Hey guys and welcome back to another episode of your Brain's Coach podcast. My name is Angela Shurina, I'm your host, I'm your Brain's Coach and it is my job here to bring to you all the best recent, cutting-edge, most important, applicable and restorative brain-body tools so you could take better control of your energy. Energy guys. Energy is the currency of life, so you could take better control of your energy, emotions, thoughts, actions and, ultimately, your life. Where it's going Today, it's all about energy.
Speaker 1Guys, before you jump into the week, I want to ask you how do you feel on Monday? Do you feel fully refreshed and ready to go? And every day, when you wake up, how do you feel? Do you feel rested, recovered, with your batteries full of energy, or still with this negative feeling that you could use a vacation and that you need more sleep and you need more rest and you don't want to take all of this on and you need to take it easy. How are your energy batteries on a regular basis Before you jump into the week?
Speaker 1I want to talk about deep rest and recovery and not just subjective feeling in some woo-woo stuff that you can't really measure. No, I'm talking about deep rest and recovery that can be measured that PhDs base their work on and then advise people on the best practices, not just for energy levels, but also for health and for optimal aging. Guys, energy is the currency of life, it's the currency of work, it's the currency of your relationships, it's the quality of your life, and if you don't learn how to truly rest and recover, recover, then you're never going to learn how to fully live. Guys, do you consider your watching TV time or Netflix time, entertaining others' parties and social media? Do you consider trust? Because I'm actually not that trustful.
Speaker 1Here is a quote I want to read to you from this article the Power of Deep Rest. Perpetual stress runs us down, but a truly restorative state that alters at the cellular level can counter this deterioration by one peri. And this article was recommended by Dr Elisa Apple in one of her newsletters. And Dr Elisa Apple is an international expert on stress, on well-being and on optimal aging. So this article came out in UCSF I believe it's University of San Francisco magazine. So the power of deep rest how to rest on a cellular level. How to rest on a cellular level. So the quote cells burn more energy and age faster when they are stressed for long periods. Researchers think that during depressed cells redirect ATP or this energy molecule, major energy molecule in our cells toward restoration and overall energy expenditure drops.
Speaker 1Taking those breathing breaks, I often tell my clients they make your energy last longer. You'll have less fatigue and more energy for living and working on your goals. The magic of breathing breaks. People always comment on how much energy I have and the spark that seems to get things and get people moving. Sometimes I think clients hire me just for that vitality boost and I have my theory on how it works. But today is not about that.
Speaker 1One method, guys, that I use all the time to have these high energy levels consistently, without any boosters or supplements or stimulants like caffeine. I take breathing breaks, as I call them, all the freaking time. I'm working on something, and it might have been 20 minutes and I take a deep breath, a couple, three, making sure that my nervous system spends a lot more time in this restorative, parasympathetic mode, or this opposite of stress state in which researchers think, based on all of the data that they have, our energy use a lot less energy and because of that, it's like switching this echo mode in your own body. You have more energy because you use less of it and your cells are literally in the state of energy reservation, restoration, preservation and restoration, which allows you to make that energy last longer and have more of it available for things like spending quality time with your loved ones or your friends or your partners, and having more energy for pursuits in life that matter to you, whether that's delivering high quality work or perhaps pursuing some hobby, or maybe a personal growth project, or maybe studying more. Dr Andy Galpin, one of the top trainers, researchers of fitness and athletics one of the top trainers, and he's also a biokinesisist and has, I think, a couple of other degrees related to biochemistry and how to perform our best. He specifically works a lot with elite athletes and which he makes do breath work at the end of each workout to switch them faster into this restorative state in which they can recover faster and so they can go again after it faster and more and better and more intense, so ultimately, they can perform better and achieve greater results. So real recovery versus couch time I'm talking about today, guys, about deep recovery at the cellular level, and that doesn't come from chilling on the couch watching Netflix or going to a party.
Speaker 1Another quote from the same article which, by the way, is linked in the show notes to today's podcast. Certain practices, those that cultivate inner well-being and quiet our minds, can open the door to this fully restorative state. Meditation and yoga are two of the most recognized contemplative practices, but many others exist Prayer, spiritual reading, japanese practice of therapeutic relaxation in nature, known as forest bathing, and movement-based practices like Tai Chi, qigong and similarly common focus mind and body. Again the same article the Power of Deep Rest. So I'm really resting, guys, or just entertaining yourself.
