Show Notes
“There’s no point in trying to sprint if you can’t walk.” In this surprise bonus episode of the Oxygen Advantage® podcast, Patrick McKeown is joined by podcast partner Daniel Pålsson and Ximena Beltrán García to discuss the recent news about Polish tennis ace Iga Swiatek. The world number one tennis player received global media attention recently when she was filmed training for the National Bank Open in Montreal with her mouth taped. The pictures that circulated around the world reignited the discussion around nose breathing and using functional nasal breathing to improve performance. As with all of these online discourses, a mixture of facts and fiction about nose breathing filtered through the media, so Patrick and his team are on hand to guide you through. Ximena and Daniel are both Oxygen Advantage® instructors who specialize in training tennis players and both have years of experience making the OA method and functional breathing a part of their training regimes. Both are very experienced tennis players and coaches with Daniel a former tennis pro in his native Sweden. Looking at the science of breathing, they discuss the possible reasons why Iga has chosen to use mouth taping and the many benefits that functional breath training can bring to her and all athletes. They discuss the frighteningly large proportion of professional athletes who have dysfunctional breathing and what they and any member of the public can do to start improving it. This is a great episode if you are looking for insights into functional breathing for athletes, for reasons behind why the world number one taped her mouth during training and for explanations of the science behind why functional breathing methods such as those taught by the Oxygen Advantage® are hugely beneficial to their health, their mental and physical wellbeing and their performance. Try the free Oxygen Advantage® Breathing App, available now. 📱 Android Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oxygen.advantage 📱 Apple store: https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/oxygen-advantage/id1589260950 🔗 CONNECT WITH Patrick McKeown (Oxygen Advantage®) 💻 Website - https://oxygenadvantage.com/ 🎙Podcast - https://oxygenadvantage.com/podcasts/ 📹 YouTube Channel -https://www.youtube.com/c/OxygenAdvantage 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oxygenadvantage/?hl=en 📱 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theoxygenadvantage/ 💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oxygenadvantage 🐥 Twitter - https://twitter.com/oxygenadvantage?lang=en
More from Oxygen Advantage
Patrick McKeown sits down with Bob van de Gronde, director of Air Hunger – The Breathwork Movie, now streaming worldwide. The film takes breathing out of the wellness corner and into performance, following elite athletes, military veterans, scientists and everyday people. A conversation about putting breathing on screen, and why it might be the most underrated lever we have.
Patrick McKeown sits down with Dr. Tim Hughes, an anaesthetist, advanced breathwork instructor, and co-founder of The Breath Doctors. Tim uses breathing to calm patients before surgery and himself before he walks through the hospital doors. A conversation about performing under real pressure—and how something as simple as breath can be the difference.
Patrick McKeown and James Nestor meet face-to-face for the first time to discuss the science of breathing, functional breathing methods, and how nasal breathing transforms sleep, health, and well-being. After years of correspondence—Zoom calls, Instagram Lives, emails, voice notes—they finally sit down together. What was meant to be one episode ran long. They kept talking well into dinner.
What if the key to running further, calmer, and healthier wasn't in your legs — but in your nose? In this episode, Patrick McKeown sits down with Dr. Bill Hang: orthodontist, airway pioneer, and marathon runner approaching his 80th birthday. After hearing Patrick speak 15 years ago, Bill made two decisions that changed his life — taping his mouth at night and running with his lips sealed. He's since run the Boston Marathon multiple times breathing entirely through his nose, including once with his mouth taped the whole way. But this conversation goes far beyond running. Dr. Hang shares why he walked away from traditional extraction orthodontics, how forward jaw development can transform a child's airway, and what every parent should know before agreeing to have their child's teeth removed.
Consistently Good, Not Occasionally Perfect: Nutrition, Habits & Breathing with Scott Baptie In this episode, Patrick McKeown sits down with nutritionist, author, and recipe creator Scott Baptie to explore simple, realistic nutrition, sustainable weight loss, and how breathing became the “missing piece” in Scott’s own health routine. They cover: Why simplicity and accessibility matter more than perfection in nutrition The real role of protein for satiety, recovery, and weight loss Why you can’t spot-reduce belly fat (and what actually works) The truth about supplements, including creatine and protein powder How habits and small steps beat short-term extreme diets The impact of sleep, stress, alcohol, and social media on food choices Scott’s personal experience with nasal breathing, mouth taping, VO₂ max gains, and Patrick’s work Work–life balance, outsourcing, and building a lifestyle you can actually sustain Whether you’re an athlete, a busy parent, or just trying to feel and perform better, this conversation gives you practical, down‑to‑earth strategies you can start applying today. ⏱ Timestamps / Chapters 0:00 – Intro: Who is Scott Baptie? 0:36 – Scott’s journey: from blog to nutrition career & fitness modeling 3:06 – Simplicity and accessibility in nutrition: the food hierarchy 6:33 – Why protein matters: appetite, recovery & weight loss 9:02 – Creatine, whey, and which supplements are actually worth it 11:49 – Belly fat, spot reduction myth & realistic fat loss expectations 16:06 – Scales vs how you feel: better ways to track progress 16:33 – Water, hydration & simple practical guidelines 18:27 – Finding your passion and evolving a career in nutrition 22:15 – Work–life balance, productivity & “work less, make more” 25:10 – Alcohol, moderation & individual differences in habits 28:17 – How breathing changed Scott’s health and performance 32:50 – VO₂ max, nasal breathing, mouth taping & tracking sleep 34:35 – Was switching to nasal breathing hard at the start? 36:10 – Mouth tape, beards & practical tweaks for better sleep 36:44 – Habits: why “consistently good” beats “occasionally perfect” 39:57 – Making change easy: what to eat more of, less of & how to do it 41:21 – Meal prep, slow cookers & freezer strategies for busy lives 42:27 – Tiredness, cravings & how poor sleep derails nutrition 44:37 – Sleep as a pillar: hygiene, environment & tracking 45:35 – Social media, attention, and protecting your mental bandwidth 47:50 – Generational shifts: who’s going to the gym now? 50:38 – Scott’s books, where to find him & free gift