We all breathe without even really thinking about it, but many of us don't breathe to our full potential. We tend to breathe shallowly and quickly, and therefore don't give our bodies as much oxygen as we could.
By learning to breath more effectively and fully we can increase our energy levels and general sense of wellbeing considerably.
But learning to breathe effectively is harder than it sounds - we are so used to breathing incorrectly and we don't even think about it. We have to first become aware of our breathing patterns and then re-learn new patterns.
Much like fat loss already! We have to re-learn patterns and new habits in order to reap the rewards, such as increased energy and wellbeing.
If you try to focus too hard on your breathing, you can easily get light-headed and even feel like you are hyperventilating. This is because you are forcing a process that is designed to occur naturally. You end up over-doing it a bit and lose all the benefits.
Rather than focussing on both the inhale and exhale, it helps to simply focus on channelling the exhale, lengthening the breath out until your lungs are completely empty. You don't have to force the inhale or even control it - the body's reflex response is to initiate the inhale part of the process at this point. So you can exhale fully, relaxed in the knowledge that the inhale will take care of itself.
OK, I see you may be a little bit confused about where I am going with this one, so let me explain.
When we start on a fitness and diet programme, with the intention of shedding that extra weight, we often focus on the wrong part of the process. We are so fixated on the results that we get frustrated and may even forget to focus on the steps we need to take to get there.
It's a far better approach, especially at the beginning, to almost forget about the results altogether!
The results, like the inhale, will happen naturally, so long as the rest of the process is happening. If you are effectively making changes to your diet and lifestyle and are exercising regularly and consistently, then you will lose body fat. If you are following a programme correctly, then you don't need to worry about the outcome. You energies are far better directed at making sure you follow the programme as best you can.
When we overly fixate on the results we can easily become frustrated or despondent, feeling as though all our efforts are being wasted. You might not see a great difference straight away, and the difference you see each day will be negligible as the process of fat loss is a gradual one, so to follow it every step of the way is counter-productive. By keeping this side of the equation uppermost in your mind, you set yourself up for self-defeating and self-sabotaging thoughts, such as 'it's pointless, I've not lost any weight today after all my hard work yesterday, I might as well not bother'.
Even if you manage to avoid that kind of thinking, you will be making the whole process much more stressful than it needs to be.
However, if you direct your energy into doing all you can to enjoy your healthy eating plan, and giving all you've got to your training programme, you can relax and let the results come to you. You are putting in the work, consistently, and there is only one way you can go. This way you avoid the emotional rollercoaster that occurs when you live by the morning's scale reading.
Not to say you shouldn't monitor or track your results, however. I weigh myself every morning, and log it. But I keep my distance from the numbers on a daily basis, and use it to track the overall picture. The weight may go up one day for hormonal reasons, or after a carb overload, but so long as the trend is going the way I want it to then I know things are on track. If the weight is going up over a period of time, I know I need to adjust my approach. But the approach is the important thing to focus on! The scales just provide some feedback, which should also be combined with other feedback, such as the fit of your clothes and the tape measure.
Keep your vision in mind, remind yourself of your goals, but direct that towards the part you can change - the behaviours. The outcome is actually out of your hands - we can't accurately predict how we will respond to a weight loss programme. We may not achieve our goal weight on the scales, but get to our perfect dress size instead.
By thinking about the results every second of the day you set yourself up for a lot of pointless stress and worrying! Focus your energy instead on exercising and eating right - and let the fat loss come to you, naturally.
Caroline is a Personal Trainer, Yoga Teacher and Kettlebell Instructor based in the UK.
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