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They've been researching stress reduction for
decades, and the evidence comes back again and
again that the most effective, easiest way to
counteract stress is through deep breathing exercises. As we grow
tense, the tendency is to take shallower
breaths--perhaps a leftover strategy from when
stress meant there was a sabre-toothed tiger just
around the mouth of the cave. Today's tigers look
like bosses or irritable teenagers or insane
freeway drivers, but our bodies don't know the
difference between a wild beast and the maniac in
the next cubicle.
--Editors Tip ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Home Pilates Can Be a Stress Reducing,
Relaxing Exercise Habit
 Relaxation
involves more than sitting still: exercise is a
well-known method for relaxing the body and easing
the mind. Exercise increases endorphins, lifting
your mood and reducing physical aches. It puts you
in a different mind-set, as you work your muscles
and increase your heart rate. Exercise can help
you sleep better and make you feel refreshed. But
at the end of a long day, who wants to go to the
gym? You don't have to! Get your exercise mat and
start relaxing with exercise.
There are all sorts of exercise fads, but the
trends that stay around year after year do so
because they work: people like them! Pilates is
one such trend: the stretching and muscle
strengthening exercises combine with a certain
type of deep breathing to help energize your body
and mind. The exercises are fun! And for weight
loss, muscle toning and relaxation, you can't beat
an at-home Pilates workout.
See a variety of pilates workouts and simple
equipment to start a relaxing workout plan today.
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Understanding Common Breathing Problems
Shallow breathing means less oxygen getting to the
brain and muscles, which increases your physical
tension as your body tries to adjust to the new
demands you place on it. Ordinarily, we don't
notice that we aren't using our lungs fully until
something causes us to take a deep breath.
Hyperventilation is the most recognizable extreme
of shallow breathing. Brought on by anxiety,
breathing becomes so shallow that the sufferer
experiences the feeling of not being able to catch
her breath: she tries to compensate by breathing
faster, and winds up gasping uncontrollably.
Hyperventilation has traditionally been treated by
having the person breathe into a paper bag: I
don't know the chemical reason this would work,
but I would surmise that having the distraction of
breathing into a bag may be enough to calm the
person and turn the mind away from the anxiety
that brought on the attack in the first place.
Benefits of Practicing Daily Deep Breathing
Taking a few minutes once or twice a day to
practice deep breathing techniques can lower your blood
pressure, aid your digestion, increase alertness
and decrease fatigue, reduce tension headaches and
migraines, and generally increase your quality of
life (these are just a few of the benefits). People tend not to try deep breathing for a
couple of reasons. They're afraid it sounds too
simple to work. They feel like they can't make
time for it in their already over-committed lives.
And, because deep breathing has been linked with
meditation and eastern religions, some people are
wary that deep breathing may make them susceptible
to "foreign ways". The mystical reputation of deep
breathing scares them away from doing something
that's sensible, healthy and free.
In fact, deep breathing is not a mystical practice
in itself. It is simply a way of resetting the
body's stress levels to pre-tiger states. You
don't have to take a particular pose or chant
anything, if you don't want to. For a busy,
worried mind, it may help to count each breath in
and out ("one" on the inhale, "one" on the exhale,
then "two" and so on). Counting your breaths is a
simple exercise technique that helps keep the mind from
wandering off to more distracting and more
upsetting ideas. Ideally, the time you spend in
deep breathing is not spent ruminating, planning,
agonizing, or scheduling. You should just be
breathing.
Deep Breathing Exercise Technique to Try
To practice deep breathing, you will need ten
minutes of uninterrupted time and a kitchen timer.
- The first step is to give yourself
permission to practice deep breathing, forgetting
any ideas of multi-tasking. Promise yourself 5-10
minutes, twice a day, every day.
- Turn off the cell phone, shut the office door
(or go sit in your car) and make sure you can give
your full attention to doing nothing.
- Get yourself in a comfortable position. You may
be sitting or lying down: it doesn't matter.
- Loosen tight clothes, and take off your shoes
if they aren't comfortable.
- Set your timer for 10 minutes (or 5 if you're
just starting and fear that 10 minutes of sitting
quietly may drive you mad. It won't, though, and
you can work your way up to it gradually.)
- Relax your body. Those muscles you usually suck
in, let go of. Let your face droop, too (many of
us hold lots of tension in our jaws and foreheads.
Especially if you're prone to headaches, relaxing
your face will be most helpful.
- Close your eyes, and focus on your breathing.
Usually, the chest rises when you breathe. In deep
breathing, your stomach will rise. Feel your
stomach rising and falling. If your mind is
racing, count your breaths. Otherwise, just
concentrate on your breathing. Usually, your mind
will wander, so when it does, gently remind it
that you are just breathing now and will think of
other things later. Don't get mad at yourself, and
don't give up after only a few tries.
And that's all there is to it. When your time is
up, the timer will ring. If you've managed to fall
asleep, it may be because you've been so tightly
keyed up that releasing your anxiety for a few
minutes gave you some much-needed rest. Don't feel
bad about that!
There are many techniques for using deep breathing
to address specific health issues. If you want to
examine it more fully, try an ebook on deep
breathing from www.clickbank.net.
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Working out can sometimes feel like a daily chore that must be done to keep those extra pounds off and keep us healthy. Sometimes I need a little extra motivation to enjoy my gym workouts. I used to just throw on some grungy sweats and an old t-shirt, but now I find it much more exciting to go to the gym if I feel cute and stylish in my workout wear.
