Exercise and Breathing

Hello lovely!

Welcome back to your second lesson Exercise and Breathing in your Seven Steps to Your Personal Health, Wellness and Recovery.

Today we're going to look at all things exercise and breathing and how taking small daily steps to move more, helps you build strength and stamina and consequently massively improves your breathing. The results are pretty speedy too, which is always encouraging.

Here’s your worksheet for your unique answers AND your own personal fitness planner so please print them and so you can look at your mindset and begin to plan which days you plan to do which types of exercise, and breathing techniques.

Daily exercise is so important for your mind, body and spirit and maintaining it will help your recovery and build your confidence as you become stronger and healthier.  It can also be sociable too which can be just what you need if you’re going through tough recovery times.

If you don’t exercise you may feel lower in mood because exercise encourages endorphins to flow around your body and brain, improving your mood and beating the blues. Dopamine is released quickly after you finish exercise, providing that feel good factor of having achieved something great which does wonders to lift the spirits. 

Ok, so this quote 'Movement is Medicine' is one of the most encouraging reminders you can have. 

Your body was made to move, and I know I know sometimes with fatigue it is the very last thing you can think of doing.  So where do you start?  Well my lovely, the key is small steps.  The thing is, your body has a muscle memory, therefore your body can remember what it has recently done, and so its increases its abilities little by little, until your small steps are big steps.

You will have that ‘feel good factor, from the endorphins and dopamine your body releases during and after exercise.  It’s worth noting it doesn’t sadly kick in before you exercise, so you must rely on your growth mindset and your daily disciplines you plan into your week (which is where your own answers and plan comes in, from your printables) 😊

Movement is medicine because it alleviates aches and pains and anxiety, fatigue and depression…it is proven! Serotonin, the mood booster increases over time to improve mood acting like a mild to moderate anti-depressant and pain-killer, isn't that just amazing?

So try to exercise daily, which reawakens and rebuilds your body and remember start with small steps. Don’t overdo it at first because you might put yourself off, thinking it’s too difficult.  Just do what you can to begin, and little by little you will build up your strength, stamina and muscle mass which will make it easier the more you do it.

And that brings me nicely to this point…that you should try to put a variety of strength stamina and muscle building exercises in two your weekly planner as this will give you optimal results.

Let's have a look at some exercise options and their benefits to you.

The first is daily walking outside this gives you fresh air and 20 minutes outside a day is and natural way to boost vitamin D in your body and walking alone can be helpful for having some time out or time to listen to your favourite music our an interesting podcast.

It's also a fabulous form of mindfulness if you observe the sensations within you and around you too which can be really healing and you can also listen to meditation music or meditation talks which a very calming for your mind body spirit. You can also walk with others ask family or friends to join you this can be a lovely way to connect and sometimes even talk through things without sitting face to face and feeling awkward and it's a wonderful way to take in the beauty of the creation around you. 

Going to the gym and being inducted properly can be a great first step to getting fit again because your personal trainer will provide you with a personal plan which is tailor made to help you improve your strength, stamina, and muscle power. Having at gym routine can be a helpful way for you to have structure and keep to a plan.

Also, gym classes can be a great way for you to make new friends and many people are usually also dealing with recoveries of some form or another so you may find a wonderful support network. Gym classes often repeat exercises to music which use the brain and improve memory which will be great for your brain power and reducing the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Now, swimming is great if you have any injuries because in the water when you are afloat there is no impact on your body. Also, swimming can be a freeing experience you can use it to metaphorically wash away your problems which can be very freeing for your mind.

When you’re swimming backwards and forwards it can be a good time to allow your mind to really relax and sometimes things you are worried about will disappear and answers you've been looking for will come to you because your mind becomes more relaxed…or at least this is what I find happens to me!  Swimming can also be social experience and water aerobics can be really good fun, all-over body workout. 

Running is a BIG one – I had a massive mental block and you might too?  It reminded me of school days getting frostbite on my legs and having numb fingers and toes which I really didn't enjoy!

I recommend starting with small steps because before long you will build up your capabilities and surprise yourself and this will really boost your confidence;  I managed to go from 0 to 10K, which was miraculous. Honestly, if I can do it you can do it!

Running alone is great because you can choose when you want to run or walk or both if you're doing high intensity interval training (HIIT) and you can follow apps like the Nike running club or you can track your progress on Fitbit which will give you a real sense of achievement, as it does me.

Running is known to be a great stress reliever and you might like to do it straight after work and remember that when the nights get darker and colder there’s always the treadmill at your gym. The treadmill can be pretty boring I know, but if you create your favourite playlist with music that pumps you up you will actually have an amazing experience this must be why some people do you get addicted to running (I’m not quite there yet!)

Also running with someone else can be helpful when you need motivating and it's another social activity which is great for your spirit. There are running groups like Parkrun and there’s also the Couch to 5K programme to get you running 5 kilometres without stopping. But remember if you need to you can always stop you are in control just don't give up it can be mind over matter and remember running is completely free and something you can do whenever you want to, come rain or shine.

Now, body conditioning, Pilates and dance focus on breathing and they are strengthening AND lengthening! You learn to elongate your body in these forms of exercise and you really have to focus your mind which helps you forget everything else during your session, which is amazing and these are all my personal favourites.

They are often accompanied by music too, and with some calming meditation at the end, all of which helps to bring healing and happiness to your mind body and spirit and that’s why I just love these forms of exercise. 

You can also do these forms of exercise in your own home too all you need is a bit of space for a mat or to jump around and some music to enjoy.  You can also follow online YouTube classes for free which is especially good if you want to stay at home and are having a bit of a rough or lazy day.  

Moving your body around even just a little is like a little bit of medicine for your body. Exercise is so beneficial for your mind body and spirit and hopefully you’ll feel encouraged to plan exercise into your week and begin to enjoy it rather than see it as a chore or a necessity.  If you don’t feel motivated just remember these things about exercise…

Movement in all forms is medicine...for your mind, exercise regulates breathing reducing stress and anxiety, for your body exercise lowers your heart rate and increases your fitness levels and for your spirit exercise and music lifts the spirits. What a win-win-win right? :) 

Before long it will become second nature if you keep it up I promise, because ‘practice makes perfect.’  And decide what works for you, is it 3 times a week or daily?  Either way be proud of yourself and try to mix it up and keep it fun, mindful and flexible.  

Finally, DON’T beat yourself up if you miss anything…just forget about it and try again the next day or whenever you’re feeling ready to start over, especially if you’re not feeling so great and need to rest…remember you must always listen to your body.

The overall bonus is increased strength and stamina and reduced anxiety which allows you to carry out our daily life with more ease and satisfaction.  

Remember, movement is medicine and you were made to move! 

Here are your coaching questions to consider and your planner:

Have a fantastic week filled with happiness, health and healing,

 Lucy x