Hi All!
Today I have a guest post for Wellness Wednesday- my guest being my mom! She read this book back a couple of months ago and has been raving about it ever since! So here is her report!
Jumpstart Your Metabolism by: Pam Grout
“Oxygen- contracts our muscles, repairs our cells, feeds our brains, and even calms our nerves. Not only that, but breathing is our bodies chief cleansing tool… … your body will automatically kick into higher metabolism, your energy level will explode..”
I ordered this book off of amazon a couple months ago- I picked it because I was feeling a little lethargic over the long winter and I figured I could use a jumpstart to my metabolism this spring. And I’ve found this book was just what I needed!
A few chapters in I realized some of the bad breathing habits that I’ve formed. I noticed that during stressful situations (like driving in traffic) I tend to hold my breath and I start to sigh – which is my bodies way of trying to replenish my falling oxygen levels. So right away I wanted to try some of her techniques!
I started with ‘triangle breathing’ – a common breathing exercise:
1. Breath in through the nose for a count of 4
2. Hold the air in your lungs (making sure to relax your belly to fill all of your lungs) for a count of 4
3. Exhale for a count of 4.
and repeat for 2-3 minutes- which is a great exercise to focus on your breathing and lower your stress levels!
I started to breath deeper and I definitely noticed more energy. Simply stopping 3-4 times a day to take 10 deep breaths really reduced my afternoon sleepy times.
Of course, like many people during busy times, I forgot about it and went back to my old patterns. The biggest thing I noticed when returning to my old ways was my energy level dropped and I started to crave sweets to combat my tired afternoons again.
So I’ve been back on to my breathing routine (and I’m going to get Erin to join me this time!) and I’m looking forward to seeing my energy come back again!
To recap, I loved the book, it’s an easy read and definitely inspiring. I’m going to try some of the other breathing exercises and techniques in the book and I will definitely keep you updated on any of my success! I’ll just have to take over another Wellness Wednesday!
Mary 🙂
Thanks for the guest post mom! looks like I’ve got some new breathing exercises to do!
xo erin
Nice post, Erin. I want to ask one question. Why is it that when I take long deep breathes I feel a bit dizzy. I cannot do it when I'm at the workplace. Can you please shed some information about my problem, is it natural, or am I doing it wrong?
Hi! Your dizziness might be due to you taking deep breaths too quickly and getting too much oxygen to the brain all at once? Maybe you should try slowing down your breathing and making sure to count slowly and maybe to a higher number if you find that 4 is to quick!
About breathing exercises in the workplace- I wouldn't recommend doing this in your workplace anyways, I like to do this breathing as part of relaxing either before bed, or before a break where I have a chance to relax, and not while I'm in the middle of work or any responsibilities. 🙂 I hope this helped!