Key Takeaways:
• Dave explains his comprehensive approach to optimizing health and human performance that looks at 11 body systems in order to identify imbalances. You can join his workshop, Calm Under Pressure, for one-on-one coaching.
• He explains how our respiratory system is one of the most neglected physiological systems when it comes to physical and mental performance.
• Poor breathing patterns can lead to an activation of the stress response due to its impact on the autonomic nervous system.
• Dave suggests using breath control for stress resilience by focusing on slow breaths with prolonged exhales in order to create more parasympathetic response.
• By controlling key parameters such as breathing, individuals can learn how to intercept stress in real time!
Show Notes
Dave Wood is a performance coach and former intensive care paramedic specializing in stress mitigation, recovery, and mental preparedness for athletes, innovators, and leaders. In this episode, he explains how negative adaptations to stress can impact our breathing patterns and lead to chronic stress. He also explains the role of breath control in managing stress and thriving in challenging situations. Dave works with elite athletes, including Rugby players and UFC champions.
Key Quotes
“Breathing is a superpower, man. When I train athletes who haven't trained breathing before and they tap into that system… It's all there waiting to be turbocharged. I mean, a lot of these athletes have impeccable physiology, and and it's just waiting to be tapped into.
“When I say athlete, we're all athletes. If you sit at your desk to eight hours, you're an athlete. You have to train for that.”
“We breathe 20 to 30,000 times a day, and most of us are breathing in a way that is actually detrimental to our health and performance.”
“So many people have no awareness of their breathing. And when you don't have awareness of some of something, that's where imbalance starts creeping in.”
"When our breathing isn't right, that's physical stress and that sends signals to the brain to activate the stress response.”
