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Innovative Results Helped Chris Shed 20lbs and Alleviate Back Pain

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ChrisCalhoonJoining a gym shouldn’t be about popularity and fads. Your fitness routine should help you grow mentally and physically, it’s a lifestyle change that will continue to support you, your goals, your health and lead you to an overall improved quality of life.

For over 10 years, Innovative Results has worked to provide our clients with the tools they need to achieve just that – An Improved Quality of Life.

Check out Chris’ Innovative Results experience!

When/Why did you start training at IR?
In late 2015, I began searching for a new way of working out and getting in shape. Until that time, I had been a member at a national ‘mega-gym’ for years, however, it wasn’t very motivating, and I wasn’t getting any results. Then one day, I stumbled upon a short introduction video on IR, and I knew immediately this was the place for me. Days later, I had my first workout with IR and my life was changed for the better.

Chris Calhoon Before
Chris prior to joining Innovative Results in December 2015.

What have you improved since you started training at IR? 
Everything – strength, flexibility, aerobic capacity. Loss of nearly 20lbs. Back pain has been dramatically reduced.

Some metrics that I have achieved: 70 feet on the versa-climber in 10 seconds, 43 push ups in 1 minute, 3 minute straight arm plank.

How has IR improved other areas of my life?
Inspired to be more active with my life, and be more active outdoors – recently, hiked to the summit of Saddleback Mountain, the highest point in Orange County.

I sleep better and the workouts help reduce stress levels.

Why do you stay committed to your improvement in and out of the gym?
In the words of Dylan Thomas, “Do not go gently into that good night – old age should burn and rave at close of day.” While I don’t think I’m old yet, IR workouts help keep me feeling young, and help keep the effects of time and age at bay.

Ready to give Innovative Results a try?

Fill out the form below, and an Innovative Results Team member will contact you for a Free Trial!

Reduce Stress and Increase Happiness in This Ten Minutes Per Day Habit – Improve Your Quality of Life Today!

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happyReduce Stress and Increase Happiness?
In Ten Minutes or less per day?
Sounds too good to be true, right?
This article might be long, but it will be worth the read, if you would like to experience an increase in your happiness, satisfaction, and success.
I have been partaking in a daily habit that is completely transforming the way I think about my life, my relationships, my work, and my purpose in life, and at this point, it would be selfish and wrong to not share this with the people in my life that want to experience improved quality of life. So here it goes…
Founder and Owner, Aaron Guyett with his kids.
Founder and Owner, Aaron Guyett with his kids.

How can you spend 2 to 10 minutes every day, and experience more happiness, satisfaction, and success, even in the midst of our busy and stressful lives?

 

First, we need to understand that thinking happy, satisfying, and successful thoughts goes against our nature. All of humanity is wired to remember and focus on the negative, and in case you think you are the exception, read these questions and ponder the answer.
Which thing can you remember faster, something a significant other in your life did that was good or bad?
busy lifestyleWhen you have performed a thousand good deeds or actions for your boss or job, why do they (or you) recall or focus on the one bad thing?
When asked a general question about the way you perform, why do you instantly think with a negative bias, and tend to find your body language, words, or thoughts to be defensive in nature?
Why do we tend to believe the World is getting more violent, oppressive, and dangerous, when every study of history depicts the opposite is in fact occurring in today’s World?
This is the way our minds were created, and without getting overly spiritual, this is what keeps us out of harms way.
kettlebell, kettlebell team, innovative results kettlebell team, Amanda Clover, Keri Guyett, Harrel Carman, Aaron Guyett, Manny Aragon, Christabel Tabbada, Jessica CiskeIf negatives didn’t affect us in a profound way psychologically, we would find ourselves eaten by animals, walking in front of fast-moving cars, and stepping off buildings, bridges, or cliffs often.
The issue with this brain wiring, is that even though life is easier and safer, relative to our human history, we are more depressed, anxious, and medicated than ever before.
We don’t have to fall into this pattern, though. We can make daily choices that help us focus on all of the good stuff, and experience lives that are happier, more satisfying, and more successful, despite the social, emotional, and environmental  pressure and stress that can seem to surround us.
Innovative Results, workouts, become better, better everyday, next one best one, orange county fitness playground
If we train our brains to focus on the positives and help seat these positives deep into our psycho-social rhythms, we will reap amazing quality-of-life improvements (And that is what Innovative Results is all about).
Daily movement is shown to improve us psychologically, just as much if not more than it improves us physiologically, but if our thoughts are bad, even playful movement can seem like a daunting task or difficult chore.
I challenge you, to take the 90 Day Bliss challenge:
  • Take 2 to 10 minutes everyday to partake in one of the Bliss App exercises to improve your quality of life for 90 days in a row.
summer-beach-fun-wallpaperWhy perform positive psychology or positive neuroplasticity training (PNT) daily?
From the Bliss App Page:
“Psychologists have identified a collection of exercises, or “interventions,” which have been shown to create long-lasting improvements in happiness, motivation, resilience, life-satisfaction, and a host of other positive mental traits. Bliss packages these exercises up for you in one application so that you can easily incorporate them into your life and reap all the benefits from decades of research in positive psychology.”
You can get the Bliss app on your phone (even iPhone) here: http://bliss31.com/about.php
If you are interested in some of the research behind this I suggest reading:
There is a lot more material proving the point, but I won’t burden you with an exhaustive bibliography.
Know that I want you to experience improved quality of life through increased happiness, satisfaction, success, and purpose in you life, and I believe you will appreciate this HUGE step in that direction!
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If you would like to improve your quality of life with Innovative Results, please fill out the form below.

