NIFS Healthy Living Blog

We live in a world that moves fast. From the moment we wake up, we're checking emails, scrolling through notifications, planning our day, and thinking about what's next. Even when we finally have a quiet moment, our minds often don't naturally slow down. We've become so accustomed to being busy that taking an hour to simply be present can almost feel uncomfortable.

If you've ever heard someone say yoga is called a "practice," this is why. It's not because you're trying to perfect a pose. It's because you're practicing something that doesn't come naturally in today's world—being still. Our minds are wired to jump from one thought to the next, replay conversations, plan tomorrow, or worry about what's ahead. Yoga gives us the opportunity to notice when our minds wander and gently bring our attention back to our breath and the present moment. Just like building physical strength takes practice, so does learning to quiet our busy minds.

For me, yoga complements the rest of my fitness routine. I enjoy lifting heavy weights and challenging myself in the gym, but yoga offers something different. It gives me the opportunity to stretch muscles that have worked hard while improving my balance and flexibility. While I appreciate those physical benefits, it's the mental practice that keeps me coming back. When else do we give ourselves an hour with no phones, no chatter, and nowhere else we need to be—just fully present on the mat and in our own bodies? Taking an hour to slow down, focus on my breath, and be reminded to stay present is a practice that carries over into everyday life.

Many people think of yoga as a single type of class, but there are actually dozens of different styles, each with its own purpose and approach. Some are energetic and flowing. Others focus on building strength, while some are designed to help you slow down, recover, and restore both your body and your mind. The beauty of yoga is that there isn't one "right" way to practice. It's about finding the style that meets you where you are.

At NIFS, our yoga program has been shaped by longtime instructor Grace, whose years of teaching experience have created classes that are welcoming, supportive, and adaptable for all experience levels. While each class has a different focus, they all share the same philosophy: meet people where they are, encourage progress over perfection, and leave participants feeling a little lighter than when they arrived.

Vinyasa Yoga

For those who enjoy movement, Vinyasa Yoga offers a dynamic flow of standing, balancing, and seated postures that are connected through the breath. The continuous movement helps build strength, improve flexibility and balance, and encourages mindfulness throughout the practice. As Grace often reminds her students, it's a yoga practice, not yoga perfect. Whether you're new to yoga or have years of experience, modifications are available so everyone can participate at their own level.

Yoga Strength & Restore

If you enjoy strength training but also recognize the importance of recovery, Yoga Strength & Restore offers the best of both worlds. The first half of class focuses on building strength using weights, resistance bands, and bodyweight exercises. The second half transitions into traditional yoga postures, helping improve flexibility, mobility, balance, and relaxation. It's a balanced approach that leaves you feeling both challenged and restored. Grace describes this class as your "workout and your work-in," combining the challenge of strength training with the restorative benefits of yoga.

Restorative Yoga

Sometimes the best thing we can do is simply slow down. Restorative Yoga is a gentle practice designed to help you relax, restore, and reconnect. Using bolsters, blankets, and yoga blocks for support, you'll move through calming postures while focusing on your breath. The result is improved flexibility, reduced stress, and an opportunity to give both your body and mind the deep relaxation they deserve.

It's Grace's favorite style of yoga because, as she says, "When the body feels supported and safe, we can finally let go. We don't have to hold everything together all the time."

Whether you're new to yoga or have practiced for years, there's a style that can meet you where you are. Grace hopes every participant feels welcomed, supported, and encouraged—whether it's their first class or their hundredth. At NIFS, we want yoga to be a place where you can reconnect with yourself, challenge your body, quiet your mind, and simply meet yourself where you are.

In today's fast-paced world, taking an hour to practice being present may be one of the healthiest things we can do. Whether you choose Vinyasa, Yoga Strength & Restore, or Restorative Yoga, you're not just making time for movement—you're making time to reset.

Protein is one of the essential macronutrients the body needs. Because the body cannot produce it on its own, we must acquire protein through our diet. It plays a critical role in muscle repair, immunity, and satiety—making it an important part of daily nutrition.

Muscle Repair

Exercise breaks down muscle tissue, creating microscopic tears. Amino acids from the protein you consume help repair and rebuild this tissue, leading to stronger muscles over time. Without adequate protein intake, the repair process becomes inefficient and may limit muscle growth.

