What’s my most effective tip?
I skied recently with a group of lovely ladies out in Tignes Le Lac, France. All of whom admitted that their main challenge when skiing was their lack of confidence.
They asked me for my best tip – so I gave it to them…
BREATHE I said!
Really? They said
REALLY! I said.
Believe me – this simple tip can and will make a massive difference to your confidence and your skiing.
How?
The answer is that breathing affects your body and mind on many, many different levels.
The most obvious effect is that breathing delivers the necessary oxygen to your muscles; organs and brain to maintain life! Skiing is an aerobic sport which demands a constant oxygen supply over a long period of time. Without oxygen, your muscles simply cannot work efficiently and effectively for long.
But another, more subtle effect of breathing is its effect on your nervous system. Deep breathing uses the diaphragm which is close to the Vagus nerve which supplies three quarters of the parasympathetic nerve fibres to the rest of the body and these are responsible for your body’s ability to recuperate and return to a balanced state after being fearful or stressed.
Putting that in layman’s terms, deep breathing sends the signals to your brain that everything is ok and that you can relax.
So – does it work? Yes, absolutely. The challenge is to remember to breathe! When you are fearful or stressed, the normal pattern is often to hold your breath. In fact one of the group said exactly this – ‘It works! The thing is I keep forgetting to breathe!’
I explained that what I suggest people to do is breathe consciously. And doing anything consciously means you have to think about it and remember to do it until it becomes habitual or an unconscious pattern.
So be assured that whilst my tips do repeatedly remind you to BREATHE – they also give some great ideas to help you remember to do it!
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