7 Ways to Beat STRESS – If You Are Busy and Overwhelmed Try These Ways to Eliminate Stress from Innovative Results

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StressIf you are anything like me, it is easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out.

With two kids, a wife, a business, and all of the organizations I am a part of, it is easy to unravel and stress out because my plate seems too full.

Owning Innovative Results – The Orange County Fitness Playground, is rewarding, but it also demands a level of hard work, focused intensity, and patient endurance, just like anything worthwhile.

That being said, running fitness training programs, coaching clients, leading team members, developing an online and community presence, and figuring out all of the tax, accounting, and business procedures to run a successful fitness gym takes time.

Busyness runs rampant in our culture, especially if you are working toward your own personal and professional success, financial security for your family, and setting up your kids well.

Baby smiling in bed with eyes closed and arms out.

Here are 6 Quick Ways To Beat Stress In Your Busy Day:

  1. Breath
  2. Move
  3. Smile
  4. Posture
  5. Help Someone
  6. One Thing At A Time

Let’s take a moment to go through each one, so we can reap the full benefits and rewards found, when we take a moment to de-stress from our busy lives.

1 – BREATH

Try it with me. Take a deep breath, just focusing on the air coming in your nose, and filing your belly. Hold it there for a few seconds, and then release it. Repeat ten times…

Wow! Don’t you already feel better?

For more information and techniques on breathing to reduce stress check out this video: “Stressed? Use This Breathing Technique to Improve Your Attention and Memory, with Emma Seppala”

2 – MOVE

Motion creates emotion.

Those that don’t believe me are welcome to try slouching, frowning, and looking down while trying to be happy, or smile, stand-up tall, put your arms up overhead, look up while feeling sadness.

It is extremely difficult to do.

Get up, stand up tall, move around, and think about all of the things you are grateful for.

Check out this video of Tony Robbins for an in-depth look on why and how motion creates emotions.

3 – SMILE

If you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed, try smiling through it.

It sounds cheesy, but it is amazing the power of our smiles. Try it.

And check out these incredible researched statistics on smiling from a TED talk by Ron Gutman, and our very own Aaron Guyett.

4 – POSTURE

If you are down, check your body…

Chances are, you are slouching, head is forward and slightly down, frowning, and your shoulders are forward and down…you might even want to be curled up into a ball on the ground.

Your posture is powerful to help us remove stress and anxiety, just like smiling and moving.

Check out this helpful TED-Ed video on posture for more benefits.

5 – HELP SOMEONE

Focusing on helping someone else improve their quality of life has an uncanny ability to improve our own quality of life.

It gives us purpose, and not having purpose is often the reason we are stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed.

Enjoy this uplifting video showing the power of helping people to change how we feel.