Immunity

Your immune system depends heavily on protein. Immune cells—such as white blood cells and antibodies—are built using amino acids. Without enough protein, your body produces fewer of these protective cells, increasing your susceptibility to illness.

Satiation

Protein also helps regulate appetite. When you’re hungry, your body releases the hormone ghrelin, signaling the need to eat. Eating protein reduces ghrelin levels and increases hormones like GLP-1 and peptide YY, which promote fullness.

Protein also has a higher thermic effect than carbohydrates or fats, meaning your body burns more calories digesting it. This can help reduce cravings and prevent overeating.

Snack Ideas

Getting enough protein isn’t always easy—especially with fast-paced schedules. Here are some convenient, protein-rich snack and meal ideas to help you meet your goals.

• Greek yogurt parfait: Combine Greek yogurt, berries, and granola for a quick, portable option that supports your nutrition needs.
• Tuna options: A tuna wrap or tuna with whole-grain crackers provides a lean, high-quality protein source that fuels a busy day.

Vegetarian Options

For those following a vegetarian diet, a quinoa bowl is an excellent base. Quinoa is a complete protein, offering all essential amino acids. Lentil soup or lentil salad are also great plant-based sources of protein and fiber.

Athletes

Athletes engaged in intense training need consistent protein intake for proper recovery. A classic chicken-and-rice meal offers lean protein and complex carbohydrates for sustained energy. When time is limited, a high-quality protein shake can be a convenient way to meet daily needs. Visit a local nutrition store to find a mix that aligns with your goals.

While meeting nutrition needs can be challenging, ensuring your body gets enough protein is essential for performance, recovery, and overall wellbeing. Incorporating protein-rich foods into your daily routine can support muscle repair, strengthen your immune system, and help maintain a balanced, satisfying diet.

Movement is considered one of the best forms of preventive medicine to protect our health. In a general sense, the more we move, the healthier we tend to be. Movement isn’t restricted to structured exercises. Your body doesn’t really differentiate between walking up a flight of stairs or stepping on a stair climber. The wonderful thing about physical activity is that our bodies inherently know how to recover and adapt.

Why not work towards your health goals while surrounded by a community of like-minded people and listening to upbeat music? Here are some of the benefits you might see from joining in on Zumba or Hip-hop Dance at NIFS.

Rhythm, Positivity, & Community

Music has a way of connecting and bringing people together. Everyone coming into a dance class is there to either have fun, meet people, or find a new way to start moving. Our class keeps manageable intensity levels that are steady with the music beat. Zumba classes often follow a 128-140bpm cadence. The rhythm of the beat keeps the class fun while maintaining an aerobic intensity that is manageable and modifiable. Throughout the class, there are options for participants to modify their moves based on their comfort level and conditioning. Many people like Zumba and Hip-Hop dance because it is communal and there is a simple step of progression. The added challenges are optional, but almost everyone can join the basic moves.

The great thing is that there is no expectation of what level of skill you are at. Our instructors just ask that you move, have fun, and maybe share a smile. There is substantial evidence to support that dancing and being part of a group setting may be profoundly beneficial to our happiness and sense of well-being. You may make some friends and look forward to taking those steps together in every class.

Benefits to Cardiovascular Health

Engaging in steady state aerobics like Hip-Hop dance or Zumba could be a more enjoyable alternative to things like running if that is not your interest. You can reap many of the same benefits of other options in these fun classes, while listening to modern classics and uplifting beats. Many participants prefer to meet their aerobic activity goals in these dance classes. You’ll enjoy this form of exercise because everyone is moving at their own pace, having fun, while supporting their overall health.

Muscle Tone and Strength

Participating in Zumba and Hip-hop dance can activate all the muscles in your body. While the intensity is up to you, muscle activation across the whole body will promote total body muscle tone and development as you move. Dance requires a lot of core stability and movement through full ranges of motion, so expect to use your whole body and not just your lower body.

