So, on Friday I talked about my journey into the Discipline of Discomfort and my desire to push through the uncomfortable barriers in my life that are keeping me stuck.

Now, if you’re like me, and a bit of a “Type A” personality combined with ADD you will have a list a mile long of things that need to change in your life, or things you want to push through. Tackling them all at once (as we tend to do in the first week of January…) is only going to get you frustrated.

I like to try to add one thing per week, but even that is overwhelming and I burn out too quickly. Right after the New Year I came across Chris Brogan’s blog post “My 3 Words for 2012” and he mentioned a personal trainer named Jackie from Fitarella.com who uses a concept called “12 in 12″. Every month you pick one thing that you’re going to do consistently for 30 days. At the end of the 30 days you decide if you’ll continue or not. Regardless of the decision on that first item, you add a second item to work on in the next 30 days. Check out the blog post to get more detail.

The main area that is frustrating the heck out of me is the weight that refuses to budge, regardless of the diet, exercise, or magic potions I might try. SO unbelievably discouraging. If you can’t lose weight walking 100+km a week, while eating a healthy diet, there really is little hope. Currently I have the cold/cough from hell that refuses to let go, so my options are somewhat limited here as well. However, last month I began a program of supplementation/cleansing that I’m hoping will boost my energy and help me sleep better. I’ve been pretty faithful with that. The first two weeks of January have been about healing this blasted cold/cough, but I’ve also been doing some research into programs that will help me get fit and lose the weight without stressing my daily schedule too much.

Several years ago I found Zna Trainer and found her stuff very interesting and backed by a huge amount of science. It’s pretty weird, though, and is based on some rather odd breathing practices. It’s only 5-10 minutes a day and the results seem pretty astounding. I spent about an hour chatting with her on Facebook and then spent more time exploring her site and some of the success stories, and then 15 minutes working on figuring out the O2 exercises which are unbelievably powerful. Just the O2 Breathing exercises alone gave me a full abdominal and facial workout! I will feel this tomorrow.

So, between now and the end of January I’m going to do her O2 exercises every morning for 5 minutes. In February, my intention is to start back with my walking, which is nearly impossible right now with the combination of this cough and the cold weather. Hopefully by the end of January, the cough will be history!!

Why not join me? Pick one thing you’re going to do between now and the end of January, every day, faithfully, regardless. Post below what that is, and we’ll motivate each other!

Make it a great day!

Darlene

Be A Star! Post your comments below and join in the conversation (or get it started!) and then share this post with your friends using the different share buttons on the blog. I'd sure appreciate it! Thanks!

Who is Darlene Hull? Click here: www.darlenehull.com to find out!

Well, the last few months have been wild. Too much on my plate, and that sense of panic that I’m not going to get it all done has forced me to constantly push my workout to the side.

Not good. It’s my workout that gives me the energy I need to get everything else done!

We’ve nixed the HotSpot Promotion angst by narrowing our focus even smaller to something that is highly effective and easy to keep up with. Not only are we still just focusing on the “little guy” (home/small business) but our main emphasis is on Appreciation Marketing, which is something I love, and am developing to a true art form! That has removed a lot of stress and peripheral tasks from our business, and should make what we offer even more effective.

Also, I spent the day reading yesterday. Some very helpful stuff which I’ll share a little later, and it’s helping me to find the time that’s just not there these days. I’m quite excited to put that into practice too!

These two changes mean that I’m back to focusing on my workout in a way that is not causing any stress. For this week only I’m simply doing a half hour of slow walking on the treadmill, focusing on perfecting my 15 minute warm-up and 15 minute cool-down procedure with the high-efficiency breathing exercises (I add another 5 minutes on to the end of the warm up and beginning of the cool down doing 4 beats of breathing in, completely filling my lungs, and 4 beats of “whooshing” the air out, completely emptying my lungs.) This is enabling me to start my day with my blood pumping and my brain clear!