6 – ONE THING AT A TIME

When overwhelmed, I let it trigger my new habit of choosing just one thing to do.

Often I will ask my daughter to clean up her mess, and she immediately responds with, “that’s A LOT of WORK!”

I answer her by saying two things: “Guyett’s are not afraid of hard work, and what do you do if there is a lot of work, Hannah?”

She always answers with, “We do it one thing at a time.”

For more, read this Forbes article on doing one thing at a time, The Simple Trick To Productivity? Do One Thing At Once

7 – BE GRATEFUL

As study after study shows, it is impossible to be truly grateful and stressed out at the same time.

Being overwhelmed can quickly be replaced by gratefulness.

Watch this TED talk by David Steindl-Rast “Want to be Happy? Be Grateful.”

A quick recap of how Innovative Results beats stress in our overwhelming moments whether we are in the gym or outside of the gym are:

  1. Breath
  2. Move
  3. Smile
  4. Posture
  5. Help Someone
  6. One Thing At A Time

If you liked this article, “7 Ways to Beat STRESS – If You Are Busy and Overwhelmed Try These Ways to Eliminate Stress from Innovative Results” please leave us a comment and share this article with your family, friends, and coworkers.

If you want to have a coach help you in your daily de-stress and improved quality of life through daily exercises, fill out the form below.

7 Simple Ways To Reduce Stress at Work

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kid_laughing1Many of us are running pretty hard these days.  From the minute we wake up until the moment we go to sleep, many of us are constantly on the go, thinking, doing chores and getting stuff done.  We stare at our phones, computers and televisions constantly, never truly giving our brains a chance to reset, recharge and process everything that is happening around us.

The following tips are geared towards reducing stress, giving your mind a break and helping you become a happier, healthier person.

9 Simple Ways to Reduce Stress at Work

1 – 10 seconds – Laugh

Laughing is one of the best ways to combat stress.  Read, watch videos, join groups on Facebook, subscribe to websites or just hang out with good people that make you laugh.

2 – 5 minutes – Breath

Lay on your back in a quiet, comfortable place.  Place your hands on your belly button.  Inhale through your nose, raising your belly button and then exhale slowly through your teeth.  The key here is to focus solely on your breath for 5 minutes.  If your mind wanders, just bring it back to your breath and maintain this for 5 minutes.

garret meditation3 – 10 to 20 minutes – Guided Meditation

There are a ton of great free apps that you can download on your phone.  Find one  that you like and simply plug in, put your headphones on and follow the instructions.  This is a great way to give your mind a break from your busy day.

4 – 30 minutes – Go for a Walk

This is one of my recent go to activities.  There are a bunch of trails, sidewalks, parks, beaches, and other options all over southern California.  Just getting outside and walking for 30 minutes is a great way to get your body moving and reset your brain.

5 – 45 minutes – Take a Nap

Sometimes, you just need to close your eyes for a few minutes in the middle of the day.  Its great for your health and also another way to give your brain a rest.  Throw a quick cat nap in there every once in awhile.

4 – 60 minutes – Move Around

Some people lift weights, others do yoga…the key is to find something that you enjoy and simply get your body moving a few times each week.  Whether you join a gym, hire a trainer or simply do a few things at home, getting your body moving and improving its function yields physical and mental dividends.

back bay trail5 – 2-3 Hours – Go to the Beach, Hike, Get Outside

If you have a few hours available, we’d recommend getting outside and enjoying the world around you.  Hike, surf, cycle, paddleboard, climb, play sports… the combination of getting outside and purely enjoying yourself for a few hours is one of the most stress relieving things you can do for yourself.

6 – 1 Day – Take an Adventure 

If you have a day to kill, maybe its time to take a short mini adventure.  Go camping, snowboarding, explore in the desert, go climb a mountain or just go exploring to a place you’ve never been.  The key here is to just get away and shut down  for a day or so.

garret wilcheck7 – 3 Day Reset

Really want to reset and get away?  Take a trip, where you have no cell reception and just enjoy yourself.  Get off the beaten path, hike into the hills, camp by a stream, surf on a quiet beach or just go sit under a tree and chill.  This might be needed once a quarter, twice a year or just a planned trip every year.  The key is to unplug, get away and just relax.

