<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #993366;"><strong><em>PART 3/4 – OXYGEN SATURATION RECHARGE  </em></strong></span></h1>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #993366;"><strong><em>BOOSTS EMOTIONS AND LOWERS HYPERDRIVE.</em></strong><strong><em>  </em></strong></span></h1>
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<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Mate, this four-minute oxygen pump is gold! I can’t believe how charged I feel after it.  While it felt a little odd to start with, I mean, let's face it, all I’m doing is breathing for <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/download-7.jpg"><img class="  wp-image-3515 alignright" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/download-7.jpg" alt="download (7)" width="111" height="83" /></a>heaven’s sake, but it works a treat.  Like anything, once I practiced a few times I really got into the groove.  It’s a like powerpack attitude re-charger.  I certainly found the brain wave thing interesting and worth pursuing. </em></p>
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<em>I’ll offer up a simple but highly effective practiced health strategy (hack) and it’s associated results – as per my case study. </em>

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<em>I’ve listed why this approach works, hopefully encouraging you, to give it a crack. </em>

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<em>While providing mostly positive outcomes,  not all subjects received identical benefit. </em>

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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Case Study so far;</strong></span>
<ul>
	<li>100 subjects were physically and emotionally assessed and grouped related around two natural highs.</li>
	<li><span style="color: #008080;"><strong><a style="color: #008080;" href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/part-1-lifestyle-stress-balance/">Group 1 (Part 1)</a></strong></span> – subjects assessed to be low in ‘natural high’ serotonin, and to a lesser extent dopamine, and,<a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/bar1.jpg"><img class="  wp-image-3496 alignright" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/bar1-300x225.jpg" alt="bar" width="199" height="149" /></a></li>
	<li><a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/3490-2/"><span style="color: #008080;"><strong>Group 2 (Part 2)</strong></span></a> – subjects assessed to be high in natural high adrenalin, and the result of this sustained imbalance of excessive cortisol.</li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>In summary</strong></span>, some people lived on sustained overdrive (stress), exhausting their natural high adrenal system, and as a consequence, now live with suppressed physical, and perhaps more damaging, emotional ill-health.

The results of extended and unbalanced emotional ups and downs are listed in <span style="color: #008080;"><strong><a style="color: #008080;" href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/part-1-lifestyle-stress-balance/">PARTS 1&amp;2</a></strong>.</span>

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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Goals of health strategies – including today’s hack – Oxygen Saturation.</strong></span>

Group 1; naturally amp up healthy (day-time) serotonin, and

Group 2; lower and balance stress-induced cortisol.

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<blockquote>
<h4><span style="color: #00ffff;"><strong>Four key influencing factors offering most health balance are;</strong></span></h4>
<ul>
	<li>
<h4><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>OXYGEN</strong></span></h4>
</li>
	<li>
<h4><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>SLEEP<a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/H.jpg"><img class="  wp-image-3513 alignright" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/H.jpg" alt="H" width="168" height="123" /></a></strong></span></h4>
</li>
	<li>
<h4><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>FOOD</strong></span></h4>
</li>
	<li>
<h4><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>MINDSET</strong></span></h4>
</li>
</ul>
<h4></h4>
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Today we’ll focus on boosting your <span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Oxygen efficiency.</strong></span>

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Next post I’ll focus on nailing your sleep, under all conditions, and also offer up food choices that <em>up</em> your serotonin and <em>down</em> your cortisol.   I’ve chosen to leave the area of mindset to a large part to the experts (I’ve listed a few FYI).

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<blockquote>
<h5><span style="color: #00ffff;"><strong>The following Healthy Strategy is:</strong></span></h5>
<ul>
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<h5><span style="color: #ffffff;">Time efficient</span></h5>
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<h5><span style="color: #ffffff;">Works for most people</span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #ffffff;">Isn’t too weird and wacky, and is pretty much,</span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #ffffff;">Free</span></h5>
</li>
</ul>
<h5></h5>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>OXYGEN IS KING</strong></span></h3>
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Strategy (Health Hack): <span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Respiratory BioFeedback (RB)</strong></span>

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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>What is it? </strong></span>

Well, pretty much nothing more than ‘focussing’ on your breathing for just four minutes.  You’re re-learning to breathe efficiently while adding a few complimentary bits and pieces.  You’re  <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Oxygen-front.svg-1.png"><img class=" size-medium wp-image-3516 alignright" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Oxygen-front.svg-1-300x300.png" alt="Oxygen-front.svg (1)" width="300" height="300" /></a>returning to how you breathed as a baby.  Way back then was breathing was effortless, deep, and efficient.  In return, your brain and body received healthy consistent oxygen saturation.

Breathing patterns of many subjects reflected shallow, fast, intermittent, shoulder breathing.  Their posture was also poor.

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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Why Hack?</strong></span>

When testing both, subjects low in serotonin, and subjects high in cortisol, both groups experienced the following physical benefits;

Lowering of ‘higher’ blood pressure, lowering of ‘higher’resting heart rates, lowering of more elevated blood sugar, improved posture (particularly those who sat more than 10 hours a day),

and emotional benefits;

Increased motivation, happier disposition, increased tolerance, and improved sleep quality.

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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Why does it work? </strong></span>

We're saturating your brain and body with oxygen.  It is your only focus for four minutes.  Most people, most of the time, feel good after an exercise session.  I mean, on finishing exercise, I don’t hear whining they’d wished they’d never exercised in the first place!  In part, this feel-good effect is courtesy of O2 saturation.  This concentration of oxygen has an enormous healthy influence on nerves, hormones, muscles, and of course the brain.