Coordination and Dance Skills

Stability and motor skills develop through frequency of movement, not necessarily intensity. As you join these fun dance classes, you may notice your body control and coordination will improve gradually. Learning how to dance is also a life skill you’ll take home with you. If you aren’t a natural dancer, that is okay. As you stay consistent with classes, you’ll improve those two left feet you started with. Many people getting into dance for the first time rejoice as they notice their motor skills improve and translate to other aspects of their training. Even athletes can notice benefits by integrating dance into their routine.

Life gets busy, you’ve been disciplined, consistent, and made progress with your fitness routine. What is the next important step that can improve performance in and out of the gym?

Recovery!

Recovery is just as important as the stresses your body adapts to during training. If you aren’t recovering well, you could see dips in your energy levels, a loss of muscle mass, or poor aerobic performance. Sleep and nutrition are crucial aspects of recovery, but what else can you do to speed up and get the most out of recovery?

Heat therapy options can help support your recovery!

Potential Benefits from Using the Recovery Area at NIFS

At NIFS we have three heat therapy options in our recovery areas, each located separately by walking through the male or female locker rooms offering a sauna, whirlpool, and steam room. These heat therapy options can offer several health benefits that support recovery.

Sauna

Dry sauna is the most well-known and researched heat therapy option. There has been substantial evidence that it offers numerous health benefits. Regular dry sauna sessions may improve endothelial nitric oxide synthase, which promotes better blood flow and circulation through your cardiovascular system. Increased blood flow means more oxygen and nutrients can reach deeper into the cells of muscle tissues and other organs, thus boosting recovery time in some cases.

Other benefits of sauna might include flushing toxins like heavy metals, PCBs, and BPA found in many plastics. These can affect your endocrine system which regulates your hormonal functions. Sweating out toxins could be one of many ways to support detoxification of environmental pollutants.

Whirlpool

Whirlpool is another option for heat application that could be more beneficial to joint health by combining heat application and hydrostatic pressure. Hydrostatic pressure reduces strain on the joints applied by gravity, and the buoyancy of water may help activate many stabilizer muscles surrounding joints. If you have poor mobility and stiff joints, this could be one heat therapy option. The heat of the whirlpool will support blood flow, as the water submersion can allow muscles to relax around joints.

Our whirlpool has two water jet systems as well, so you can experience a gentle water massage as you relax.

Steam Room

The steam room offers unique health benefits from exposure to heat and high humidity. Heat exposure is like other options but may have some unique benefits when compared to sauna or whirlpool. Various studies have shown that moderate heat exposure and high humidity can have an effect of relieving congestion of the nasal passages and improving breathing.

Other benefits of the steam room are that it can hydrate and open pours on the surface of skin. The steam room can also allow for joint pain relief for conditions like arthritis, while not involving the higher temperature of a dry sauna.

Safety Considerations

Exposure to high heat may be a potential risk for populations with cardiovascular disease as well as other other diseases affecting perfusion and internal core temperature regulation. If you have a medical condition, you should consult with your doctor before starting and integrating heat therapy into your routine, you can read more about NIFS general use guidelines for the recovery area via our house rules.

We hope you enjoy the numerous potential health benefits that are offered in our NIFS recovery areas!

Starting your fitness journey is always an exciting step forward, but it is essential to make sure you are listening to your body and prioritizing your recovery and self-care. Many people tend to neglect their bodies' needs and push themselves past their limits, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The importance of recovery and self-care play a crucial role in ensuring your long-term success in the gym, and one mistake can lead to a possible injury that can take away and/or limit that progress.

The Importance of Recovery

Recovery is one of the most important aspects of any fitness regimen. Giving yourself enough time to recover helps your body repair and strengthen itself. Without giving the proper recovery your body needs can lead to a higher risk of fatigue, decreased performance, and increased risk of injuries. Here are a few key components to ensuring you have an effective recovery period:

• Rest Days: Incorporating rest days is essential in allowing your body to heal and grow your muscles. You typically want to aim between 1-3 times a week depending on your fitness level and intensity for your workouts, so it may vary from person to person.
  
  
• Sleep Quality: Quality of sleep is a must for effective recovery. Anywhere between 7-9 hours a night is optimal to support muscle repair, hormone balance, and overall mental and physical health. Maintaining a consistent sleep routine will help manage your body's recovery each day.
  
