Are you relaxed after your workout?

Hello everyone!

The hot days are over in Kyoto, but are you sleeping well at night?

1. Heat and the sympathetic nervous system

As I mentioned in my previous blog, if you are not breathing well, your sympathetic nervous system becomes more active, which can easily cause various health problems, When the weather is hot or too cold, the sympathetic nervous system tends to become more active. This is a natural reaction of the body to adapt to the temperature, but especially in a hot place like Kyoto, the sympathetic nervous system naturally becomes more active as the body tries to withstand the heat.

2. Influence of CrossFit

CrossFit is a great exercise that uses the entire body. However, high-intensity exercise can cause the sympathetic nervous system to become even more active. This is one reason why we adjust the programming over the course of the year, to account for seasonal weather and temperature changes.

If you are unable to relax after exercise and remain in that state, you may not be able to relax, which can lead to problems such as difficulty falling asleep or poor sleep quality. In such cases, it is important to balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves by activating the parasympathetic nervous system to suppress the over-active sympathetic nerves and relax.

3. Activate the parasympathetic nervous system through breathing exercises

To change over from the sympathetic nervous system, breathing exercises that activate the parasympathetic nervous system are effective.

One method is as follows:

①Lie on your back with your knees lightly bent. 
②Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. 
③Breathe in through your nose for 3 seconds and out through your mouth for 10 seconds. After exhaling, hold your breath for 3 seconds.

Repeat this breathing exercise to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and help you relax.
Try this breathing exercise after CrossFit or before going to bed.

By the way, have any of you noticed that I recently end my Wakaba and Fundamentals classes with a breathing exercise? This blog is the reason why. After a hard workout, exhale to activate the parasympathetic nervous system to calm and balance the normally overworked sympathetic nervous system.

You may feel the benefits of CrossFit more with a balance between exercise and rest.
If you give it a try, please let us know what you think!