We can all get sucked into the vortex of work, chores, etc, but in order to truly be happy and healthy, we need to figure out ways to enjoy our life.  Some might be a 5 minute vacation, while other times we might disappear for a few days and reset.  Try to incorporate some of these simple ideas into your week and let us know how it goes.

Did you like “7 Simple Ways To Reduce Stress at Work”? Leave us a comment and share this article with your family, friends, and coworkers.

Here’s a few other posts you might enjoy…

5 Ways to Snap Yourself Back Into a Good Mood

Top 10 Places to Get Outside in Orange County, CA.

11 Mini Vacations That Fit Into Your Busy Schedule

If you are ready to improve your quality of life with Innovative Results Active Recovery Class, schedule your free trial below.

Eliminate Stress With 21 Ways to Make This Day Your Best Day Ever

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enhanced-buzz-8548-1367336827-9Jump-start that “Next One Best One” mentality by setting yourself up to have the BEST DAY EVER.

Tweak your morning routine to make your day healthier, happier and overall more fun!

Don’t Hit Snooze: No matter how tempting, or cozy your bed, resist the snooze button. Multiple “snoozes” will actually make you more tired and delay your positive mindset for the day ahead.

Get in a Sweat Sesh: Morning workouts can help boost your energy (and metabolism) through the day.

Breathe: Before you jump into the hustle and bustle, take a moment to breathe – A couple deep breaths will help you feel more balanced and ready to start the day of right (Check out these 11 Breathing Techniques to help relax your body, calm your mind and reduce stress).active stretching

Stretch: Sleeping can lead to stiffness, so take a moment to stretch out those kinks.

Or Do Yoga: Even a 10 minute series will boost happiness and release muscle and joint tightness before you start your day. Looking for a great Active Stretching series? Check out IR’s New Active Stretching class at 7:30am every Tuesday and Thursday.

Drink Coffee: Careful not to overindulge, but a good Cup O’ Joe in the morning can improve memory, help muscle pain, keep you regular, and increase endurance.

But Skip the Sugar: Added sugars can increase belly fat, and actually harm your immune system.

Have Everything Ready: Making getting out the door a hassle-free breeze. Pack your purse, gym bag or briefcase the night before.

Bring Your Lunch: A great way to save on money and calories, prep your meal and bring a lunch to work.

Drink Water: Keep your mind clear, skin feeling fresh and even boost your metabolism by staying hydrated all day.

Listen to Music: Playing your favorite tracks while you get ready can have you energized and excited to greet the day ahead. Plus your super sweet dance moves will have you burning calories.noel jimenez Aaron Love Aaron Guyett Lieberman

Smile: Start the day off feeling positive, and maybe brightening someone else’s day with your pearly whites! A smile can actually boost your mood. (Watch the Power of the Smile)

Eat a Balance Breakfast: Start your day off with a nutrient-filled breakfast and you’ll be more likely to maintain that healthy eating all day/

Focus on Fruits and Veggies: Clean eating can help naturally detox and re-energize your body.

Sip Smartly: Enjoying a smoothie or green juice can be super refreshing, but be smart. Many of those pre-made juices can be full of added sugars and calories. Try your own recipe!

Boost your Immunity: If you’re feeling under the weather, load up on some extra vitamins and minerals! Try a TraceMinerals PowerPak for that extra boost of Vitamin C.

Make Your Bed: It may seem like a waste of time, but taking a minute to tidy up your bed will make you’re home feel more welcoming. Not too mention make your bed much more inviting after an amazingly productive day.

Wait to Sign Online: Give yourself time before checking your email, especially social media. That is the last thing you need to add stress to your morning.new-years-resolutions-tips

Make a To-Do List: If you’ve got a lot on your plate, or you just want to make sure to designate some “me-time”, write it all down. A to-do list will help you feel organized and accomplished.

Don’t Freak Out: Remember, even the most busy and stress-filled days will come to an end.

Give Yourself Some Love: Positive Affirmation time! Look in the mirror and remind yourself that you are smart, talented, and gorgeous!

Next One, Best One!

Source: PopSugar for Full Article

A Life Hack: Rest More to Accomplish More

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By Aubrie Pohl

You can feel the combination of motivation and your vision magnetizing you, pulling you toward your goal just as it is being drawn towards you.

