#notch8

This fall, descend into indulgence and experience a chilling twist on a beloved tradition. Beneath the storied walls of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Notch8 invites guests to explore its Haunted Cellar Afternoon Tea — a decadent journey where elegance meets the eerie. More Seasonal Events With flickering candlelight, gothic flourishes, and whispers of the supernatural, this is afternoon tea with…

I’m sure you’ve heard me or any of the other coaches talk about the fitness pyramid and what it means in our daily lives. I constantly stress on how the foundation is so important to your overall health and performance.

We all agree, the foundational component of general fitness/health is nutrition, but there is another major key component that is nearly just as important as what we are feeding into our bodies.

We live in a fast society. We are always going. Trying to get to the next thing. Caffeine overloads because the alarm went off too early and you got to bed a little later than expected. Since you are reading this, I know you care about your health and are looking for areas to improve. I’m sure you understand that working out and eating well are essential, but how often do you think about some of the other factors that play into your health? Remember, fitness and health is a package. As I said before, there are many components that entertain major roles. You can’t choose only a couple and ignore the others. How about your sleep? And I mean quality sleep. Not just the time you spend lying in bed catching up on Netflix or groaning in the morning trying to find the snooze button. I mean actual time spent REALLY sleeping. Tucked under those warm blankets with the fan on. Dreaming of ocean waves. Drool on the pillow. Beethoven symphonies playing in the background. Ah! Sounds so nice.

So many of us go all week not getting nearly enough sleep. Sleep deprivation is a common habit for many and gets ignored regularly. Oftentimes, I find myself failing in this area as well. If you truly care about your health, fitness, and well being, then sleep sufficiency should be very important in your lifestyle. I encourage you to take some time and figure out how you can effectively improve your time spent resting peacefully under the covers. Not only is sleep essential for day to day functioning but also long term vitality.

If you’re already getting around 8 hours then chances are you are just fine. On the other end, if you are only getting approximately 4 – 5 hours per night, then this is something worth working on. Set some targets of trying to get to bed even 30 minutes earlier on some of those nights where you are really struggling. You can see it doesn’t have to be anything drastic at first. For most of us, we struggle during the weekdays. With doing this 4 - 5 days a week you’ve already added an extra 2 – 2.5 hours into your weekly sleep cycle. Start small and see where you can dig out some time and improve. Keep working to increase those hours until you can get to a healthy optimal time. Sleep isn’t only for the weak!

It’s time to deliver that speech. My heart is pounding, my palms are sweating, and I feel like I could explode at any second. The only thing that comes to mind that will save me; is my breathing.

My breathing technique is something that I know instantly calms me down. Anxiety can make me panic stricken at moments where I need to perform at my best, or perform in public for others. Mindful breathing takes my mind off the fear and refocuses it to relaxation of the body.  It’s also proven to remove toxins and decrease tension.  It relaxes the mind and brings clarity while relieving  emotional problems and pain.  Breathing also improves posture and strengthens the lungs.

I definitely know that I am a shallow mouth breather, and would benefit from practicing mindful breathing each and every day. For some reason, I struggle to put this practice into place. But it’s like everything else, we practice what we want to get good at.

Taking 10 minutes out of my day to receive the benefits from mindful breathing is definitely worth it, and something that I will apply to put into practice today! Step one is, breathing  in through the nose and expanding the chest cavity, then exhaling through the nose.  Step two is breathing in through the nose and filling the diaphragm, then exhaling. Alternating these two techniques should deliver the greatest results.

I challenge you to test your resting heart rate for 60 seconds before this exercise, and again after it. Record your findings and see what benefits you can receive from mindful breathing.