Breathing Exercises Lower Blood Pressure

If you have followed me for any length of time, you know that I am head over heals for intentional breath training. Not only have I seen it create enormous changes in movement capabilities for clients, but it also affects the nervous system as well, downregulating the fight or flight response and upregulating rest and digest pathways.

There is even more good news when it comes to practicing regular breathing work: decreased blood pressure! In a recent study published by Colorado University, researchers found, “Working out just five minutes daily via a practice described as “strength training for your breathing muscles” lowers blood pressure and improves some measures of vascular health as well as, or even more than, aerobic exercise or medication. Moreover, the exercise group found, “their systolic blood pressure (the top number) dip nine points on average, a reduction which generally exceeds that achieved by walking 30 minutes a day five days a week. That decline is also equal to the effects of some blood pressure-lowering drug regimens.”

As I have spoked about on the Fitness, Wellness, and Longevity podcast, breathwork is critical for the ageless athlete, and should be a part of your every day routine.

Looking to harness the benefits of breath work? I’m here to help! Click the link below to get started today!

The One Exercise You Should Be Doing Every Day

If there is one exercise that you see on every training program that I write, it’s the 90/90 Hip Lift.  There are many variations of this exercise that I use (right hand reach, two hand reach, etc.), but you will always see it on your program if you work with me.  I usually include it in the warm-up for my clients but regardless if you are a world class athlete or you are a 70 year old who is just looking to stay in shape, you can benefit from this exercise.  Not only does it allow you to feel abs, glutes, and hamstrings, but it can be used to downregulate the nervous system as well.

Here is a breakdown of the 90/90 Hip Lift with Right Hand Reach;

1. Lie on your back with your feet flat on a wall and your knees and hips bent at a 90- degree angle. 

2. Place a 4-6 inch ball between your knees. 

3. Place your right arm pointing toward the ceiling. 

4. Inhale through your nose and as you exhale through your mouth, perform a pelvic tilt so that your tailbone is raised slightly off the mat. Keep your low back flat on the mat. Do not press your feet flat into the wall instead dig down with your heels. 

5. As you inhale, reach your hand toward the ceiling.  Maintain the pelvic tilt.

6. Exhale and keep reaching toward the ceiling feeling left hamstring and abs engage 

7. Repeat for 5 Breaths x 2 sets

This simple little exercise will alleviate nagging back pain, realign the neck and shoulders, and prepare your entire body for your workout.

This is only a brief description of the exercise, and proper coaching is key to success with the 90/90 hip lift.  If you need a personalized touch, I'm here to help.  Click the link below to book a free assessment today and let’s have you moving pain free now!

This Common Ab Exercise Is Making Your Lower Back Pain Worse...

It has been ingrained in us since grade school (see the Presidential Fitness Test) that the sit-up is the most important ab exercise you can do. If you have lower back pain however, I would avoid the sit-up like the plague.

"Blasphemy!" my gym rats bro-science experts will say. "You need a strong core!" First off, what do you consider your "core." Secondly, relax, this is just an article written by a guy who thinks the movie Borat is my generation's Citizen Kane. I digress. When you say core, I are assuming that you are talking about the muscle that support all ranges of motion of the trunk/pelvic AND your ability to respire (breath in and out). The sit-up, that targets the rectus abdominis, does a pour job at both these objectives. The rectus abdominis's primary motor function is controlling spinal flexion in the sagittal plane (back to front bending), and it actually has an insertion point that is anchored to the sternum, preventing the sternum from elevating during inhalation when active (that's bad). It's like watching Chris Farley wearing a jacket that's too small.

Your sternum gets pinned down by your rectus and without the expansion things get ugly really quick. You are soon compensating by extending the lower spine, further exacerbating stress on the lower vertebrae and muscles.

If you have lower back pain, and the sit-up is your primary core strengthening exercise, do yourself a favor and give the sit-up the ol' 86!

In future posts, I will be writing about my favorite ab exercises for alleviating lower back pain. You don't want to miss out, so make sure you click the link below to join our mailing list.

Looking for your own workout routine to improve your core and get rid of lower back pain? Click the link below to sign-up for a free assessment and I'll help you feel better, TODAY!