Daryl’s FIT TIP of the Day: Here is a simple exercise to do to help improve your lung health. The more oxygen you can bring into the body the more fat can be burned and inflammation and stress can be reduced. Many people these days are completely STRESSED out of their minds. Stress promotes thoracic breathing (shallow breathing), which causes blood pressure and stress hormones to increase in the body. Hypertension is a serious issue affecting millions of people. One simple way to reduce hypertension without resorting to drugs is diaphragmatic breathing.
Lie on your back flat on the floor, bed, or couch, with one hand on your belly (just below the belly button) and one hand on your chest. Take a deep breath in-slowly. Concentrate on filling up your lungs with air; it should take about five seconds to inhale completely. As your diaphragm pulls down your chest cavity, your belly button should move away from your spine as you fill with air (the hand on your belly will rise along with your belly). Your chest will also widen and maybe rise ever so slightly as you inhale. When your lungs feel full, exhale slowly– taking about seven seconds to let all the air out.
I recommend that you take ten deep breaths in the morning, ten at night right before falling asleep, and as many as you need in between to help relieve stress.
Another benefit of deep breathing is that it helps cool down the brain. When the brain heats up due to lack of oxygen, anger and hostility ensues. The Amyglada is part of the brain that controls emotions. There seems to be a lot of over heated Amyglada’s out there these days. Everyone just needs to SIMMAH-DOWN-NAW and take a deeeeeeeep breath smile emoticon:)
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