Things are going to be happening over the next few months that will bring a huge change to my lifestyle, and so I’ll be keeping you posted here.

Kinda excited, really…

Darlene

Be A Star! Post your comments below and join in the conversation (or get it started!) and then share this post with your friends using the different share buttons on the blog. I'd sure appreciate it! Thanks!

Who is Darlene Hull? Click here: www.darlenehull.com to find out!

I’m a day late with this – sorry! This past week was a zoo, but I think I’m starting to settle now…

We’ve talked quite a bit about the importance of breathing on this blog, and I want to add to that again today by discussing two new breathing exercises: panting and resistance breathing.
+++
+++
Panting

What it Is: “Nose panting is a practice that focuses on breathing through the nose at a fast pace. This breathing exercise can make you feel more energized and release stress.” (Japanese Breathing Exercises)

How to Do It: Breathe out sharply as if you were trying to dislodge something in your nose, and then just as sharply, breathe in again. Repeate in quick succession, making sure you’re using your abdomen to push air in and out, rather than your shoulders. Begin with 10 pants in and out, and slowly increase until you can do a full minute.

Resistance Breathing

What it is: Resistance breathing is just forcing yourself to breathe heavily with some kind of resistance. According to research for cardiac patients, resistance breathing “strengthen the diaphragm and chest muscles by providing resistance to breathing. Similar to weight training for the arms or legs, they make the lungs work harder.” It “forces the user to take deeper and more forceful breaths thereby gradually strengthening the muscles and expanding the lungs.” (from “Breathing Exercises for Cardiac Patients: Resistance Training for the Lungs“)

How to Do It: Try sort of scrunching up your nose to partially close off the airways and breathing in with force. Then purse your lips and push the air out forcefully, making a kind of squeaking noise. Breathe in with nostril resistance for 4 counts and breathe out through tightly pursed lips for 8 counts.

Add this exercise to your warm-up, cool-down that we talked about earlier. The warm-up, cool-down session should now look like this:

Warm-up:

• Do 5 minutes breathing in for 4 counts and out for 8 walking painfully slowly
• Do up to 1 minute of panting, and 4 minutes of resistance breathing – in for 4 counts, out for 8

Cool-Down:

• Do up to 1 minute of panting, and 4 minutes of resistance breathing – in for 4 counts, out for 8
• and 5 minutes of breathing in for 8 beats and out for 4 walking painfully slowly again.

And that’s it for today!

Happy Walking!

Darlene

Be A Star! Post your comments below and join in the conversation (or get it started!) and then share this post with your friends using the different share buttons on the blog. I'd sure appreciate it! Thanks!

Who is Darlene Hull? Click here: www.darlenehull.com to find out!

Walking is known as a great destresser. However, when most people start walking, they start with great gusto, high energy, and bounce right into “power walking” before giving their body a chance to catch up. This can quickly lead to overtraining, the symptoms of which include:

• poor athletic performance
• structural injury secondary to muscle dysfunction
• metabolic problems such as fatigue, infection, bone loss, sexual dysfunction, altered mood states and others.

In order to get the maximum benefit from your walking routine, start slow. Make sure you get a really good warm up and cool down done (minimum 15 minutes of each) and making your warm up mostly about stress release, and your cool down mostly about clarity and focus.

Hate the warm up/cool down part? Well, here’s why it’s important:

Warming Up

When you’re resting – i.e. not working out – the body makes sure the blood is mostly circulating through the brain, nervous system, organs, glands, intestines, etc.

When you’re working out the body diverts about 80% of the blood to the working muscles. This means your other systems suddenly find themselves with a very limited blood supply, which causes major stress.

To avoid the stress, you need to make this shift a gradual one. It takes approximately 10-15 minutes for the shift to happen properly, and it needs a level of activity much slower than the workout ahead.