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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>How then?</strong></span>
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<h5><span style="color: #00ffff;"><strong><em>Basic RB model</em></strong></span> - although Advanced model below improved results significantly.</h5>
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<ul>
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<blockquote>Sit comfortably and close your eyes.</blockquote>
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<blockquote>Place your hands on your abdomen.<img class="  wp-image-3511 alignright" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/RES.png" alt="RES" width="182" height="167" /></blockquote>
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<blockquote>With slow control inhale for five unforced counts.</blockquote>
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<blockquote>Feel your belly pressing against your hands – *full diaphragmatic expansion.</blockquote>
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<blockquote>Allow your shoulders to relax and fall back and down, releasing all tension in your neck.</blockquote>
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<blockquote>Hold your near maximum volume for a split second, then,</blockquote>
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<blockquote>Exhale for five counts</blockquote>
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<blockquote>As with exercise, build slowly over time. Your breaths will become deeper and fuller with greater control after a few sessions.</blockquote>
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<blockquote>Repeat this for four minutes only.</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
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<blockquote>
<h5><span style="color: #00ffff;"><strong>A<em>dvanced model – and recommended</em></strong></span></h5>
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<ul>
	<li><em>Lay on the floor with your knees bent (releasing your lower back muscles with a pillow placed under your knees is best)</em></li>
	<li><em>Place small ‘softer’ book (say 1 inch thick) under your head</em></li>
	<li><em>Cover your eyes with a towel – this will increase Alpha waves.</em></li>
	<li><em>Insert headphones and listen to *Alpha brain wave sounds (youtube: Alpha wave)</em></li>
	<li><em>Turn your phone ring to silent – it’s just four minutes.</em></li>
	<li><em>Place a dash of *lavender oil under your nose.</em></li>
	<li><em>Place hands on your belly.</em></li>
</ul>
*Same controlled progressive breathing pattern as above – see diaphragm movement video.

<span style="color: #00ffff;"><strong>NOTE</strong></span> – you don’t NOT want to fall into a Delta wave sleep.  If you are falling asleep, commit for just two minutes and build up over time.</blockquote>
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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Alpha brain waves</strong></span> – of the five most defined brain waves (explained more in Part 4a – Sleep quality), alpha waves has us awake, but physically and mentally in our most relaxed state.  Eyes closed, yet consciously avoiding drowsiness produces best alpha wave benefits.  Alpha waves amp up serotonin and in turn, reduce cortisol.  We found this to be the case.  Usin<img class="  wp-image-3519 alignright" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/maxresdefault-8-300x169.jpg" alt="maxresdefault (8)" width="254" height="143" />g precise alpha-enhancing music played at a moderate volume most certainly heightened alpha wave brain production.  This is good.

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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Lavender oil</strong></span> – there’s enough endorsement around the aroma value of lavender (oil).  It’s known to relax our nervous system, de-hype our mood, and aid in breathing efficiency.  For just a few bucks, what have you got to lose!

<strong><span style="color: #993366;">Diaphragmatic breathing </span></strong> - see video (increased lung capacity)

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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Additions </strong></span>
<ul>
	<li>While mostly impractical, greatest results were experienced when respiratory biofeedback was performed on a back inversion anti-gravity table. De-weighting and unloading the lumbar spine allowed for a more significant breathing response – and decreased back pain.  Expert direction is advised (eg Physio)</li>
	<li>It seemed unnecessary or even counterproductive performing RB for longer than four minutes. Remember, this is NOT a power nap.</li>
	<li>Be certain to feel your tummy rising on inhalation – think you’re ‘slowly’ filling up a volleyball placed in your tummy.<a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/inversion-table.jpg"><img class="  wp-image-3510 alignright" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/inversion-table-300x247.jpg" alt="inversion-table" width="227" height="187" /></a></li>
	<li>You should also feel you ribs expanding – sideways that is.</li>
	<li>Your lower back and neck muscle groups should be completely relaxed.</li>
	<li>Focus all your attention towards *breathing mechanics.</li>
	<li>I tend to favour mouth breathing, but nasal still worked well.</li>
	<li>Alternatively to all this, exercise rhythmically at your most appropriate intensity.</li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Results </strong></span>
<ul>
	<li>Lowering higher blood pressure (particularly <em>systolic</em> (top) pressure – <strong>140</strong>+/90+ &lt; 120/80</li>
	<li>Lowering resting heart rate – 100+ &lt;75</li>
	<li>Reduced appetite towards unnecessary or additional sugar and or alcohol.</li>
	<li>Recharged moods, particularly in the afternoon.</li>
	<li>A boost in the ‘communication battery’ post work.<a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/health-benefits.jpg"><img class="  wp-image-3512 alignright" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/health-benefits-300x200.jpg" alt="health-benefits" width="215" height="143" /></a></li>
	<li>Improved athletic high-end performance – e.g., top end threshold efforts buffering lactic acid.</li>
	<li>It should feel like you’ve just plugged yourself into a power socket. Physical, mental and emotional, now your battery light should now read 100%.</li>
	<li>I reckon half the benefit is just removing you from screens (the world) for four just minutes.</li>
</ul>
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<blockquote><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Healthy signs;</strong></span> If you do give it crack and can’t understand what all the fuss is about, chances are, you’re in pretty good knick – this is a good healthy sign.</blockquote>
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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Up next</strong></span>
<ul>
	<li>Nailing your sleep, and</li>
	<li>Amping up day-time serotonin and lower excessive cortisol with food choices that work.</li>
</ul>