BREATHE – The sure way to stay physically and mentally healthy during the 21-day lockdown.

“BREATHE is an acronym for Believe…Running/Relaxation Exhale Anger & The Heebie-jeebies, Evermore!” – Sibongiseni Mgolozeli

We are only few days into the 21-day lockdown as means to reduce the spread of the novel corona virus and most people are already losing their minds, panicking, getting anxious and stressing out. 

This is all not in fear of being infected by the virus itself but people just cannot bear the thought of being prisoners in their own homes.

Honestly, there is no reason to stress out, panic or disobey the 21-day regulations imposed by the government. This measure was taken not only save many South African lives but yours too. The message that the government is reiterating is clear. STAY HOME!

Fortunately for me, just before the 21-day lockdown was implemented, I was about to finish reading a book titled “Spark: The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain. The book was written by John J. Ratey, who is a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. I him call him Dr. Jay Jay in this article.

I say fortunate because this book is teaching about scientifically proven methods of dealing or avoiding stress, anxiety, addiction and addiction, mainly through exercise. Chapter 3 is titled, “Stress: The greatest challenge”, Chapter 4 is Anxiety: Nothing to panic about, Chapter 5 is Depression: Move your body”.

In this article, I am going to share insights and the lessons learned from the book with hopes that you won’t have to feel like a prisoner in your own home but beat these vices (stress, anxiety, depression etc) by resorting into home exercises and other activities whenever you feel blue.

Dr. Jay Jay says “stress comes in many shapes and sizes, acute and chronic – social stress, physical stress, metabolic stress, to name a few. The ripple effects of the body’s stress response can lead to full-blown mental disorder, such as anxiety and depression as well as high blood pressure, heart problems, and cancer. Chronic stress can even tear the architecture of the brain.”

What exactly is causing all these vices such as stress, depression, or any bad habits which might lead to addiction? During this 21-day lockdown, a large number of people will suffer mostly from social stress, which will be mainly caused by boredom due to isolation.

In the words of Dr. Jay Jay “Human beings are social animals” and this statement reminded me of Vusi Tembekwayo’s words who said in one of his master class videos, something which goes along the lines of “The reason why the government send you to prison after you committed a crime is because they know being in isolation will break you down mentally”

So what can you do to beat stress or boredom which can be caused by isolation during the lockdown?

The answer is simple: BREATHE!

BREATHE is an acronym for Believe…Running/Relaxation Exhale Anger & The Heebie-jeebies, Evermore!

Whether you believe it or not, any form of intense exercise that makes you breathe heavily – such as running, cycling, push-ups, etc can instantly change your mood from negative into positive state instantly. People who exercise on a regular basis can attest to this fact.

It’s almost as if you inhale positive vibes and exhale bad one. But you can only start to feel the effects after at least thirty minutes of intense breathing. The reason why people tell you to take a deep breath when you feeling angry, fearful or anxious, is because they understand this truth.  And it works like magic.

The phrase heebie-jeebies describe a state of nervous fear or anxiety. There are other breathing exercises that can make you relax but unfortunately the results are not instant. Meditation for instance, it has been scientifically proven to have calming effects on the mind but it takes months of constant practice to reap the benefits, because the breathing is more of controlled than intense and involuntary.

However, physical exercise like running, push-ups, frog jumps etc, makes you huff and puff uncontrollably like you whole life depend on it for survival to beat stress or heebie-jeebies.

Dr. Jay Jay capped it best as he say “Exercise controls the emotional and physical feelings of stress”. Physical activity in general increases the production of feel good hormones or neurotransmitter in our brains.

According to Dr. Jay Jay, “Physical activity is crucial to the way we think and feel. Exercise increases the levels of norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin – important neurotransmitters that traffic in thoughts and emotions.”

Let’s look at each one of these three feel good hormones and how they influence the brain according to this book:

1.     Serotonin, is often called the policeman of the brain because it helps keep brain activity under control. It influences mood, impulsivity, anger and aggressiveness.

2.     Dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is vital to movement, attention, cognition, motivation, pleasure, and addiction.

3.     Norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that affects arousal, alertness, attention, and mood. It is thought as the learning and rewarding (satisfaction) and attention neurotransmitter.

In severe cases of chronic stress such as depression or even addiction. Here is Dr. Jay Jay “The beauty of exercise is that it attacks the problem (of depression) from both directions at the same time. It gives us more energy, passions, interest and motivation. We feel more vigorous. It frees up the prefrontal cortex (CEO of the brain) so we can remember the good things and break out of the pessimistic patterns of depression.”

In terms of addiction, Dr. Jay Jay says “The brain functions the same way whether the addiction is to alcohol, drugs, food, gambling, or any other addictive substance or behaviour.  As the addiction progresses, there is less and less room for anything else in life.

The fact that exercise can counteract anxiety and depression directly can have a huge impact on any form of addiction, as both these mood states undermine treatment. Exercise also counteract more direct toxic effects of addiction in the brain.”

How much exercises do you need in order to stay stress or depression free? And what kind of exercises can you do since you are stuck at home. Dr. Jay Jay recommends at least thirty minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise five days a week as the bare minimum (more especially) if you want to root out an addiction.

“A study in London showed that even ten minutes of exercise could blunt an alcoholic’s craving. In smokers, just five minutes of intense exercise can be beneficial.” – Dr. Jay Jay.

Since day one of the lockdown, I have been following the advice in the image bellow to come out with my workout plan at home using the letter of my name as explained in the image. 

I share my workout videos in my WhatsApp status (078 882 5389) and Instagram page (steinger23) and I will continue to do so until the end of the lockdown. Each video is less than a minute. Check them out and see what you can incorporate into your own routine.

However, exercise alone will not help your brain stay sharp during the lockdown.  According to brain expert, Jim Kwik, “Brain needs two things in order to stay sharp and active – nutrition and novelty”

When it comes to diet. Dr Jay Jay says “Eat light, eat right. He goes on to say “There are certain foods that activate cellular repair mechanisms: cumin, garlic, onions and broccoli, all contain toxins meant to keep pests at bay, but the levels are low enough that they trigger a beneficial stress response (to humans).

The same holds true for free radical-fighting goods such as blueberries, pomegranate, spinach, and beets – It’s the toxins as well as antioxidants that ultimately lead to cellular repair. Green tea and red wine are beneficial in the same way. The rest of your plate should be balanced with whole grain, protein and dietary fats.”

Most importantly, your body and brain need to rest and recover through proper and enough sleep for at least eight hours a day. In addition to sleeping well, there are other things you can do to relax and entertain yourself. Things like watching your favourite movie or series, favourite television channel, as well as listening to good music or playing board games or FIFA.

The aim is to keep your brain busy with different activities. Kindly let me know what’s keeping you entertained during the lockdown. Let’s share ideas.