Day 16

Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Fruits: One whole orange, half an apple
Sinful snacking in between.

I have finally proceeded to Stage Two. It started yesterday on Day 15. I continued with the exercises in Stage One and further proceeded with the first five exercises in Stage Two.

Stage Two is pretty intense. The focus is a lot on your breathing. Most people tend to hold their breath in their midst of an intense stretch. This not only makes the seconds more unbearable but it also strains the muscles. As not enough air is allowed to enter your lungs and expel to regulate a proper blood flow, you run out of steam very fast. Therefore, it is important to exercise deep breathing.

Here are some deep breathing exercises I picked up while surfing the net:

Inhale slowly for a period of five seconds
Hold your breath for five seconds
Exhale slowly for five seconds

This is easy to complete, whether you're in school or at work. Once you get the hang of it, you do not need to actually count the seconds but rather you automatically realise when it is you have to inhale, hold and exhale. Other things to do during your stoning hours are massaging the pads of your thumbs and the back of your neck. This helps to regulate blood flow and releases the tension that builds up at your shoulder area, especially after parking your ass in the office for 8 hours straight.

These exercises do not directly help in spine strengthening but they make the exercises less strenuous on the back muscles.