Warming up properly creates the following benefits:

• more blood flow to those muscles that are working hard
• a rise in available oxygen
• greater mechanical efficiency in your joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments
• an increased range of motion in all of your joints
• the release of stored fat so that it can be used as an energy source in your aerobic muscles (important for fat loss!)
• greater lung capacity, and therefore more efficient breathing
• greater activity in your neuromuscular system

Cooling Down

The cool down period starts the recovery process from the workout. It’s the recovery time that actually creates the improvement you’re looking for in your workout. By cooling down slowly (another 10-15 minutes minimum) you will:

• prevent physical and chemical stress which leads to injury
• improves oxygenation and circulation in the muscles
• helps remove blood lactate

Warming up and cooling down should be considered part of your total workout time. So, if you’re doing a 1 hour workout, 30 minutes of warming up/cooling down (15 minute warm-up, 15 minute cool down) is part of that 1 hour workout. If you’re going to workout more than 2 hours total time, increase the warm-up/cool-down period to twenty-thirty minutes.

If you’re just starting out with fitness, start by simply mastering this process. I would suggest a simple 10 minute workout to start with so you get the right feel. Use the following exercise to make the most of this time:

5 minute warm-up: The point of this first five minutes is to completely de-stress.

• walk as slowly as you can for 5 minutes, breathing in for 4 beats – completely filling your lungs – and breathing out for 8 – making sure your lungs are squeezed empty. To make it even more effective, use some finger tapping :
  • on beat one tap your index and thumb together
  • on beat two tap your middle finger and thumb together
  • on beat three tap your ring finger and thumb together
  • on beat four tap your pinkie and thumb together
  • repeat the process starting back with the index finger and thumb
  • Use a fairly strong, sharp pressure as you tap.

  Use this time to conscioulsy release stress from your shoulders, neck, and abdomen, moving your head and neck, consciously releasing your abdominal muscles, and gently stretching anything that feels tight.

The 5 minute cool down: The point of this second five minutes is to gain clarity and focus for whatever lies ahead in your day. For this level, we are simply going to reverse the pattern:

• Walk as slowly as you can for 5 minutes, breathing in for 8 beats- completely filling your lungs - and breathing out for 4 – making sure your lungs are squeezed empty. Include the same finger tapping.

The speed should be about what you’d be walking if you were holding the hand of a “not yet walking on their own” toddler;  slow enough to almost make you unsteady. It feels ridiculously slow, but you need to consciously slow everything down in order to speed things up! And you need to consciously slow down to engage the recovery process.

In a couple of weeks, we’ll add another breathing exercise to your warm up and speed things up a little. For now practice this until it’s second nature. If you already have a walking routine, make this the first and last 5 minutes of your routine.

Any comments, questions, or concerns? Please post them in the comment section below.

Did you enjoy this post? I’d sure appreciate it if you’d pass it on.

Happy Walking!

Be A Star! Post your comments below and join in the conversation (or get it started!) and then share this post with your friends using the different share buttons on the blog. I'd sure appreciate it! Thanks!

Who is Darlene Hull? Click here: www.darlenehull.com to find out!

I’m just guessing, but if you’re anything like me, your day-to-day can be quite stressful if you’re not careful. Managing stress is a HUGE part of being healthy. It’s amazing how many systems of the body are negatively affected by stress.

But what can we do about it in our busy day?

One of the best ways to combat stress is through mediation. Now that can be a hot topic for some, but I’m talking about simple kinds of relaxation meditations. Moments of calm throughout your day when you purposefully slow your breathing, your heart rate, and your overactive mind.

Here’s how you can do it:

Whenever you find yourself waiting – like at a traffic light, in a waiting room, or in the checkout line – instead of fretting impatiently, just tune your mind into your breathing, and simply listen to what’s going on around you. Don’t judge or try to understand, just hear, acknowledge and focus on breathing and listening.

