By: Rachel Godwin, guest blogger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you doing all of the right things but still struggle with fatigue and weight loss? Have you been eating healthy, exercising and feel stuck? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You are not alone and there is a solution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am going to share with you how you eat is just as important as what you eat<\/strong> and provide one simple step you can take today to be able to assimilate food and supplements to maximize their benefits and move the needle just 1 degree closer to your ideal health and life .<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eating healthy foods and taking healthy action is only 50% of experiencing optimal health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The other 50% is being in the ideal state to digest and assimilate food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to be in this ideal state you must have healthy coping mechanisms for stress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Stress has a profound impact on our health and leaks into all areas of our life that I call \u201cThe Big Five\u201d : health, career, relationships, finances, and spiritual .<\/p>\n\n\n\n Healthy coping mechanisms for stress helps you return to the ideal state to digest and assimilate food to maximize your body\u2019s health and healing power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless of what you’re working on to improve in your life, stress is a huge factor that deserves a lot of respect and consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No matter the condition, behavior or symptom your body will heal, release weight, and restore when it\u2019s accepted and in a calm state . <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When you are in the sympathetic state or \u201cthe fight or flight\u201d stress state, you can do all of the right things such as eating well and taking supplements but your body won’t make use of it if you’re in an overactive state of mind.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The stressful state causes your body to prioritize survival mode. It perceives there to be danger and causes our cells to reprioritize the production of energy, sends blood flow away from the GI system, slows digestion and stops release of hormones to assimilate food <\/p>\n\n\n\n Research shows that shallow rapid breathing activates the sympathetic nervous system (the stress response), the fight or flight response. So most people are in a chronic low level state of stress which leads to fatigue, anxiety , foggy brained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Deeper slower breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the rest and digest response. It puts you into a relaxed state. The relaxed, \u201crest and digest \u201cstate is crucial for optimal wellbeing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The way you breath impacts your blood pressure, metabolism, heart rate, stress level, digestion, and mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just by changing the way you are breathing has the power to improve your mood, decrease anxiety and increase energy, improve metabolic power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ready to harness the power of the breath to decrease stress and optimize your digestive and healing power? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you begin eating your next meal, pause to recognize how your feeling. Draw your attention to your breath. Is it labored? Fast? Are you agitated, distracted or hurried? Take a deep cleansing breath and then continue with the following practice. It takes only 60 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you are agitated, worried or have a mind full, slowing your breathing down tells your brain that nothing is chasing you and it can turn off the fight or flight stress state and turn on the rest and digest state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Simple and powerful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a Bonus! Try this breathing practice the next time you are in an argument with your spouse or family member. It works the same way. It provides you clarity and ability to respond in a more effective way rather than be reactionary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I would love to hear your thoughts and experience on implementing this one simple practice into your mealtimes. Leave a comment below and if this would help another, please share. <\/p>\n\n\n\n