  
• Hydration and Nutrition: Proper hydration and nutrition play a significant role in your body’s growth and recovery. Ensuring that you are drinking plenty of water during the day, and focusing on a balanced diet with protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates will keep your body properly replenished and aid in muscle growth and repair.

Self-Care Practices

• Mobility and Stretching: Practicing stretching and focusing on mobility work regularly can help enhance flexibility, reduce muscle soreness, and prevent injuries. Incorporating dynamic stretching before workouts and static stretches after workouts helps maintain your muscle's elasticity and joint health. This can help with knee pain, lower back issues, and posture over time.
  
  
• Mindfulness: Mental wellness is just as important as physical wellness. Practicing mindfulness can help reduce stress, improve your focus, and enhance your overall well-being. Focus on relaxing the mind for a few minutes a day to help clear your head, such as deep-breathing exercises to calm the mind and body. This can be paired with your static stretches to help your mind and body at the same time.
  
  
• Active Recovery: On rest days, engaging in active recovery activities such as swimming, biking, yoga, or walking can help promote blood flow, reduce muscle soreness, and aid in muscle recovery without straining your body. Ensure that you are keeping a low intensity when engaging in these activities.

Prioritizing your recovery and self-care can play an important role in enhancing your performance, maintaining a balanced lifestyle, and helping prevent injuries. These practices will not happen overnight and will take dedication and time to achieve but will help you in the long run. Embrace, motivate, and stay consistent, and embark on your fitness journey prepared and ready to take on any challenge.

If you're unsure where to start or want to ensure you have the right balance between your fitness goals and recovery, or if you're simply looking to work with a professional, NIFS offers personal trainers who can help guide you every step of the way. Take the next steps with the support you need!

Running in the summer can be a pleasantly dangerous experience! As the sun shines and temperatures rise, the risk of heat-related illnesses increases. Listening to your body and adhering to the following recommendations will not only help prevent heat-related illnesses but make summer running an enjoyable experience!

1. Timing and Planning

The coolest parts of the day tend to be mornings and evenings. If you are planning to run, be proactive and look ahead at the weather forecast. Planning your runs at these times of day will limit the risk of excessive heat exposure. If you must run in the heat of the day, plan a mostly shaded route to limit sun exposure.

2. Find Your Happy Pace

Running in the heat naturally puts more strain on your body leading to increased heart rate. In many cases, runners are unable to sustain their regular paces in hotter conditions. If this occurs, settle into a slower pace that feels comfortable and sustainable to you.

3. Hydration & Electrolytes

Hydration is key in summer running. Increased sweat is associated with increased temperatures. Drinking an adequate amount of water before, during, and after your run is crucial in preventing dehydration. I would recommend drinking at least ½ your body weight in ounces of water to ensure proper hydration. Electrolytes are essential nutrients our body expels in the form of sweat. Consuming an electrolyte drink, banana, or salty snack after a run can help replenish the contents lost in sweat.

4. Listen To Your Body

Knowing and recognizing the signs of heat illness are important when embarking on summer runs. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include dizziness, headache, nausea, and weakness. If these symptoms occur, find the quickest way to cool off immediately. Symptoms of heat stroke include high body temperature, rapid pulse, and confusion. If these symptoms occur, seek medical attention immediately.

With the right approach, running in the summer can be a safe and enjoyable experience! Make sure to check the weather, plan runs during cooler times of day, adjust your pace, and recognize the signs of heat illness to ensure safety during these warmer months. Stay cool, and happy running!

Roughly how many hours of sleep would you say that you average per night? Six hours? Ten hours? Now think about your fitness goals and the results you want to see from exercising. Are you where you would like to be, or are you on pace to get to where you would like to be? You can be doing everything correctly from the exercises that you perform, nutrition and supplementation, stress reduction, whatever it may be, and you aren’t quite getting the results you’re looking for.

