Articles
In this latest article in our lifestyle section, The Guide, Brittany Trubridge whips up an alkalinizing smoothie and demonstrates three yoga poses for chest opening.
Slurp
After a freedive, it is important to re-establish alkalinity in the body. Apnea brings the body into an acidic state so the last thing you want to do is further tip the scale by fueling it with more acid-producing foods!
Burger and fries might sound ideal after hours in the water but truth be told, they will leave you feeling more depleted and less prepared for your diving the following day. To aid in recovery and to rebalance the system, anything alkalinizing is the way to go. It’s important to note that foods reap an acid/alkaline effect that may be counter-intuitive, so do a bit of research on what does what.
Below is a highly alkalanizing smoothie recipe that will both support your system and go easy on the taste buds:
HIGH-ALKALINE RASPBERRY
COCONUT CREAM SMOOTHIE
Ingredients
1 cup coconut water
1 frozen (ripe) banana
2 tbsp coconut milk
A handful of rasberries
1 tsp beet root powder
1 tsp spirulina powder
1 tbsp chia
A pinch of Himalayan sea salt
A dash of Stevia (plant-based sweetner)
Blend all of the ingredients (add a bit of water if needed to thin it down), pour in a big fancy wine glass and enjoy!
Stretch
Below are three of my favorite asanas (yoga poses) for broadening the chest, ribcage, intercostals and trachea. As always, before jumping into any yogic posture, warm the body up with several rounds of sun salutations before entering into an asana.
FISH POSE (MATSYASANA)*
- Lie on the back and place the hands under the body, palms flat on the floor and elbows as close together as possible
- Press the elbows into the ground and simultaneously lift the chest
- Allow the head to drop back and gently place the crown on the ground behind you
- Open the rib cage by squeezing shoulder blades together
- Hold for 5–10 deep breaths. Release with control
*Not for those with high or low blood pressure, migraine, insomnia or lower-back/neck injury
CAMEL POSE (USTRASANA)*
- Begin by sitting up on the knees with the knees directly below the hips, tops of the feet on the ground, toes pointing back (you can also curl toes under to modify and ease the backbend). Press the tops of the feet into the ground for extra stability
- Place your hands on your hips and lift up through the chest while simultaneously reaching the tail bone towards the ground, creating length in the spine
- With the chin still tucked and the hands supporting the low back, slowly begin to open the chest further and lean back, keeping the hips in place directly above the knees
- Release the hands from the hips (or hang out right here if this is enough!) and place them on the heel of each respective foot
- Release the head back, keeping the mouth closed, allowing the front stretch to curl all the way through the trachea. Realign the hips if needed by pressing them forward and restacking them over the knees
- Continue to reach up through the chest (you can gently squeeze the shoulder blades together) and soften the glutes, allowing the tail bone to continue to drop
- Hold for five deep breaths. To exit, bring hands back to hips one at a time to release and slowly roll up. The head is the last thing to come up
*Not for those with high/low blood pressure, spinal or neck injuries
BOW POSE (DHANURASANA)*
- Lying on the belly, forehead on the floor, legs slightly parted, bend the knees and catch hold of each ankle with the respective hand
- Inhale and raise the head, chest and thighs. Keep the elbows locked
- Using the lower back muscles arch the body
- Reach the chest forward and the tail bone and legs (pressing them into the hands) back to create length in the spine
- Hold for five deep breaths and repeat three times, taking brief relaxations in between
*Not for those with high or low blood pressure, migraines, insomnia or lower-back/neck injuries, or who are pregnant
RELATED ARTICLES
Featured Photographer