You can also use this time to tune in with God and ask Him if there’s anything He’d like to say to you. Perhaps you’d like to use the “anchor phrase” from 1 Samuel 3:9 & 10 “Speak Lord, your servant is listening”.

Sure beats shouting at the kids, getting nasty with the cashier, or releasing that migraine that’s just waiting to happen.

What are some ways you combat stress during the day? Share your comments below!

Did you like this post? Please share it – I’d be grateful.

Be A Star! Post your comments below and join in the conversation (or get it started!) and then share this post with your friends using the different share buttons on the blog. I'd sure appreciate it! Thanks!

Who is Darlene Hull? Click here: www.darlenehull.com to find out!

Breathing is something we take for granted. We’ve been doing it since we were born, and if you watch a baby breathe, you’ll see perfect breathing in action. However, bad habits – like sitting at desks, slouching in our armchairs in front of the TV, and lack of exercise – have changed our habits so that our breathing is shallow and dyfunctional.

I spoke a little bit about breathing in my post last Friday but today I want to go into much more detail.

But why should we care?

Good and effective breathing has the following benefits:

• stress relief and relaxation
• improves your metabolism
• helps to clear your mind and enable better focus
• detoxification
• improved circulation
• blood pressure regulation
• greater energy

The stress level of today’s pace means that our bodies are starved of the oxygen they need to function at their best. By being conscious of our bad breathing habits and replacing them with good breathing habits, we are enabling our bodies to develop a kind of “vibrance” and energy that will set us apart from the norm. We’ll be able to get more done with less effort, and our clear-thinking brains will be far more productive.

If you want some great breathing exercises, I would suggest the following exercise from Gay Hendricks:  The Power of Healthy Breathing

This post is part of our ongoing “N.A.V.Y. Challenge” on Facebook. Why not pop over and take a look? If you like what you see, join us, and invite your friends along as well! We’d love to have you!

Be A Star! Post your comments below and join in the conversation (or get it started!) and then share this post with your friends using the different share buttons on the blog. I'd sure appreciate it! Thanks!

Who is Darlene Hull? Click here: www.darlenehull.com to find out!

Life is lived at a pretty fast pace these days.  I know my life in the past month or so has been ridiculously hectic trying to keep my head above water with a job that has temporarily become almost full-time, a new business that my kids and I are working hard at creating momentum for, this site which, while more of a hobby site, is a true passion of mine, highschool homeschooling, and just general housework, home maintenance duties.  Finding an oasis of calm is a struggle.

Often when we think of taking a break we think in terms of taking a couple of weeks’ holidays, or at minimum, going away for the weekend.  The truth is, while those kinds of breaks are wonderful, they often end up adding to the stress, rather than taking it away.  It’s hard to book them frequently enough to really make a difference.

But you CAN take several “mini-breaks” in a single day that will have a huge impact on how high your normal stress level is.  Even in my busy schedule, I make it a priority to take a break.  When I’m at work I often hide in the bathroom for just a minute between classes to breathe deeply and focus.  This helps me to make sure each class gets my full attention and highest level of energy.  When I get home, it’s time for tea and connection (known as “social tea” around here) with the kids.  On days I work from home I get up often to stretch, breathe deeply, and do something good for myself – grab a square of dark chocolate, go outside and take a picture, do a small household chore that “shifts my gears” for a second, stretch, watch an episode of a TV series with my kids (currently we’re re-watching all of “Corner Gas” The resulting laughter is also a great stress reducer).

Something I’m trying to incorporate into my day, going back to the whole “Celtic thing” is to simply stop for 2 minutes, stretch, do some deep breathing exercises, and then breathe a prayer to just consciously re-connect to God.   I came across a wonderful prayer the other day: “Open my eyes, Jesus, so that I may see You everywhere” (Sarah Young, from “Jesus Calling”) What a wonderful thing to focus my mind on in the midst of the busy-ness of my day!

Why not try that yourself today, as you go about your business? Share your results below!

