1. Clean up your act! Let’s face it, there’s way too much air pollution out there. You cannot avoid it. It will affect your respiratory health and fitness. For a singer, this can be particularly devastating. But the good news is that you can manage the air inside your own living space, keeping it as pure as possible.
We recommend investing in one or more of these solutions:
- For the purist, try a good air purifier. Just like a vacuum cleaner removes harmful dust and particles from your furniture and rugs by literally sucking them into a filtration system, an air purifier will pull the impure particles and gases from the air into a filter, leaving you to breathe cleaner.
- Another alternative is an air ionizer. It will remove impurities from your environment by electronically binding the offending substances and neutralizing them. These are especially fun for the scientifically minded singer.
- For the artsy, esthetically leaning singer, try Himalayan pink salt lamps. With the help of low heat and light, these use a process called hygroscopy, attracting and absorbing contaminated water molecules and locking them into the salt crystal. While these do not have as wide a range, they are very affordable and stylish. If you’re on a tight budget, you can easily get one or two for every room at a fraction of the cost of a good purifier or ionizer. As an added bonus, you get the ambiance of candlelight without the harmful pollutants.
2. Keep it hydrated. Yes, by all means, drink an adequate amount of liquid. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. The air that you breathe should also be moist to keep your nasal passages and vocal folds lubricated, pliable, and free of impurities. Additionally, vaporizing your air can ease congestion and improve your breathing capacity. We recommend a good humidifier. Whether you choose a warm or cool mist is down to your personal comfort; by the time the mist reaches your inner airways, the temperature will be the same regardless of which you use. However, if you go with cool, be sure to choose an evaporative model. They have filters, which will ensure more purity. Ultrasonic models tend to create a buildup of harsh water minerals, which can irritate your throat. As an added bonus, keeping the air around you well hydrated does wonders for the skin. No wonder singers are some of the most beautiful people around!
3. Just don’t do it! Don’t smoke. Don’t vape. Don’t wrap your lips around the exhaust pipe of a hotrod. Avoid environments where any these things are happening. Be proactive. Take care of your respiratory system and it will take care of you. Always remember this: You're not just what you eat, you’re also what you breathe.
Lisa L Peters
Storyteller | Photographer