The Power of Teammates, the Power of Your Breath, and the Power of Compassion
Hi Folks! Connor and Nick here from Healthy Living With Nick and Connor. Thanks again for being on our email list, it means a lot, and we are excited to share our weekly email with you. We hope you enjoy it! Here is what we hope you take away from this one:
Take full advantage of the power and enjoyment of a partner.
Don’t forget the benefit of harnessing your breathing for an immune system boost.
Practice kindness, in thought, temperament and action and you will be better for it!
Starter Mindset Tip: Partner Up!
Whether it is with a new goal you’ve set for yourself, a new hobby, or a new mindset you’re working on, think of someone who can join you in your endeavor and help you along the way. Gather a small group or a partner who you think would be well suited and get started. Partners keep you motivated on those stagnant days or weeks, provide encouragement and fun along the way, give you unique perspectives you can learn from, and can celebrate the successes with you. They are also people who at times you may need to motivate, or talk through your ideas with, commiserate with, and ultimately, will help broaden your thinking around a particular subject. Try to get different partners or groups for each endeavor to keep your perspectives and networks broad. Team up and grow, learn, have fun and get better surrounded by others!
Health Recipe: Fire Up Your Stress System… The Good Stress: Wim Hof or Tummo Breathing
Timing: 6–15 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Serving Size: Two times/week would be great
Spice Level: Unique combo of spicy and mild
INGREDIENTS
Just you and your breath
SAFETY BREAK: Stay safe; do not perform this recipe while driving or near water.
REASONING AND BENEFITS
You can use your breath to calm down and relax, but you can also use it to initiate your
stress response, increasing focus and alertness. That is the tasty treat we have here. You may be asking, why would I want to initiate my stress system? Isn’t stress bad? Unconscious long-term stress can be bad for you, but short-term stressors and consciously entering into a stressed state can be great for you! By breathing this way and rapidly moving your diaphragm, you will send adrenaline throughout your body. This adrenaline will fire up your immune system, help you fight off infections, and help you combat stressors by teaching your body how to deal with them. A workout for your stress system, heck ya! Stress is inevitable; life fires stressors at you all over the place. This stress response workout will help you deal with those stressors and help you avoid chronic stress.
INSTRUCTIONS
Find a comfortable position sitting or lying down.
Slow down your breathing.
Take thirty fast, very deep breaths into your stomach through your nose (breathe through pursed lips if your nose is blocked). Fill your stomach with air on your inhales and exhale each breath quickly.
Exhale your air to its normal end, leaving some air left in your lungs.
Now the fun part: hold your breath for as long as you can!
When you reach your limit, take a big breath in and hold it for 15 seconds.
Exhale and repeat the process three to four times.
PRO TIP: You may not feel anything the first couple times. Give it a chance for a week. This can wake you up, increase focus and alertness, and actually keep you calmer throughout the day.
*Wim Hof has popularized this method. Check out some of his instructional videos online.
**You will be surprised at how long you can hold your breath during the breath holds. Embrace the breath holds, noting the good feelings and maybe even some tingling in your fingers and toes!
***This is a great recipe to incorporate into your normal weekly schedule. Do it a few times a week to get in your stress response workouts. Pair it with a cold shower for extra benefit!
Dessert Quote:
“That is what compassion does. It challenges our assumptions, our sense of self-limitation, worthlessness, of not having a place in the world, our feelings of loneliness and estrangement. These are narrow, constrictive states of mind. As we develop compassion, our hearts open.” —Sharon Salzberg
Now we want to hear from YOU! Please let us know what you think of today’s newsletter, and send us an example of how you applied the health recipe to your life! We would love to share how you introduced this week’s recipe into your life’s unique menu. Thanks and have a great Sunday!
Sources:
Hof, W. (2020). The Wim Hof Method: Activate your full human potential. Sounds True.