Speaker 1What I learned in my life and in my practice is that most people don't really know how to recover. They entertain themselves. That's what they do and that's how you end up burned out or on the verge of it, very often at the end of each week, at the end of each month, or feeling like a lot of my clients felt when they would come to me for Health360 coaching Feeling like you're never really out of that semi-burned-out mode, always feeling that fatigue that you'd like to just rest, take it easy, take a vacation I definitely did not get out there and seize the day. Seize the opportunities there and seize the day, seize the opportunities. The tricky part about this, guys, is that practices that fully restore you and help you to use energy more effectively and create energy more effectively and also age optimally and age slower. So the tricky part I found that practices like meditation, yoga, breath work or going into nature they feel like more work at first.
Speaker 1Who wants to sit or lie down and meditate? Do breath work, live a long yoga after a long day, isn't it true? You come back home and you often feel like you just want to collapse on the couch and turn on Netflix. That feels like the thing that you need the most, and yet that same thing doesn't allow you to fully restore, recover on a cellular level, and that same thing doesn't allow you to shake off that fatigue and that slightly burned out feeling. Here's the thing.
Speaker 1When you start practicing this, I still am sometimes struggling with this. I'm like in the middle of the day I'm already getting a little bit irritated and fatigued. Middle of the day for me is usually after already seven to eight hours of work and I find myself talking myself out of one of my actually favorite practices these days. And still I have to sometimes to remind myself to do yoga, nidra. When I personally choose to do it lying down, I lie down on my bed and I turn on my favorite body scan protocol on YouTube, available absolutely for free, which was recommended by Andrew Huberman on one of his podcasts, and since then that specific protocol, 10-minute protocol, became my favorite. I still struggle sometimes with doing it, but then I remind myself hey, remember after that you had this second wind for the afternoon, to finish the day strong, to keep pushing, to keep moving your vision forward. Hey, remember, because of that you have more energy at night to learn to study things they actually love doing.
Speaker 1But they do require energy as well, sometimes, energy that you don't have unless you spend additional time recovering, like yoga, nidra. Or I remind myself that I actually need less sleep and wake up so much more refreshed and I have more positive, a more positive mood, I guess. But you see, your mood depends on high energy levels. The more energy on the cellular levels you have, the better your mood is. There is this book, the book about energy and how brain energy and how it seems that our energy-producing mitochondria, those energy-producing plants in our cells, the better they work, the more energy they produce, the more effective they are, the better our mood is. You see, that spark that I told you about, that people love about me and I feel like sometimes they hire me just for that spark. That depends that I told you about that people love about me and I feel like sometimes they hire me just for that spark. That depends on energy and maybe because I learned early on how to create this positive energy balance, that's why I have that spark more often than not and these days that I'm really nailing the recovery practices, I have more and more of it and my mood just keeps getting better without any need for hyping it up. I just feel grateful and like ease in the flow, like feeling life, falling in love with the process of living.
Speaker 1Some of these words you know, guys, that I'm using here. They do sound like a woo-woo, but I want you to understand that that state that you are in, if it has this slightly negative septon, it might be. I'm not saying, you know, energy practices are the answer to everything, but energy is the primal driver of life and so when something is off with your energy producing processes in the body, in the mind and brain, by the way, is the most energy demanding organ and it requires 20, 25 energy for being just 3% of your body weight and your mind, your mental state, your mood, depends on that brain energy a lot. So all I'm saying is that Netflix, that couch, going to some bar or a party are not restoring you and that's how you end up on Monday feeling still fatigued and by the end of the week feeling really fatigued, like you need a vacation. You're not really recovering, you're not really resting. Staying up all night watching something is not recovery, is not rest. It doesn't do any good to yourselves to again to restore, to create positive energy balance so you can be in great mood, you can be in great drive and motivation state and you can get out there and make things happen. You can't fool yourself, you can't fool your own cells. They know how much energy you have. So, do you really rest or just entertain? And again, a lot of these practices and I still feel it can feel like more work than their rest. But once you start doing them, after them you always feel, huh, I actually feel better, I actually feel like I have more energy, like somebody just recharged my batteries or maybe gave me a quick energy bank, power bank. So, guys, do you rest or just entertaining? If you can't seem to shake that constant fatigue off, chances are, you're not truly resting.
Speaker 1Here are a few practices my favorite practices that might help you to get started to experiment with that and see how you feel. Let's first start with those breathing breaks, basically focusing on your breathing out, on your exhales, making them very, very long, then breathing fully and then breathe out again. Do that three to six times and see how different you will feel already. And then do intentional breathing practices with some meditation app. My favorite is Balance app, like Google Balance app. They have right now free trial for a year and they have different breathing practices that the guide guides you through. You don't need to think, you just follow.
