part two: fighting back
Do I have difficulty holding my breath for longer than 40 seconds?
Are there any sore areas on my breastbone when I rub it?
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When I breathe in, does my belly go in rather than out?
Exercise that anger and breathe deep
The best way to work this muscle is any aerobic exercise that gets us
short of breath and breathing deeply again - dancing, cycling, swimming,
running, stair climbing, etc. Alternatively, if we're unable to exercise,
we can give our diaphragm a good workout blowing up balloons!
Aerobic exercise is a great way to gradually let off steam, but sometimes
we may want to fight rather than run. So how can we let go of larger bursts
of anger without hurting ourselves? Boxing of course is an excellent way
of fighting back - especially if you imagine the punch bag as HIV. A good
alternative, though, is weights and resistance equipment. Bench press,
chest press and leg press exercises are great ways to retaliate and repel
our 'attackers'. What is important in all these exercises is to psych
ourselves up and visualise who or what we are pushing away. As the outrage
begins to grow in our stomach, focus this rage into the equipment and
PUSH HARD.
Make a noise too...
It is fundamental that we allow the 'sound of effort' out at the end of
each rep. If we tighten our throat, clench our teeth, and purse our lips,
we'll trap the energy in and leave the gym wound up and with a headache.
The whole purpose of this is
catharsis, the release of pent up rage and frustration. At first we may feel self conscious about making a noise in the gym, but bottling this up is unnatural,
