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.
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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

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Felt: great
Via: Treadmill
Distance: 2.28 km
Time: 00:40

This felt great. I was able to keep my heart rate at a nice, steady pace without needing to adjust my speed. Did the “workout” part at 5.5km/hr. Still not fast, but that will come.

I also spent the workout time listening to the audio version (unfortunately, abridged) of Tim Ferriss’ new book “The 4-Hour Body” . Totally inspiring! Lots of fun. I feel completely motivated today!

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!

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One of the things I’ve learned through reading Dr. Phil Maffetone’s books is the importance of aerobic training.

If you’re like me, the phrase “aerobic training” conjures up pictures of running, cycling, swimming, dancing, and the like. That’s all well and good, but when you train at too high a heart rate level you risk injury, over-training, and ill health, regardless of what fitness level you achieve.

Most of the home-study programs out there are made for people who have already established a solid aerobic fitness level. They’re not for beginners. Want to know if your program is one of them?

Subract your age from 180. That number is generally your maximum aerobic pace – in other words, the actual pace you should train at. You should not exceed it.

For example, my MHRT is 126 (I needed to subtract another 5 due to an injury and haphazard training over the past year). Most people can hardly climb stairs at that heart rate, let alone complete an all-out workout DVD or Aerobic class.

When we consistently train at the correct (180-age) pace we will see quick improvement in our speed, improved fitness and health, and we should never sustain any kind of stress injury.

This past week Tom and I established our training heart rates, and set up our training schedule. I’m not too impressed with the huge dump of snow we just got, and the first few days of our “Two Week Test” had us feeling tired and crummy, suffering from caffeine withdrawal and a head cold, no less! So we postponed the start of our training to this week, but the incredibly cold temperatures are also keeping us inside (sigh). We’ll be buying a treadmill for Christmas!! Once it’s in place and/or the weather warms up, we’ll be following this slower regimen, and we’ll keep you posted on the results!

If you want more information about this training method, here’s Dr. Maffetone’s article: Want Speed? Slow Down!

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5 months from tomorrow (April 16) I will celebrate my 50th birthday.

I’ve thought long and hard about how I’d like to mark that day. I’m actually rather excited about reaching that momentous landmark in my life, and am looking forward to celebrating.

Most of my life I’ve struggled with excess weight and some real issues with fatigue. I have literally tried everything to combat the two of them, to no avail. However, now that I’m reading the book The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing I suddenly have hope that both can be permanently conquered in my life. As I’m reading, more and more things are coming to light about the way I train and the way I eat that are hindering my goals.

So, here’s what I decided. Starting today I am embarking on the challenge to be in the best shape of my life by my 50th birthday. That means I will be down 30 pounds, I will be energized, my brain will be clear, and I will be strong and fit.

Tom and I are both going to tackle this together (which is kind of fun – his 50th is a month after mine on May 20). Following the advice of the book, we have set up our training program (more about that, later) and due to the symptoms we’ve been experiencing, we’re going to begin our nutritional program with a two week test to see whether we suffer from a certain level of carbohydrate intolerance (more about that, later, too!)

I’ll be posting our results here on a regular basis, and also giving you the details of what we’re doing, so you can follow along if you like.

So, wish me luck, and watch this space for the updates!

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It’s been a wild and crazy time here at the Hull household.  Back in March/April the kids and I decided to test out a business idea helping small businesses get some extra exposure through social media and local online marketing.  We had a few people we were working with as we tested tools and created systems that would make life easier and profits higher for these hard working people.

Just as we were getting it going, a large (but thankfully temporary) financial situation  necessitated that I get a part time job, and I had the great fortune of landing a job with Gymboree as a teacher in their play and learn classes.  It’s tons of fun, but hugely intense, and there are “extras” around the actual in-class time like lesson prep, song learning, and developmental goal statement memorization.  To this, I’ve added the challenge of getting all three Calgary Gymboree sites up and running on iPods instead of the really awkward multi-CD changers they were using.  This has added quite a bit of extra work to my load.

Recently, the kids and I felt we were ready to test the water with a “real business” (we’re actually doing it as part of their school curriculum for Gr 12) and we set up our HotSpot Promotion company that I mentioned a few weeks back.  Setting up a real, honest-to-goodness business is a lot of work, and we’ve been pushing hard to get it all done properly, with all the necessary systems in place, and training completed.  A week ago we landed two clients, one of which has required a great deal of research and preparation for a webinar we’re presenting to their clients on Social Media.  It will probably mean a lot of business for us in the near future for which we need to be even more prepared.

On top of that, our dishwasher broke, so all dishes are being washed by hand.

This is the scenario I’m trying to fit my walking into.  Currently, Mondays and Thursdays are “full-on” HotSpot work – client meetings, research, strategy development, set-up, advising, tracking, etc.  Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays are Gymboree, with every second weekend being almost completely dedicated to lesson prep.

In the mornings when I wake up, I feel the urge to hyperventilate come upon me as I contemplate spending the first hour or two of my day walking.  I panic that I won’t get anything else done, because, of course, the walking will also require a shower, which will also require fighting with my hair.  I wouldn’t get “down to business” until noon on days I’m home.  On days I’m at Gymboree, there just isn’t time to walk before I go, and when I get back, I’m physically and mentally wiped.

So, I’m giving myself permission.  Permission to take a break, and not worry about walking until I catch a rhythm for the work we’re doing.  I sense that walking will actually make me more productive, but I currently don’t need the stress of adding “one more thing” to my day.

