I Had No Idea, 14% More Endurance, and Breathing to Help Yourself

1. I Had No Idea the Impact

“I had no idea the impact a simple, gentle walk would have on my life. The impact comes not only from the actual physical walking but also from the discipline, the practice, the commitment. This MorningWalk has ignited my sense of curiosity, satiated my everlasting wanderlust and been the most powerful tool for inspiration in my life.”

– Libby DeLana, Do Walk

When I read this, I thought, “I could say the same about my morning breath practice.” It’s a great reminder that there’s no perfect approach: the way I feel about breathing is the same way someone else feels about walking and how another person feels about dancing or creating art. What’s important is finding what works best for you 🙏

2. Subliminal Smiles and 14% More Endurance

“As the cyclists pedaled, a screen in front of them periodically flashed images of happy or sad faces in imperceptible 16-millisecond bursts, ten to twenty times shorter than a typical blink. The cyclists who were shown sad faces rode, on average, for just over 22 minutes. Those who were shown happy faces rode for three minutes longer and reported a lower sense of effort at corresponding time points. Seeing a smiling face, even subliminally, evokes feelings of ease that bleed into your perception of how hard you’re working at other tasks.”

– Alex Hutchinson, Endure

If an imperceptible smile can help someone pedaling to exhaustion go ~14% longer, imagine what a genuine smile might do for someone you pass on the sidewalk or a store clerk having a rough day. So, let’s use this as our reminder to mindfully smile at those we encounter—it may help them more than we know 😊

3. Thoughts on Laughter (the best breathing exercise)

1. “Laughter is the soul’s health.” - James Henry Potts

2. “We need laughter in our lives. Laughter is carbonated holiness. It’s like the cavalry arriving to help us get our sense of humor back.” - Anne Lamott

3 “A person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused.” - Shirley MacLaine

4. You’re Helping Yourself

“One of the most appealing aspects of a breathing practice is that you’re helping yourself. You’re not dependent on someone else. You’re in charge of your own healing. You’ve got this. You’ve got sovereignty.”

– Emma Seppälä, Ph.D., Sovereign

A great reminder that one of the most therapeutic aspects of breathing is the heightened sense of agency it cultivates. You feel in charge of your own healing, and this mindset carries into other areas of life, providing you with more sovereignty in your daily living 👏

"It’s quite amazing: we can control our breath, which means we can control the state of our autonomic nervous system and even our state of consciousness."

— — Elissa Epel, Ph.D.

I was struggling to come up with a good trivia question this week, so I decided to switch it up with a book recommendation.

This is a children’s book about Fabi, a now 7-year-old girl, who underwent heart surgery last year. She used breathing, meditation, and prayer to face it with courage and calmness. And in true warrior fashion, she wrote a book to support other kids facing similar challenges. It’s an inspiring and humbling short story; if you have kids, consider getting a copy!

In good breath,

Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”

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P.S. I would do anything…

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