036: Training To Chill Out: Nasal Breathing, Cold Plunges, & Why Less is More with Brian Mackenzie

Most people who take their health and fitness seriously fall into a major trap which wipes out all the benefits of better health:

They add too much to their plate. Each additional thing they add to their plate decreases their mental, physical, and emotional health. But most importantly, it causes them to lose sight of who they are.

For example, in addition to yoga, they also lift weights, do daily cold plunges, fast, buy a new puppy, take on a new client, and try to maximize every single second of their day. But this backfires—and even turns the benefits of any one activity into “anti-benefits.” 

The solution? 

Training to chill out instead of training so you can add more to your already overflowing plate. 

Nobody understands this concept quite like Brian Mackenzie. Brian founded Shift Adapt, wrote a New York Times Best Seller, and trained elite athletes, entrepreneurs, and marines. 

In this episode, you’ll discover why you must train to chill out, why nasal breathing can improve your mental health, and why driving under the speed limit is one of the best activities you can do. 

Listen now.

Show highlights include: 

• How to improve your fitness, career, and relationship habits by simply breathing out of your nose (5:40) 
• The “Black Belt” mindset shift for reaching your fitness goals in half the time (9:04) 
• How “decluttering” your fitness regimen makes you more excited for each exercise you do (even ones you dislike) (11:11) 
• Why wanting to be healthy as your main fitness goal almost guarantees you’ll fall short (and what to do instead) (13:33) 
• The 7 shocking benefits of nasal breathing that most people don’t realize (15:27) 
• Why plunging into ice cold water may eliminate your allergies entirely (21:43) 
• How chilling out and relaxing is actually the single most important type of “training” you can do (24:22) 
• The counterintuitive wat cold plunging came make you lose muscle, lower your testosterone, and even gain weight (even if the science disagrees) (37:15) 
• Why driving the speed limit or under is the most effective “biohack” you can do this week (42:47) 
• Why breathing through your nose 90% of the time enhances your physical and mental fitness more than anything else (59:46) 

Your breath is the best indicator of how well you handle stress. By handling your stress better, everything becomes easier and conquerable. If you want to improve your breathing, go to Brian’s website here: https://shiftadapt.com/breathwork/ 

Want to unlock more flexibility and strength, reduce your risk of injury, and feel your absolute best over the next 7 days? Then join the FREE 7-Day Beginner’s Yoga for Men Challenge here: https://ManFlowYoga.com/7dc. 

Tired of doing a form of yoga that causes more injuries than it helps prevent? The cold, hard truth is men need yoga specifically designed for them. Well, here's some good news: You can start your 7-day free trial to Man Flow Yoga by visiting https://ManFlowYoga.com/join.