Breath And Exercise: The Motivation You’ve Been Looking For
Once you have worked up your tolerance for walking, continue your deep-breathing routine but add two minutes a day to your activity level. If you can walk at a regular pace without fatigue or pain for 20 minutes, you may be ready to add additional aerobic or resistance training. Talk to your medical professional about what is safe for you.
If you are currently exercising, think about how your routine could be enriched by paying more attention to your breath. Mindful exercise that synchronizes movement and breath has the power to change more than how you look. A 2002 study from Columbia University showed that yogic deep-breathing techniques were as good at handling depression, eating disorders and obesity as other forms of medicine.
Many local YWCAs, community centers and health clubs recognize the importance of breathing and exercise. Classes in healthy techniques like Pilates and yoga are now standard fare. Taking it one step at a time with respect and consideration towards your amazingly complex body will ensure that you create a lifetime of exercise and well being, not just a passing resolution.
And remember that your cells also need proper nutrition in addition to oxygen to function well. With this in mind, we have a few other recommendations to help support your body on its journey toward deep breathing and integrated physical fitness.
- Take a daily multivitamin with enough calcium, magnesium and a EFAs to ensure a regular supply of rich nutrition.
- Use a natural progesterone cream to promote a healthy supply of progesterone, a metabolic building block for testosterone and other steroid hormones that help build muscles.
- Try to stop smoking.
- Drink at least 8-10 glasses of filtered water a day. Good hydration helps the lymph system flush toxins from your body and gives you more energy for activity.
- Follow a balanced eating plan that includes protein at every meal. We recommend 5 smaller meals (3 meals and two snacks) per day. For more information please refer to our Nutritional and Lifestyle Guidelines.
- Practice a gentle and supportive detox at least twice a year to give your kidneys, liver and lymph system a rest. Bouncing on a mini-trampoline or rebounder for 5 minutes a day will help pump your lymph fluid more efficiently.
- Keep breathing! Commit to taking five deep breaths a day for the next week. Then make it ten. If you start a daily practice of deep breathing, you may be surprised how much easier it will be to start an exercise routine.
- If you are mobile, start walking and breathing (in addition to your five deep breaths). Even twenty minutes a day can make a big difference in how you feel. Pump your arms and legs, breathe through your nose and smile!
Making time for yourself a priority
We have a saying at Women to Women: “Pay yourself first.” So often, women make time for everyone else, rising to meet the demands of others before they nurture themselves. Learning how to breathe fully and deeply is a very small but very important way to take a moment to honor your self and your miraculous life. In many cultures and religions, breath is life—a divine connection to a force that binds us all to the ebb and flow of nature.
By taking a few moments out of your day to really pay attention to the inhalations and exhalations that support your life, you will slowly and surely move toward a healthier and happier place. Remember, small changes add up to big improvements—and what better way to begin?