's Health magazine has a pretty great resource for you. The Women's Health Allergies and Asthma Clinic offers the full scoop on breathing easy through this winter.

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Did you know that each breath exhaled by a person contains more than a thousand different molecules? I know I didn't; that is, until reading about a new disease-spotting technique that's being tested by scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Using a laser light to sample a person's breath, researchers may someday be able to detect molecules that are indicators of such diseases as cancer, diabetes, and asthma. Optical frequency comb spectroscopy -- which is the actual name of what more simple-minded people such as myself have called shining a laser through breath -- may offer a low-cost, speedy, noninvasive method of health screening in the very near future.

To read more about this remarkable advancement in medical technology (and wordsmanship), click HERE.

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Breathing is very important. "Thank you, Captain Obvious" is probably what you're thinking. But, there is a reason why I mention something that seems so obvious.

First off, weight training, resistance training -- it all pretty much means the same thing, so don't get confused by the wording. Basically, anything that involves the pushing or pulling of something -- be it a dumbbell, a resistance band, or even your own body weight -- falls under the umbrella category of weight or resistance training.

Back to my point -- when it comes to resistance training, there is a risk of raising the blood pressure in your eyes. Research shows that because of something called Valsalva (an effort to exhale while keeping your air passages closed), an increase in blood pressure can occur. The same applies for cardio, although it is rare for people hold their breath while performing exercises of this kind.

Just some healthy advice from your friendly neighborhood Captain Obvious. But before I go, I just want to point out that there were a lot of spaceships in the movie Star Wars. Just something I noticed.

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