The Stages of Sleep

What if I told you that the amount of sleep that you get in a night correlates to your recovery from exercise? In most cases, it is recommended that you get at least eight hours of sleep per night. This can vary depending on factors such as exercise intensity, frequency, and even your age, however. For the purpose of recovery, let’s stick with that eight-hour recommendation. Why is that the recommendation? There are four stages of sleep that cycle throughout the night. There is N1, N2, N3, and REM. Reaching N3 is essential for recovery, and it is important that your body spend enough time in N3 while the sleep stages are cycling. During this N3 stage of sleep, the body releases hormones that are essential for recovery at night. One of the hormones being released is Human Growth Hormone (HGH). HGH is essential because it acts on many tissues in the body, muscle tissue being the big one, and it helps promote healing and recovery. HGH also helps raise other hormones in the body that are essential to recovery such as Insulin-Like Growth Factor (IGF-1).

How Do You Know Whether You Are Getting N3 Sleep?

As I have said, these sleep stages are constantly cycling throughout the night. Have you ever had multiple dreams in a night? That likely means that you reached REM sleep at least twice that night, which is great because your body got enough time in a deep sleep state and enough time in that N3 stage. Back to that eight-hour recommendation. Although this can vary slightly, it has been found that sleeping eight hours allows the body to go through two to four sleep cycles on average, therefore giving the body enough time in N3 and enough time for the essential hormones to be released.

This blog was written by David Sebree, Health Fitness Specialist. To learn more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

If you’ve been into fitness for a while, you likely know how important it is to fuel and replenish your body before and after exercise with the proper nutrition. However, you might be uncertain and confused about why, when, and what to eat and drink to optimize your workouts.

Before Exercise

Why: When digested, carbohydrates are turned to glucose, the body’s main energy source. Consuming a moderate-to-high amount of carbohydrates depending on the type, duration, and intensity of exercise will help you maintain consistent energy levels throughout. Additionally, adding a moderate amount of protein to your pre-workout meal or snack can “prime” your muscles and may help prevent muscle breakdown during exercise.

When: Within 1–3 hours of exercise (typically)

What: Moderate to high carbohydrate, moderate protein, fluids

Examples: Apple or toast (carb) with peanut butter (protein), Greek yogurt (protein) with berries and/or granola (carb), string cheese (protein) and crackers (carb), etc.

What NOT: Avoid fatty/greasy/fried, spicy, and fibrous foods because they may cause stomach upset during exercise.

After Exercise

Why: After exercise, you must replenish the carbohydrates used for energy and consume plenty of protein to aid in muscle repair. The more energy you use during exercise, the more carbohydrates you will want to replace. Similarly, the harder you work your muscles, the greater strain you put on them, the more protein you will want to consume to aid in recovery.

When: Within 1 hour of exercise (typically).

What: Moderate carbohydrate, moderate to high protein, fluids

Examples: toast (carb) with tuna, chicken salad, or eggs (protein); Greek yogurt or chocolate milk (protein) with fruit (carb), turkey lunch meat (protein) with veggies and dip (carb), protein shake/bar

All in all, the timing and amount of food required to properly fuel and replenish your body before and after exercise is highly dependent on the individual, the type of exercise being performed, and the individual’s goals. Speak with a registered dietitian to better understand your individualized nutrition needs.

This blog was written by Lindsey Recker, MS, Registered Dietitian. To learn more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

Sports careers, whether you are junior varsity or a hall of fame professional, all come to an end at some point. Often, these endeavors are marred with setbacks due to injuries ranging far and wide and sometimes spanning years. During competition and in the spirit of the moment, athletes sometimes push their bodies and minds beyond what was thought possible, resulting in amazing feats—but also potential injuries.

Don’t Play Through Your Injuries

Injuries that occur when we push our bodies to the limit can become more pronounced when an athlete decides to continue activities instead of receiving timely treatment. Once commonplace, playing through injuries was more accepted in the past. However, with modern sports medicine and advanced technology, sports enthusiasts can enjoy longer, more productive careers than ever before due to increased injury awareness and preventative maintenance.

The adage “listen to your body” still rings true. Although you might not know what you are listening for, you can assess your situation and make smart decisions to help prevent more serious injury.

How Do You Know When You’ve Overdone It?

Symptoms of sports injuries and illness can vary, and anytime you have a serious concern about your health, refer to your primary care physician. Because every person experiences pain differently, resulting in a wide threshold, you may need to seek advice and consult a professional to help assess your situation. Here are some of the most common symptoms of injuries, according to Harvard Health.

