Just…breathe (Or, How I Get My Zen On)

Inhale deeply…

Exhale deeply…

Inhale…

Exhale…

**********

When you lift weights, breathing properly is just as important as using correct form and lifting the right amount of weight. Inhale deeply during the easiest part of the exercise and exhale deeply when you hit the hardest part of the movement to give yourself more power and strength. If you hold your breath during the lift you’ll feel a loss of strength, and more importantly, it can increase your blood pressure, and you may feel dizzy.

When I work out I constantly remind myself to breathe.

**********

Inhale deeply…

Exhale deeply…

Inhale…

Exhale…

**********

But during the day? I get too caught up in the stress of work. I have 35 things that need to be handled immediately—multiple deadlines are looming, clients are calling, co-workers are standing at my door, my e-mail is dinging endlessly, my cell phone is buzzing and my bosses are yelling to me from across the office. “Hey, Mo! Ya got a second?”

**********

Inhale deeply…

Exhale deeply…

Inhale…

Exhale…

**********

Breathing is an unconscious activity, but it’s at those difficult moments in the day when I need to be conscious of it. Remember to breathe in and out, to occasionally take a deep breath. Just as exhaling deeply gives me the strength to get through the heavy lifting in the gym, it gets me through those moments when co-workers snark and balk and refuse and complain.

**********

Inhale deeply…

Exhale deeply…

Inhale…

Exhale…

**********

My shoulders drop away from my ears. My pulse slows and my head stops buzzing. My blood pressure drops. My head clears. My strength returns.

And I no longer feel like I want to smack the shit out of someone.

Om

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cheers, mo
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