Inhale. Exhale. Excel?

Welcome to The Warm-Up. Just a few years ago, breathwork was the realm of extreme athletes and Insta gurus. Then we plunged into a pandemic and breathing became kind of a big deal. Now we know that techniques like slow breathing can make our brains and bodies a whole lot more resilient.

Just as well – the American Psychology Association tells us that one in three adults were overwhelmed by stress most days in 2022.

Take a deep breath, we’re going in.

• Listen:?Master the art of box breathing with Tahl
• Learn something:?4 ways breathing properly will change your life
• Eat:?10 ultra-fast breakfasts to fuel your mind

Your Monday morning fire up

See if you can go rep for rep with Chris in?this 5-minute burner?– 5 exercises, 1 minute per exercise, as many reps as possible.

Is loneliness spiking your blood pressure?

Science tells us that strong social connections can add years to your life. The research is in, and it turns out a healthy social life can decrease your risk of dementia by about 25%.

Don't wait – make today the day you reach out to an old friend.

Too busy for breakfast? No such thing.

This one goes out to the “I don't need breakfast” hero who is raiding the cookie jar by 9:37 am. We don't mean to alarm you, but research has shown that people who skip breakfast are more likely to experience stress and depressive moods.

There has to be a better way…?

Spoiler alert: There is. Fuel your body and mind for the day ahead with?10 ultra-fast breakfasts.

4 science-backed reasons to focus on your breath

By Tahl Rinksy, Dynamic Yoga expert

Breathing?is probably something you take for granted. But years of yoga practice have taught me that harnessing your breath can be powerful.

Regulating breath is an integral part of yoga – we call it 'pranayama'. Now scientific research is catching up and confirming a lot of what yoga has been teaching us for thousands of years about the power of?breathing.

Here are 4 ways the research says deep and focused?breathing?can transform your body and mind.

1. Send a signal to chill.?Controlled rhythmic?breathing?can slow your heart rate and spread calm throughout your body by stimulating the vagus nerve - part of your parasympathetic nervous system. When this nerve is activated, it sends out messages to relax your muscles, mind and beyond.
2. Improve attention and focus.?The same nervous system processes that help you calm down can also help you to focus. Research has shown that regulating your?breathing?can help you think more clearly and rationally when anticipating a stressful event. In other words, you can take back control and perform when it counts.
3. Manage chronic pain.?I love seeing how yoga and?breathing?exercises can make such a meaningful difference for people undergoing treatment for chronic diseases. By lowering your blood pressure and retraining your body's reaction to stressful situations, you can literally turn down the pain response in your brain.
4. Boost athletic performance.?Our marathon man Dan was onto something when he talked about using breathwork to stay in the zone.?Breathing?not only makes you feel more calm and focused – research on runners shows it can also deliver up to a 5 percent boost to physical performance, and can likely help your performance in other forms of exercise.

Sold on?breathing?yet? If you're keen to try a simple?breathing?technique to improve focus, lower stress levels and sharpen the mind, hit play on my?basic box?breathing?exercise?now.

The champ vs the contenders

You never know what Centr magic can happen when you're out in the wild…

Michael Olajide Jr. is the champ who stepped out of the ring to pioneer boxing for fitness. The Halls are the husband and wife combo behind one of our most?amazing transformation stories. This is what happened when they met IRL.

If you're a Centr member,?get the scoop from Michael in the community.