The Spartan Way: Eat Better. Train Better. Think Better. Be Better.

by Joe De Sena

And take note of how the real pros do it. The biathlon event in the Winter Olympics combines cross-country skiing and target shooting with a 22-caliber rifle. Churning his legs and arms to get swiftly across rugged alpine terrain, a biathlete’s heart rate hits two hundred beats per minute. Then he must stop, un-sling his rifle, and bring his heart rate down enough to steady his hands and mind to take aim at a target fifty meters away. A top biathlete can lower his heart rate to 140 beats per minute in just twenty seconds in order to be calm and steady enough to aim accurately. How? By training his body through deep breathing techniques and by exhaling extra CO2 to counteract the lactic acid buildup in his muscles. You can use the same technique when in the throes of panic and faced with a trauma or anxiety-producing adversity. Try it now: Do fifteen burpees to simulate the rapid, shallow breathing of a panic attack. Next, blow out with a strong, deliberate abdominal contraction by pulling your belly button back toward your spine. This forces a higher volume-in breath. Now, relax your belly and breathe in deeply, allowing your belly to rise before your chest to ensure that you fill your entire lung space. Bringing a higher volume of oxygen into your lungs will relax you by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. Do it again and again as you feel your heart rate start to return to normal. When you’re relaxed with a head full of oxygenated blood in your brain, you are...

Ive got to try this out