You create a schedule, and set intention to the tasks you will accomplish to reach that goal.

Every day, you take the right steps in the right direction.

Training more, moving more, you feel the diligent effort adding up, allowing you to move better, look better, and feel better.

Then suddenly, fatigue sets in.

Your muscles grow weary, your mind becomes dull and you become perplexed about what happened.

Despite valiant effort to reach your greatest potential, the wisdom of your body was gently reminding you that you need to rest.

Put the Pep Back in your Step

In our lives we are often on the run and may not notice when our energy becomes drained.

Keeping your inner vision focused and following the path towards it undoubtedly displays integrity, but it can’t be sustained unless you nurture yourself.

If we go beyond our limits, we actually use more energy than we have and, essentially, operate on a deficit.

By using just a couple techniques for rest, we access powerful tools for revitalizing our bodies.

Stress Won’t Let You Rest!

Stress is one of the most debilitating and widespread conditions present in the world.

In fact, it is so common that we think it is normal.

Within the elaborate system of our bodies, our stress response evolved and developed as a survival mechanism during life-threatening situations.

However, nowadays humans are getting stressed about EVERYTHING.

Manifesting justifications to get stressed about situations or experiences, stress can hold you back in all aspects of life.

The body responds by slowing down digestion, suppressing the immune system, and causing a ruckus in the system, which will definitely prevent you from rest!

There’s good news!

The stress we commonly see is a fallacy, it is an irrational feeling, and you can manage stress into a tool that makes you stronger.

You can reduce the stress you experience through mindfulness of your thoughts and feelings, knowing that at any moment you are capable of relaxing.

Learning methods such as yoga and meditation will allow you to master your emotions and improve stress handling abilities.

[By the way, I teach yoga at Innovative Results! Tuesday & Wednesday at 11am, Thursday & Friday at 8pm :)]

Every individual is different, but finding a method to liberate from stress will in turn allow you to experience the rest you need.

Essential Slumber

When our lives become busy, sleep tends to be one of the first things we sacrifice.

We get caught up in the idea that by doing more we will get more done, so we stay up later and sleep less.

Decreasing an hour or two of slumber so we can increase our task list, and then we increase our caffeine intake to manipulate the body’s energy levels.

However, it is during sleep where the body revitalizes itself.

Sleep is as vital to sustaining a healthy, energetic life as eating, drinking, and breathing!

A night of ample sleep is a potent energizer, fostering a healthy body and a vibrant mind.

On the contrary, a lack of sleep creates a sluggish body and a foggy mind.

Give yourself the gift of a restful night and experience yourself feeling more refreshed, attentive, and ready for life’s challenges so you can live your full potential.

Knowing when to rest is as important as the work we do.

Today by seeking rest, you can rejuvenate yourself and improve your quality of life.

 

Did you like “Reduce Stress: Rest and Sleep More to Accomplish More”?

Read more articles by Aubrie!

Food IS Fuel
Who is Your Present Self

 

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8 Ways To Get Out of Your Emotional Slump with Innovative Results

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Even coaches and leaders get into emotional slumps…and I was in one recently–NOT COOL, and most definitely NOT GOOD if you have people that rely on you!

When in a slump, we must find what matters, and fight for it.

How did I know I was in a slump?

  • Getting up in the morning was a chore, and I didn’t become fully awake, alive, and energized until about 7am, which is THREE HOURS and 15 minutes INTO MY DAY!
  • I felt like I wasn’t productive or high-performing.
  • My training sets were barely finished, and lower performing than the earlier weeks.
  • I craved sugar, beer, wine, and crappy food.
  • Water sounded gross.
  • My time with God and relationships in life felt disconnected or disjointed.

Why did this happen to me?

Not the greatest question to ask in the middle of a slump, unless you want to play the victim, and spend more time in your slump. Taking responsibility for yourself and confronting the brutal facts is top priority if you are going to make it out.

I am not sure if it was because I was in an ethereal-spiritual-philosophical haze of having a brand new baby girl or not working for over a week (I still worked, but very little compared to my normal) or it was just my time to experience a low week or time…but I was down.