Speaker 1Then another one of my favorite, by the way breathing breath work. I again do this breathing breaks every I don't know 20, 30 minutes. Quite often, to be honest, I take just this. I take these breaks quite often and then I usually do one bout of breath work before bed. During my midday I do a 10-minute yoga nidra protocol and yoga nidra is basically a body scan and you can do it seated. I personally find it more comforting lying down and I do it guided. You can do it self-guided, but if you're a beginner I highly recommend doing it with some guidance. My favorite YouTube video I might also actually link it in the show notes, so check it out Yoga nidra 10 minutes you lie down, sit down, close your eyes and you basically scan your body and then there is also a little bit of breath work in my favorite protocol.
Speaker 1So 10 minutes. But you'll feel invigorated. Without that coffee You'll feel that flow, that just second wind coming into you, and before that it will also help you to relax, unwind, fall asleep faster and sleep better. And then try yoga. And you don't have to make it boring, you don't have to make it super complicated, twisting yourself into some pretzel. No, it can actually can be a lot of fun.
Speaker 1You can try my favorite Les Mills app, l-e-s-m-i-l-l-s app, and they have two week three trial but they have a lot of different workouts, from strengths to cardio to martial arts. They also have breath work and stretching and yoga and their yoga sequences. They are anywhere from 10 to 55 minutes long and they go with music, with really great instructors and sometimes it feels more like a party, but they're a sort of kind of party, but the restorative kind of body like really great experience. So Breathwork with Balance app. Yoga Nidra there was my favorite YouTube guided video that is linked in the show notes, my favorite less meals app for yoga. Try this out.
Speaker 1And again, I want to warn you, at first they might feel like more work, but once you do it, and especially once you finish them, you do feel a lot better. And then you'll notice those positive changes. Ah, you know, I have more energy now. Ah, I sleep better now and wake up more refreshed. Ah, on Monday I don't feel that fatigue. Ah, and my mood got better and all of a sudden, I started seeing life around me and I started feeling like alive, like living it. All of these positive effects will transform your life, transform your relationships, transform your creativity, your work so many things. They will help you to connect to yourself, to your inner voice, to find your purpose, meaning, to realize your values and priorities and to understand your identity better.
Speaker 1There are so many profound changes going to happen when you learn how to truly rest versus just entertaining yourself. And there is a difference. Guys and your cells feel and know that difference. And, heck, it seems like they might also help you to age optimally. Which aging optimally? I actually love this term. Right, we are all aging. Nothing is going to stop this process from happening unless there is some miracle technology going to happen in the next 20 to 30 years, which I'm hopeful, I believe it can happen, but it's not. Looking at life, you know, some processes just keep going. So I'm not sure if we can reverse our clocks backwards. Scientists say it's possible, so let's see. I'm hopeful, but until that, aging optimally is the next best thing. So rest, recover to enhance the quality of your life to the extent that would seem miraculous, but then also, you know, graceful aging, where all aging is also quite an amazing bonus.
Speaker 1So the takeaway from today's podcast guys, answer this question Do you truly rest? Do you know how to rest and recover on a cellular level, or you just keep entertaining yourself, not ever really fully pushing this, pressing that refresh button? Do you rest or do you just entertain yourself? And if you're more on entertaining yourself and you often find yourself struggling with fatigue, even if it's after a weekend, then maybe it's time to incorporate those deep recovery practices, deep recovery practices, into your day, into your life. And to start easy, try out balance, app for some meditation, for some guided breath work or just take deep breath regularly and consistently. Try out yoga nidra in the midday or at the end of your day, maybe before learning about that you need to do in order to grow and become, perhaps, an expert which is really really good at what you do. Try out yoga with a less meals app that I absolutely love, and start recovering, resting, because that is the other side of life lived fully.
Speaker 1Thank you, guys, for tuning in, for your attention, for your presence. Please do share this podcast episode with one other person who you feel might need that extra recovery boost. Maybe on the verge of burning out and they just never getting out of it. So share this podcast with them as well. Maybe somebody who feels like they're so busy they can't really sleep more. Well, these practices in microwaves can help you to still get back some of that energy faster. So share this podcast episode with at least one other person. If you also review or rate this podcast on any platform where you get it, that would help me even more to reach more burned out and under-recovered ears. So let's make this world better and more purposeful and fulfilling for a lot of people by sharing this podcast. And till next time, guys, rest, recover, restore and keep living fully. Talk to you soon. Have an amazing day, whatever that day of the week is, and spend some time truly resting.