In the cities, the market place is the up-regulation.
The training we do, the driving, the work overload, the “growth.” Most people are operating on a 7/10 excitation level at all times.
This is where intentional down-regulation comes in.
When stress is high (for any reason), we have elevated cortisol and a myriad of health issues that can follow when this gets chronic (trust me, I have had plenty of experience of this).
So, what is down-regulation?
We use nutrition (meal timing/frequency and types of foods) alongside meditation or specific breath work (usually aimed at increasing CO2 levels in the blood) and lifestyle factors. We can then manage blood sugar levels, down-regulate cortisol and adrenaline responses and up-regulate restorative and growth hormones. We actively work with food and breath to “de-stress” the body, allowing it space to heal.
To me, this side is equally as important as the “exercise” or training side.
The cool thing? It’s pretty fast and it doesn’t need to take long.
The first step though is the awareness of feeling the current “state.”
For many, this is accepting that the level of stress that the system is under is too high.