Here is what I do to help me pull out of the downward spirals (which have been known to happen to me about once every three months or so, and are much shorter lived than in my past):

  1. Smiling– Smiling has been shown to change the state of a person by many studies that I have read and researched in a very small amount of time. This takes a choice and an action. Here is a great Innovative Results video on the power of a smile:
  2. Drinking enough water– Too many times I was down because of dehydration, only to realize that a few glasses of water, picked me back up to full speed again. Here is another Innovative Results video on hydration.
  3. Eating Healthy Foods, not Foods that my Stress Desires– I have a MAJOR sweet tooth (it is such a problem that my wife has to hide any sugar items if she wants to enjoy them in moderation, because she knows I will SMASH a whole bucket of sugary stuff at night to satiate my horrible cravings). Eating junk foods: anything that comes in a box, bag, or is ordered through an electrical communication device is not going to pull you out of your emotionalor energy slumber. It is going to crank you up into a euphoric cloud, and then drop you deeper than you were before. CHOOSE FOODS THAT GOD MADE, and if man has messed with them RUN AWAY!! Here is an Innovative Results video on meal preparation and nutrition:
  4. Prayer and Meditation– In my personal experience, I have felt relief by handing over the issues to a power greater than me. I have also read many studies and books in my Masters on leadership Studies that displayed empirical studies and experiential observations that prayer and meditation helped the individual in their spiritual, physical, mental and emotional states. Here is an Innovative Results video on thankfulness and breathing, which can be both prayer and meditation:
  5. A little bit of daily exercise goes a long way– Again, too many studies have proven that this is one of the BEST ways to FEEL BETTER! Here is an Innovative Results video with an exercise you can do anywhere, and you will feel better afterward:
  6. Daily Affirmation, Scripture Memory, Direction, and Vision Board Daily– Even when I am bored with it, or bummed out. I have heard it said, that ‘grace cannot be earned, but it is not opposed to effort.’ By Dallas Willard, and I think the individual plays a major role in what happens to us in this amazing Universe, despite your belief system. Here is an Innovative Results video for your success, where we share our belief in you:
  7. Relationship with God and Others Renewed- An planned intimate venture with the one’s you love, or the one’s that love you can really help carry you out of your hole, and give you a breath of life! Here is an Innovative Results video, where we share our appreciation for our relationship with you:
  8. Simplify- Just take one moment or task at a time. The last steps out of my slump, was repeating to myself, “I can. I will. I must.” “Just do one task.” and “I can do all things through Christ that gives me strength.” Phil 4:13 These three simple phrases, helped me to two simple things (get rid of all the dirt that was in my backyard, and write an email). Here is an Innovative Results video where we show you how simply improving your posture has HUGE implications in the improvement of your mood and motivation:

Afterwards, I felt the grip of dark emotions and slowed energy lift from me, and become replaced with what I describe as my high normal (feeling awake, alive, and energized…fully capable, competent, and confident…READY TO SMASH…Ready to LIVE!…READY TO SERVE…Joyfully praising through my life’s purpose.

I believe that every slump and down part of our life has much to teach us, just like failure and winning has much to teach us as well.

If you have read and watched your way to the end of this article, I hope you already feel better, and I am looking forward to fighting the good fight with you this day, week, and life!!

May your mood be lifted, your dreams be tangible, your actions be swift, and your days be blessed beyond belief!

Make your next one, your best one!

Aaron Guyett

Founder, Co-owner, and Coach

Innovative Results has been voted #1 personal trainers and gym in Orange County, CA.

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11 Breathing Techniques That Help Reduce Stress, Calm Your Mind and Relax Your Body

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breathing techniquesWe all lead pretty busy lives.  Early mornings, late nights, work, stress, activities and more.  Most of us try to suck it up and deal with it, but stress can takes its toll, if we’re not careful.  The typical reaction to a long day is plopping down on the couch and having a drink, but that doesn’t help us cope.  A better way to counter all that stress, is to meditate or implement some simple breathing techniques.  The good news is, you can do it at your desk, in the car, at home, in a park, at the beach or just about anywhere.

Below are some great resources that we gathered up for you to use as a resource.  Read the articles, practice different techniques and find one that works best for you.