If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it below:

This post is part of our ongoing “N.A.V.Y. Challenge” on Facebook. Why not pop over and take a look? If you like what you see, join us, and invite your friends along as well! We’d love to have you!

Be A Star! Post your comments below and join in the conversation (or get it started!) and then share this post with your friends using the different share buttons on the blog. I'd sure appreciate it! Thanks!

Who is Darlene Hull? Click here: www.darlenehull.com to find out!

When was the last time you took a deep breath?  One that totally filled your lungs from the base of your abdomen, wide out to expand your rib cage, and right up to your chin?  In our current society where we spend much of our day hunched over computers and desks, deep breathing is a rare thing, indeed.  Deep breathing helps you control stress, improve energy levels, clear your mind, and even heal disease.  It can also help you lose weight!  Check out this quote from “One Minute Cure”

The human body is composed of 70%-80% water—and water is 89% oxygen by weight. Therefore, oxygen comprises 62% to 71% of the body, and is the body’s most abundant and essential element. Ninety (90%) percent of all our biological energy comes from oxygen. It is the essential element that the human body needs in order to not only survive, but also have optimum levels of energy, function properly and become more productive.
Consider, for instance, that humans can survive for weeks and even months without food, and live for many days without water. But we cannot survive more than a few minutes without oxygen.  It is surprising, therefore, that people find it hard to believe that the very element, which is required by all humans in order to live is also the secret to keeping us disease-free. Medical professionals, in particular, would find the notion of curing virtually all diseases with oxygen rather simplistic, or even lacking merit.
The curious thing is that oxygen is already used in medicine. Oxygen supplementation has been used to ease health conditions, such as emphysema and pneumonia that impair the body’s ability to have a sufficient intake of gaseous oxygen. Hyperbaric (high-pressure) oxygen has been used to treat carbon monoxide poisoning, gas gangrene and decompression sickness, as well as increase athletic performance! Oxygen has also been used for life support situations and on patients who require mechanical ventilation. Patients on their deathbed who are given extra doses of oxygen are often kept alive long after they would otherwise have died.
However, because oxygen has seldom been used in the medical setting as a first line of defense for preventing, let alone “curing” diseases, it has never been accorded its rightful place as the cure for virtually all diseases.  The world of science and medicine has always known that oxygen is the basis of human life, without which humans die. This fundamental truth has become so overlaid with centuries’ worth of extraneous matter that its essence has become completely obscured by the ‘Tower of Babel’ created by the field of medicine.

This is a fascinating e-book, as it teaches you how to use oxygen to heal and restore – even things as serious as cancer and AIDS. I recommend you take a read. Click the book cover to get a copy! If you chose not to read it, at least take a couple of huge, deep breaths before going back to what you were doing before you began to read this post!

Happy walking!

Be A Star! Post your comments below and join in the conversation (or get it started!) and then share this post with your friends using the different share buttons on the blog. I'd sure appreciate it! Thanks!

Who is Darlene Hull? Click here: www.darlenehull.com to find out!

Yesterday I went for my first walk in ages! The combination of the freezing weather, deep snow, and total lack of motivation have kept me pretty well indoors.  I kept asking myself – well, what’s the use?  It doesn’t really change anything!

I was wrong!!!

As I walked yesterday, I began to think of the benefits of what I was doing. Here’s what that simple 1 hour, 5k walk gave me:

