Covid-19 Specific
2020, the year that took our breath away.
Covid-19 and unprecedented racial and political unrest contributed to a collective stress that resounded around the world.
“I’ve seen, on the ground, what happens when people panic, the panic and the fear is as dangerous, or more dangerous than the hurricane, floods and fires. We now have misinformation and fear and panic which is as contagious or more contagious as the virus. I’ve had some conversations with people who heretofore were wholly rational. When we get fearful, we literally don’t process information the same way, we need clear communication and consistent information.”
Governor Andrew Cuomo: March 20, 2020.
In the early days as Covid-19 unfolded, there was much discussion about mitigating the spread of the virus but little to nothing mentioned about mitigating the fear, stress and symptoms.
The uncertainty and anxiety caused by these times and the ensuing stress and breath-holding, potentially affect the immune system, creating a higher risk of getting and fighting the virus, negatively impacting our overall health.
Gliding functionally addresses breathing and movement as intervention for the body’s unconscious stress related ‘holding patterns,’ such as breath-holding and ever constant shoulder lifting, which Covid-19 has certainly compounded.
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The videos below address the fact that breathing and exercise, in all capacities, help regulate our PH levels and prevent the risk of inflammatory issues.
James Sloane, the noted medical herbalist covers the topic of the body’s natural ability to regulate PH levels. At the 4:30 minute mark in the discussion, the benefits of breathing as a means for regulating our PH levels is addressed.
Janet Lord, the Director of the Institute of Inflammation and Aging, whose video surfaced in the early days of Covid-19, further cements the validity of these statements concerning the effects of breathing and exercise on inflammation.
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The way that we breathe effects our body’s acidic and alkaline balance. The more efficiently we breathe (ocean breathing) the more alkalising is the effect. Shallow breathing makes our system highly acidic. High acidity levels have been linked to inflammation, heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, obesity, diabetes, autoimmune disease, chronic pain and other chronic conditions. When there is a lot of acid-forming food in your diet, it can lead to many different forms of inflammation, including arthritis, acne, fatigue, bloated feeling, weight gain, and more.
The knowledge shared in these videos give us hope for fighting the Covid-19 battle on-the-ground with common-sense approaches. Having the awareness that the simple act of breathing is so effective for controlling inflammation and activating the virus killing properties of nitric oxide, considerably reduces the fear factor of dealing with unknown pre-existing conditions and or symptoms and recovery from Covid-19.
If these inflammatory health issues are at the root of most pre-existing conditions then it’s no surprise that we catch the virus so easily and suffer with the symptoms. If we learn to control the inflammation, we may see a reduction in long-hauler syndrome.
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Eight months into navigating through this global pandemic and brain-numbing infodemic, while also living with such change and uncertainty, many of us have retreated into a need for personal comforts, both food and otherwise.
Corona Home Gym originally materialized due to the sudden demand for home workouts and out of necessity it has since expanded to offer preventive mitigation options that include further ‘food for thought’ and my personal fail-safes. Over the years these lifesavers have helped mitigate various uncomfortable symptoms from potentially erupting into acute life-threatening bodily crises.
Adopting this undisciplined disciplined approach to both how we nourish and exercise our body, may prove useful in letting old habits and addictions to effortlessly fall away. In the end we gain a sense of control, rather than worry, over the state of our physical and mental health.