  1. Deep Breathing – Deep breathing is the cornerstone of many other relaxation practices, too, and can be combined with other relaxing elements such as aromatherapy and music. All you really need is a few minutes and a place to stretch out.
  2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation – To nix tension from head to toe, close the eyes and focus on tensing and relaxing each muscle group for two to three seconds each.
  3. Body Scan Meditation – A body scan is similar to progressive muscle relaxation except, instead of tensing and relaxing muscles, you simply focus on the sensations in each part of your body.
  4. Mindfulness – Mindfulness is the ability to remain aware of how you’re feeling right now, your “moment-to-moment” experience—both internal and external. Thinking about the past—blaming and judging yourself—or worrying about the future can often lead to a degree of stress that is overwhelming. But by staying calm and focused in the present moment, you can bring your nervous system back into balance. Mindfulness can be applied to activities such as walking, exercising, eating, or meditation.
  5. Visualization – Close your eyes and let your worries drift away. Imagine your restful place. Picture it as vividly as you can—everything you can see, hear, smell, and feel. Visualization works best if you incorporate as many sensory details as possible, using at least three of your senses. When visualizing, choose imagery that appeals to you; don’t select images because someone else suggests them, or because you think they should be appealing. Let your own images come up and work for you.
  6. Equal Breathing – Balance can do a body good, beginning with the breath. To start, inhale for a count of four, then exhale for a count of four — all through the nose, which adds a natural resistance to the breath.
  7. Belly Breathing – With one hand on the chest and the other on the belly, take a deep breath in through the nose, ensuring the diaphragm (not the chest) inflates with enough air to create a stretch in the lungs.
  8. Alternate Nostril Breathing – A yogi’s best friend, this breath is said to bring calm and balance, and unite the right and left sides of the brain. Starting in a comfortable meditative pose, hold the right thumb over the right nostril and inhale deeply through the left nostril. At the peak of inhalation, close off the left nostril with the ring finger, then exhale through the right nostril.
  9. Guided Visualization – With a coach, therapist or helpful recording as your guide, breathe deeply while focusing on pleasant, positive images to replace any negative thoughts.
  10. Coherent Breathing – Coherent breathing is basically breathing at a rate of five breaths per minute, which is the middle of the resonant breathing rate range. I achieve this if I count to five inhaling and count to five exhaling.
  11. Resistance Breathing – Resistance breathing is exactly what its name suggests: breathing that creates resistance to the flow of air.  Resistance can be created by pursing the lips, placing the tip of the tongue against the inside of the upper teeth, hissing through the clenched teeth, tightening the throat muscles, partly closing the glottis, narrowing the space between the vocal cords, or using an external object such as breathing through a straw.

Stress can be a killer, but taking the time to practice these techniques can help calm your mind and body, making you healthier, more productive and energetic.  Try them out and let us know which one you find most beneficial.

To learn more, check out these resources:

6 Different Relaxation Techniques for Stress Relief

6 Breathing Exercises to Relax in 10 Minutes or Less

3 Deep Breathing Exercises to Reduce Anxiety

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Can Exercise Help Reduce Stress? Orange County Fitness Trainers say YES!

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Today, stress seems to be a way of life. Stress can be hard to live with and can cause anxiety, depression, and other ailments such as high blood pressure and insomnia, and can even negatively affect our immune system.

Can exercise help reduce stress?

Research has shown that regular exercise is one of the best physical stress reduction methods there is, and that those who exercise regularly have a decreased occurrence of anxiety and depression.

Can exercise help reduce stress?

Exercise can help the body to cope better with the physical effects of stress.

Exercise strengthens the heart and lungs (two organs that are largely affected by the body’s response to stress), decreases stress hormones like cortisol, releases endorphins (giving you a feeling of happiness and overall well being) and helps with weight loss and maintenance (improving your confidence and body image!).

Regular exercisers also report that they have more energy, sleep better, have an improved ability to concentrate, and have reduced reactions to stress.

While exercise may not make those everyday stressors disappear, it does put you in a better place physically, emotionally and spiritually, to deal with them.

Did you like “Can Exercise Help Stress Reduction?”…Leave us a comment.

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Disclaimer: All quotes are the experiences and opinions of individuals, actual results may vary.

 

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