1. increased circulation which brings nutrients to my cells and removes waste by-products, makes my skin glow and helps me look younger and “fresher” (cheaper than botox!)
2. Increased my vitamin D uptake through exposing my eyes and (minimal) skin (hey, it’s still -4 here!) to sunlight. This means I’ve lowered my cancer/multiple sclerosis/heart disease risk, increased my bone density, strengthened my immune system, lowered my risk for depression, and released “happy hormones” into my system. Vitamin D also increases the amount of oxygen that my blood transports around your body- and this increases my energy, sharpens my mental capacities, and gives me a real “feel good” factor.
3. The increased sunlight (I have UV protective prescription glasses, so I rarely wear sunglasses) triggered an increase in the feel-good brain chemical serotonin. Serotonin controls sleep patterns, body temperature and my sex drive, and also lifts my mood and wards off depression. Studies have shown that exposing the body to sunlight or even artificial ultra-violet light- increases the number of white cells in the blood.White cells are the body’s health defence against infections and are important to your immune system’s response to the organisms that cause illness.
4. I also got some good physical movement in there, obviously, and this means that I am now reaping the benefits of the following:* Reduced risk of premature death
   * Reduced risk of developing and/or dying from heart disease
   * Reduced high blood pressure or the risk of developing high blood pressure
   * Reduced high cholesterol or the risk of developing high cholesterol
   * Reduced risk of developing colon cancer and breast cancer
   * Reduced risk of developing diabetes
   * Reduced or maintained body weight or body fat
   * Built and maintained healthy muscles, bones, and joints
   * Reduced depression and anxiety
   * Improved psychological well-being
   * Enhanced work, recreation, and sport performance
5. The rhythm of walking, breathing and recitation calms my spirit, gives mental focus, and helps me to cope better with stress.
6. The recitation of Rosary prayers keeps my mind focused on “things above” and gives me a positive outlook on life. It reminds me of the great truths of the Bible and the promises God has made to me. It also stimulates my brain (as I do these by memory) which helps to ward off brain deterioration. I also did a half hour of “BrainReady” exercises to give my brain an even greater boost while I walked.
7. I exercised my balance by walking either in deep snow or on slippery ice (contrary to the impression the picture gives this blog post!) Who needs a fitness ball?
8. I had 1 hour of peace – no one needed me, no phones, no one at the door, no work to get done, no to-do list to check off. I just walked. The time was my own!

Not bad for an hour in the fresh air! Try it! Share your experiences in the comment section below!

Darlene

We’ve been dealing with breathing this week, and we’ve looked at it from a few different angles.

Today I want to introduce you to a very cool book that deals with breathing and weight loss, called “Jumpstart Your Metabolism: How To Lose Weight By Changing The Way You Breathe”

First of all, the book is hilarious. Pam Grout has a great sense of fun and humour, and her book is a very easy read. She brings in some pretty amazing case studies and facts, like this one:

People discovered if they would bounce, jump, twist, and run until they were panting like a lap dog they could lose weight. But what they failed to realize was that it was the extra oxygen that really did the work. Sure, the extra muscles helped. Lean muscle burns through fat a whole lot faster than flab. But the bottom line to their success was they transformed their bodies from being fat producers to being energy producers. And it was the extra air – not the exercise – that did it” (page 67)

Cool, eh?

Here’s what she says on her website about the book:

Oxygen is the big kahuna!

Breathing is the key to warming and waking up your metabolism.
When you don’t give your body enough oxygen (and 90 percent of us don’t), your cells have no choice but to store fat.

It’s ironic that we count calories, tally fat grams and then completely ignore the amount of oxygen we consume. Yet, scientists have proved that by increasing the amount of oxygen per breath, the body can better burn hydrogen, the chief culprit of excess fat.

Oxygen is the key–will always be the key–that unlocks your metabolic rate.

Shedding unwanted pounds is as simple as learning to breathe differently

Permanent weight loss is not about counting calories or fat grams. It’s about changing the way your body burns fat. It’s about altering your cellular chemistry. If you follow the breathing exercises in this book, you can change your cellular structure at a very deep level. Which means you won’t ever have to worry about fat grams again.

So, there you have it. Go back to my earlier post on how to breathe, and get started. Better yet, get Pam’s book because she has 13 “energy cocktails” in there that will help you breathe better, and feel better all around.

Darlene

Don’t forget to pick up your FREE COPY of the PraiseWalker Primer! And also, please check out my Christmas challenge here!