• Chest pain: Although this goes without saying, your heart is the most vital muscle in the body. Although coronary artery disease is not curable, treatments make it possible to decrease the chances for heart attacks (which may occur when a deconditioned individual is subjected to extreme strenuous exertion).
  
• Difficulty breathing: Similar to chest pain, difficulty breathing can be a sign of more serious underlying issues with not only the lungs but also the heart and blood pressure. With high blood pressure, exercises such as sprinting and powerlifting typically put a lot of strain on the heart.
• Joint swelling and pain: The swelling of a joint can range from tendon, ligament, or muscle injury to arthritis in the joint. It is good to know whether you are experiencing injury or arthritis because this will determine your level of treatment.

How to Recover and Get Back in the Game

These symptoms are common and can happen to almost anyone who exercises. Many other factors such as genetics, age, and medical history all play a role—not only in your injury, but also your healing process. “Getting back on the horse” is something we eventually want to do (once we are healed).

Here are a few tips that can get you back on the road to recovery without jeopardizing your health.

• Before beginning a new workout program, meet with a fitness professional who can assess your physical fitness levels. Many tests are available, the Functional Movement Screen (or FMS) is designed to not only pinpoint potential red flags, but also to prescribe routines intended to better your movement patterns and decrease your chances for injury.
  
• Beginning a proactive fitness program that targets your weaknesses and strengths can also help decrease your chances for injury. A program that identifies your strengths and uses them is good, but you also need to make sure your weaknesses are addressed. As these weaknesses become stronger, as a whole, you will become stronger.
• Moving your workout to a more low-impact setting might also help. The pool adds a great opportunity to create exercise but not put stress on the joints. We know that swimming takes some skill, but just treading water can be a great way to burn calories. Depending on availability, zero-gravity treadmills and water treadmills are often used in the professional athlete world to get athletes moving (technology never ceases to amaze me).

Not sure about swimming? Check out these blogs by NIFS staff regarding the impact of swimming and some great ideas to help you get started.

• Kris Simpson: Not a Workout Junkie: How About Swimming and Aqua Bootcamp
  
• Thomas Livengood: Sink or Swim: Get More from Your Swimming Access
• Amanda Bireline: Water Fitness: How to Get Better at Swimming

Muscleheads rejoice and evolve!

This blog was written by Thomas Livengood, NIFS Health Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer. To learn more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

Raise your hand if you’ve been here before: You get to the end of a great workout. You’re spent, fatigued, but in a good way. In a way that you know you’ve put in some quality work. But you look down at your watch and realize you’ve run a bit over your time. So you grab your things and rush out of the gym. You don’t have time for a cool-down, right? You’ve got to get to the car and rush to the next thing on the docket.

Without realizing it, you’ve kept up that same stimulus from your workout: that amped-up, fight-or-flight response. Only now it’s been hours since its conclusion. In short, your body has never left that stress response behind. Instead, it’s been carried around perhaps all day, and your body has not had time to transition into a rest, digest, and recovery mode. In other words, you’ve never shifted from a sympathetic (fight-or-flight) to a parasympathetic state (rest, recovery). This may sound like a “so what?” problem. But if left unchecked, this can not only stall out your workouts, but can also eventually lead to chronic issues with inflammation, sleep problems, or altered hormonal responses.

Appropriately managing your stress response isn’t something that only applies to workouts. We all face stressors on a daily, weekly, or hourly basis (perhaps in today’s world now more than ever!). If it starts to get out of hand, numerous aspects of our health and well-being are affected. Learning to mitigate and manage chronic stress can have positive effects on both physical and mental health. One way to do this is to address your vagal tone.

What Is Vagal Tone?

The longest nerve in the human body is the vagus nerve. It innervates numerous organs such as the intestines, stomach, heart, liver, and lungs (fun fact: “vagus” translates to “wanderer” in Latin; because it wanders around the body). The vagus nerve is a key part of the parasympathetic nervous system, and vagal tone refers to the activity of this nerve. If it is impaired, low vagal tone results, which is a contributor to stress and increased anxiety, a pro-inflammatory response, and a disruptor of normal gut functioning.