My guess is that in a week or two, I’ll be so efficient at my various tasks (this is the focus I’m working on now) that I’ll have the time I need to walk, and I’ll then be in a better state to do the work that follows.  I mean, I can dream, can’t I?

It can be complicated fitting everything into life, and I love the fact that it’s OK to live with grace – not only for others, but also for myself.

Do you have trouble fitting fitness in?  What tricks do you have for making it work?  Post your ideas in the comments below!

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One of the things I love about my walks is that they give me the opportunity to work on some personal development in the mental/emotional/spiritual areas of my life as I develop my physical health. I do that by listening to audiobooks and podcasts.  I want to share some of my favourites here with you today:

If you love to read but can’t find the time, here are two great resources:

	Podiobooks.com : (from the site: The term podiobook was coined by Evo Terra to describe serialized audiobooks which are distributed via RSS, much like a podcast. Listeners to Podiobooks.com can choose to receive the episodes of their books via an RSS feed or by listening to episodes by directly downloading episodes from this site. Some listeners keep the audio files on their computers, some transfer the book to CD, but most transfer the file on to their MP3 player so they can listen no matter where they are.
	Or you can Try Audible Now and Get A Free Audiobook Download with a 14 Day Trial. Choose from over 75,000 Titles. My family and I love the audible membership program and have quite a list of books we plan to work through. Currently we’re reading Eldest together

I also listen to podcasts, and these are some of my current favourites:

	The Brown Sessions: Steve Brown is a great talk show host with challenging, interesting guests. You never know what you’re going to get, exactly, but you can be sure it will be interesting, and cause you to rethink some of your “modus operandi”.
	Christian Meditation Affirmations: While I’m definitely not someone who subscribes to the “prosperity Gospel” theology, I do like this podcast as it’s a quick 3-minute meditation on scripture, and rarely on a prosperity theme. The author often focuses on who I am in Christ, God as my strength, topics of praise, and so forth. Kind of a nice jump-start to my walk.
	Diet Science: I met Dee McCaffrey when she accepted the challenge of working with me on my “Total Body Radiance” project (but she has, unfortunately, now left the project). Her podcast is a short explanation, exploration, or teaching on some of the top nutritional discoveries, challenges, products, and myths. Always interesting, and very practical for those wanting to improve their nutritional health.
	Get Fit Stay Healthy: Tina Anderson has created a humorous, challenging, interesting podcast on all things to do with health and wellness. Sometimes it’s “true confessions” about her own struggles, sometimes it’s a great workout plan, sometimes it’s nutrition, sometimes it’s motivation, and sometimes it’s a guest. Always, it’s interesting!
	The God Journey: This is my current favourite podcast. Based on the books and teachings of Wayne Jacobsen this podcast has been pivotal in my life in the last couple of months. Always a good laugh, always a challenge, always something to encourage. I LOVE this podcast.

That should be enough to get you started, anyway! I have lots more, but I’ll save them for another time!

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Last Wednesday I shared a bit about the book Younger Next Year for Women: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy – Until You’re 80 and Beyond I thought I’d share some interesting things I discovered so you can get an idea of just how great this book is (though lots is based on evolution, so if you’re not into that, skip that part – the facts remain, I believe):

Cytokine-6, or C-6 for short, is the master chemical for inflammation (decay), and cytokine-10, or C-10 for short, is the master chemical for repair and growth.  C-6 is produced in both the muscle cells and the bloodstream in response to exercise, and C-10 is produced in response to C-6.  This is your body’s brilliant mechanism for coupling decay and growth.  C-6 actually triggers the production of C-10.  Decay triggers growth…

…(your) 60-70 lbs of muscle are a massive reservoir of C-6 and C-10, a massive reservoir of potential youth if you do your part. Exercise triggers repair, renewal and growth by producing C-10.  All forms of aerobic exercise produce C-6 in logarithmic proportion to both the duration and the intensity of exercise.  In marathon runners the level of C-6 rises a hundredfold by the end of the race.  It is an automatic measure of how much exercise you do, how much inflammation you cause, and how much growth you will experience.  In other words, how much C-10 will be released. C-10 is the key because growth is what you’re after. (p. 75)

The book does a lot of teaching on the importance of three different levels of aerobic training to get the maximum output of C-10 which is basically your means of staying young and avoiding most of the decay of old age.

Pretty cool, really, so strap on your pedometer, tie up your shoes, and head out there!

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I’ve been spending a lot of time since my last race thinking about how I want to move ahead with my training. Technically I have my second Marathon in October, and I’ve been setting up my training to be able to accomplish that one well.

However, doing it well requires that every weekend I’m doing a LOOONG walk (3-5 hours) which takes up a chunk of my weekend! Also, I need to walk between 1-2 hours most days in the week. Having added a part-time job to my life, time is becoming a seriously limited resource. Also, having just turned 49 makes me wonder if I’m not unnecessarily over-stressing my body during a very stressful time.

One can walk for many reasons. Having set myself the goal of a marathon right at the beginning of my walking “career”, I was able to keep quite focused. It’s the knowledge of having a race of some kind on the horizon that keeps me motivated to get outside when it’s -20 and blowing a gale.

Somehow, though, I wonder if this is actually helping my body and my life. I’m thinking that a nice one-hour walk 5-6 days a week for the sheer pleasure of it might be a healthier choice at this time. The big question though, is whether that’s enough to get me outside on days when it’s not so pleasant.

Any thoughts?

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