Breathing and Exercise

Everybody knows that breathing is inherently an integral aspect of physical existence. However, the concern is that people view breathing as something that is entirely autonomic and just happens without having to pay attention to it. While it is true that we will respire enough to survive without thought, the two questions that need to be asked are, "What result could we garner from gaining control over and awareness of our breathing?" and "How do we assume control over our respiration?" Since physical fitness is my main focus, we will begin to answer these queries from there.
Firstly, think of oxygen as it relates to fire; it is not fuel in and of itself but without it there will be no fire. So it is a catalyst of sorts. It works in the same way in our bodies, actively disintegrating food molecules in order to create the energy we need to propel our physical forms.
Already we can start to see the benefit: increased oxygen uptake equals increased energy production efficiency. A second and reciprocal aspect of conscious breathing is the timely release of poisonous carbon dioxide from our lungs after the oxygen consumption.
Cleansing carbon dioxide at higher, yet controlled, rates leads to decreased lactic acid build-up in our muscles, especially during greater intensity workouts. This, of course, allows for less fatigue, less muscular "burn" and lowered chances of cramping up.
The final aspect of the benefits of breathing that will be discussed here is the role of oxygen in the burning of fat, as that is a primary goal of many people. Fat is broken down in our bodies through a process called beta oxidation and is then processed into ATP, which can only be accomplished through the use of oxygen. So the more oxygen we take in the more fat we get out.
Again we find the benefit of taking in oxygen in a practical sense. To answer our second question of how to gain awareness of our breathing and therefore control over it I point to one of the most basic characteristics of meditation: breathing through the lower dantian, or the point midway between the pubic bone and the navel. With eyes closed and all else shut out it becomes much easier to become aware of where our breath is coming and going from. With practice we can establish control over our respiration, a skill which we can then transfer to times of physical exertion to garner all the benefits mentioned above.