What Are the Benefits of Increased Vagal Tone?

A high vagal tone is associated with lower blood pressure, improved blood-sugar regulation, improved digestion, better mood, reduced anxiety, and reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. Perhaps one of the largest benefits of a higher vagal tone is the ability to relax faster after stress. So whether you’re talking physical stress from a workout or mental stress from everyday life, having an increased vagal tone can help you navigate the stressors of everyday life and be better prepared for the next one!

Additionally, researchers have discovered a positive feedback loop involving increased vagal tone, positive emotion responses, and physical and mental well-being. In short, the vagal response, or parasympathetic drive, actually works to mitigate stress and foster positive emotions. Definitely a win-win!

How Can You Increase Vagal Tone?

Okay great, now how the heck can I start working to stimulate the vagus nerve? Here are a few quick hitters that you can do today to improve your vagal tone.

Deep or Diaphragmatic Breathing

If you have virtually no time to cool down after a workout, a few deep, slow, diaphragmatic breaths can help quickly shift you toward more of a parasympathetic state. Lying on your back, elevating your legs so that your knees are at 90 degrees (on a box or bench), and taking 10–20 slow, deep breaths helps to gradually lower the heart rate and reduce blood pressure, all while stimulating the vagus nerve. Try having one hand on your upper chest and one hand over your belly button, and as you inhale try to see if your lower hand (belly) is moving upward. If you notice that only your upper hand is moving upon inhaling, take a few reps to practice filling your belly with air. This is a skill just like any other; it takes a bit of practice. But if you’re short on time, this technique is a bit of a cheat code. You can even try it before bed to help relax!

Singing, Humming, or Gargling

Yes, you read that correctly. One of the branches of the vagus nerve, the superior laryngeal nerve, actually innervates the vocal cords. As a result, we can mechanically stimulate it by singing, humming, gargling, chanting, etc. So belt out those tunes for car karaoke, hum that song that’s stuck in your head at work, and increase that vagal tone in the process!

Cold Exposure

For all us Midwesterners, we should have this one covered for about 7–8 months of the year! In all seriousness, gradually increasing your exposure to cold, and eventually becoming more habituated, causes a shift to greater parasympathetic activity. This doesn’t mean you need to go out and run two miles barefoot in the snow. You can start by splashing cold water (and I mean cold) on your face 10–20 times. Or going out to get the mail in December in a t-shirt and shorts. Or finishing off your shower with a quick 10-second blast of cold. Overall, try small interventions first to get the ball rolling. And if you’re looking for a laugh, check out my previous blog, when I put myself through hot-cold contrast showers for a week!

Omega-3s

The body cannot produce omega-3 fatty acids naturally, so they must come from the diet. They are found readily in fish (especially cold-water fish like wild-caught salmon), extra virgin olive oil, avocados, walnuts, and flaxseed, among other foods. Their benefits are wide-ranging: they positively affect brain and mental health, mitigate inflammation, and aid in improving cardiovascular health. Studies have also shown that omega-3 fatty acids also increase heart rate variability (a good thing!) and stimulate vagal activity.

Social Interaction

We are social creatures. As humans, we are hardwired to find and belong to a community. So it should come as no surprise that social connection, laughter, and having a stable support system improves our mental and physical health. While this may have been more difficult or a bit unorthodox with COVID-19, its importance has never been greater. Research has shown that laughter increases heart rate variability, and that even reminiscing about positive social connections and prior engagements improves vagal tone and increases positive emotions. So even if you can’t physically be near those you love and appreciate, making that effort to continue to reach out and connect goes a long way in your recovery from stress.

Jump-Start Your Recovery

We all face stressors on a daily basis. Whether it’s the low-level background noise of the news, or a large deadline looming in the future, learning to navigate and respond appropriately to stress is a must for maintaining physical and mental well-being. By increasing your vagal tone, you can help jump-start your recovery so that you’re more ready to tackle the next thing on your to-do list, be it a work project or a workout!

This blog was written by Lauren Zakrajsek, NIFS Assistant Fitness Center Manager, Health Fitness Instructor, and Personal Trainer. To learn more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.