Graceful Aging is taking on a whole new spin, with much research into what and how we age. And one area that may seem obvious at first, is gaining a LOT of traction – breath work. Why? Because it is easy, free, and we all do it.
Breathing is fundamental to life. But have you noticed your own breathing technique? Are you conscious of how you breathe? Remember, today.s “Pioneer Woman is all about growing in awareness, and recognizing and changing old, stale ways. So let’s start with the most basic, and easiest of all, breathing.
It’s been well documented that most people do not know how to breathe properly. The way you breathe can impact your blood pressure, heart rate and stress level and can increase cortisol in the body. It can also be used in managing our ‘triggers’ for food indulgences (called the 90-second rule). More on that later..
There are many different kinds of breathing exercises, with some methods calling for a certain number of breath counts, certain length of holding the breath, etc. But let’s just simplify, shall we? (I’m all about simplicity).
We breathe 17,000 to 30,000 times a day, but most of us aren’t breathing properly. Many yoga or pilates or other classes offer various methods to instruct you, but here’s a simple one: consider where you breathe into…lower belly, mid belly chest…experts say most of us have lost the natural eay to breathe after the age of 6, no longer breathing deeply enough. Healthy breathing expands the belly and engages the diaphragm, but most adults breath shallowly from only the upper part of the lungs, while tensing the shoulders and neck. So if you make a habit of breathing incorrectly, the result is we live in a state of chronic, low grade stress, which leads to fatigue, or what some experience as the ‘tired but wired’ feeling.
A simple try: When driving, or when working at your desk, take a moment and slowly breathe in 10 times. It will set you into an instant state of relaxation, and if you are in a perplexed state (someone is honking their car horn, or you are having a stressful day at work), it immediately rises you up into an Alpha state, where you begin to detach and ‘float’ above the problem…no longer ‘in’ it, now you have a bird’s eye view. Simple, powerful, effective, and you can do it anywhere, anytime.
And get rid of the shapewear that holds you in, because it is restricting deep breathing (sorry Spanks!). And make sure you get up from your work desk often to deep breathe…sitting at a desk causes a constriction in the lungs, a slight slumping over in posture that causes the muscles of the lings to go slack.
The Cookie Exercise (and how one client stopped her cookie binges!)
Want to stop binge eating? Here’s a tip I use with my foodies…I call it The Cookie Exercise (named after a client who managed to NOT eat the cookie after pausing over and over again, for a full 30 minutes, when she got off the phone to her less-than-happy father whom she had a contentious relationship with. Her usual comfort after such calls was to nibble on cookies to numb the pain…but she did the Pause Exercise, and miracles happened…).
When you feel the urge to nibble on less-than-healthy foods, stop, sit, breathe, and just be in that space for 30 seconds…allow whatever to come up. If the urge hits again, do it again, breathe, sit for 60 seconds or 5 minutes. Likely, your desire to binge is rooted in NOT wanting to notice or feel some other feeling…but this is where we build awareness, and start taking control of our out-of-control binge sessions. It takes courage and patience, but soon, in time, you will come to a greater understanding of you, what ails you, and where you need to look, to clear out the emotional triggers and old ‘stuff’ that are holding you hostage.
But then again, sometimes a good old cinnamon bun can do wonders! But with breathe work, you get to learn what times you are ‘enjoying’ a treat for treat’s sake, or if it is layered in other emotional resistances that need to be addressed. And like this client, you can begin to heal old stuff: for her, there was a healing between her and her dad (long overdue), and her cookies returned to just being, well, cookies. She no longer uses cookies to deflect or mask her inner pain. Instead, she is growing in awareness and personal freedom.
For her, it was one more step toward food freedom, and understanding her own food triggers. She is better in control of her food, rather than having food control her. She uses food for pleasure and sustenance, no longer used to deflect or cover over something that needed attention.
coach Karen
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