Week 1: Breathe!

The way we breathe reflects our state of mind and level of fatigue: the more irregular and short your breathing, the less relaxed your body is. It's a vicious cycle that's causing you needless stress - and stress is known to affect weight gain. 
 
Throughout the day this week, learn to circulate energy in your body using breathing exercises, until deep breathing becomes a natural reflex. 
Here are two simple exercises to try: 

3 breaths into your chest. In a quiet place, standing up with your hands at your sides, breathe in and out deeply through your nose 3 times, filling your chest cavity with air, using your stomach. This exercise gets more air into your lungs, gets the oxygen flowing faster around your body and helps you handle exercise better.

Abdominal relaxation. Close your eyes and concentrate only on your breathing. Take 2 deep breaths into your stomach, so that it swells, then take a third breath, contracting all your muscles at the same time and clenching your fists, controlling the tension in your body. Hold for 2-3 seconds then relax, exhaling deeply. All that tension will disappear into the air around you.