The majority of clients who start working on their health and fitness with us are chronically stressed.
The demands and responsibilities at work and at home can sometimes be overwhelming and if left unchecked can result in bad consequences for your physical and mental health.
Just ask Kerwin Rae. He is a business entrepreneur and international speaker.
Being one of the Australia’s leading business strategists, helping business owners succeed for over a decade, he has consulted in 11 countries and over 154 different industries and taught over 100,000 people the world over through his seminars and workshops.
He has created this excellent video about stress and its effects.
Also check out this one featuring Dr Bruce Lipton demonstrating what happens to our bodies when way too much cortisol is manufactured in our physiology. In a side note, how epic are our bodies. The chemistry that goes on is incredible.
So how do we manage the stress of success?
The first thing that you must do is accept that being successful is stressful. The more you achieve, the more your responsibilities grow, and the greater feeling of pressure you experience.
So now that you accept this truth it’s time to concentrate on the self care and the daily routine and rituals that you have.
I can tell a lot about someone’s health and vitality by reviewing their daily schedule.
From here we work on developing the skills required to manage the pressure via breathing and conscious movement.
Breath Work
Let’s look at doing some breath work. Now you’re probably saying to yourself, “But Davie, I’ve been breathing just fine all of my life.”
This is true, but have you ever really thought about how you breathe? For most of you, probably not.
Breath work is simply about consciously controlling your breathing.
Try this, take a deep breath in while counting to 6. Then hold for a count of 6 and then exhale out for a count of 6. Do this 6 times it takes a total of 2:00. Make sure on the in breath, you expand your lungs to full capacity by pushing your bellybutton out.
Obviously, if this is new, allow yourself some practice time.
It might look a bit unflattering but after a couple of minutes of ‘really breathing’ you’ll start to feel calmer and much less stressed.
Now that your breathing is under control, it’s time to look at conscious movement. Be fully present and connected to your body’s movement and give these a go.
Here are some movements that you can do while using the controlled breathing that I mentioned earlier.
Conscious Movement
This full routine might also help.
That’s the building blocks laid out. Now it’s time to put it together.
How about trying a nice 30 minute routine starting with breath work and then working through the movements above. The ideal time to do this is just after work when your stress levels are probably at their max.
I guarantee that after it you’ll feel far more relaxed and ready to enjoy some dinner, your family or even Coronation Street 😛.
If you are worried about your health, confused by all the information out there, and need some extra help, then get in touch. Myself and the DMC Crew would love to help.
Until next time “Strength for life”,
Davie McConnachie
Davie McConnachie is Scotland’s leading health and wellness coach, multi-award-winning gym owner, motivational speaker and the founder of DMC Fitness, a fitness education facility known as the premier choice for 1-2-1 personal training. He has inspired thousands of people to fall in love with fitness – his true purpose and mission in life.
Diving into the world of fitness and wellness has helped Davie to deal with his own trauma and inner demons. He, overcame many dark times using his own unique methods to continue his cycle of healing.