As a freediver who battles with anxiety attacks, I am constantly inventing and testing-out new methods for mental training, especially for relaxation, because the more relaxed you are, the longer you can hold your breath!

In this podcast episode, I'll talk about a relaxation breathing and mental training technique that can help massively to lower anxiety and train the mind to be more relaxed in stressful situations and just in life in general.

It's a technique I use for freediving but anyone can benefit from it, whether you're an athlete, in the military, or if you're a performer, an actor or musician, if you're someone with a stressful job or if you're preparing for a business meeting. Either way it works the same, it builds something in your mind, that you can use in stressful situations to become more relaxed. And you can do this right at home just laying down on a yoga mat.

I can also personally confirm that the combination of short breath-holds, complete relaxation and concentration / mindfulness generates a sensation of euphoria and rapture, which creates mental clarity that may rest in the body for hours or even days after a session!

Time Stamps:

• 00:00 Introduction to this episode
• 01:30 Podcast intro
• 03:05 Why are we doing this - the Effects of Stress
• 08:10 What we will do in this session?
• 09:20 Recap of the relaxation breathing technique
• 11:00 Adding the mental relaxation breathing
• 18:30 Conclusion

Resources / References:

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Relaxation breathing is a powerful tool for freediving and for life in general in order to decrease your heart rate and help calm the body and mind.

In this podcast episode, I'll go over a relaxation breathing technique, also known as the 'Branko Petrovic Technique', which is used in freediving to help you relax deeply before your freedives and breath-holds. It slows down your breathing and intake of oxygen, therefore relaxing your nervous system and bringing your body back to its natural restful state.

Because your heart-rate is lowered quite quickly and less oxygen is consumed, this means you'll be able to hold your breath much longer. And even if you are not planning to do any freediving or breath-holding, the breathing technique can help anyone who wants to relax more and help to quite the mind.

While practicing this technique it's important to breathe as relaxed as possible without tensing any part of your body and without straining your intercostal muscles or diaphragm in order to keep the heart rate low. This will help your mind and your muscles to actively prepare you for a period of non-breathing, and be chill about it.

The pause after each inhale and exhale helps to decrease your breathing rate even more, and this relaxation effect is enhanced even more when you do this breathing exercise in the water while breathing through a snorkel face-down on the surface. If there are waves, you can allow the waves to relax you even more (!) by keeping the body loose and de-contracting while allowing the water to move you in whichever which way, imagining you're like a rag-doll or just a piece of seaweed just floating along on the surface of the water.

This relaxation breathing technique helps lower stress and anxiety by quickly slowing down the heart rate and helping the body settle in the present moment. A study in 2013 proved that freedivers had a significantly lower level of stress, anxiety and negative affectivity compared to non-freedivers. And I believe this is mostly due to relaxation breathing / training and lifestyle elements.

The relaxation breathing can also help you feel better overall. Not only can it help lower your stress, but it can also boost your mood, because during the breath-work, feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and noradrenaline, are enhanced during the breathing exercise and also afterwards.

The relaxation breathing technique also helps increase your energy and focus your mind. So you'll be able to focus better on your goals and have more energy to do the things you like.

Also because you'll be using oxygen much more efficiently after doing this breathing, this also leads to better respiration, lower heart rate, increased blood flow to the vital organs and better overall health.

So even though you may have never thought about changing your relaxation breathing for freediving or to practice relaxation breathing in general, it's time to give it a thought. Because the many benefits of this relaxation breathing exercise are super beneficial for your relaxation for freediving as well as for your physical and mental health in your everyday life.

Time Stamps:

• 00:00 Introduction to this episode
• 02:02 Podcast intro
• 03:09 How I learned it
• 04:05 Relaxation is key
• 05:02 The steps for the relaxation breathing
• 07:45 Guided session of relaxation breathing
• 12:40 Wrapping up & some additional info
• 15:17 Conclusion and what's next

Resources / References:

Pascal Huron (Facebook)

Branko Petrovic (Facebook)

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Looking for tips for deep freediving? In this episode, Renee talks about what was happening in her training preventing her from freediving deeper than 72 meters, as well as the 6 changes implemented in order to overcome her issues with hypoxia and lack of flexibility so she can dive deeper more easily.

The six changes were recommended by Renee's remote freediving coach, Florian Dagoury, in order to improve dive response, adaptation to pressure and mental / physical relaxation for deep freedives.

Time Stamps:

• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:36 Changes on the Freediving Podcast!
• 03:54 Intro to Episode 6 of the Freediving Podcast
• 06:09 Why I Hired a Remote Freediving Coach
• 10:16 Identifying the Problems in my Freediving
• 11:35 Change #1: Changing my Warm-up Dives
• 15:26 Change #2: Adding in RV and FRC Training Sessions
• 17:47 Change #3: Changing my Breathe-Up for Freediving
• 20:58 The New Breath-Up for Deep Diving & Stronger Dive Response
• 23:42 Change #4: Changing the Morning Preparation
• 24:46 Change #5: Adding Variable Weight Training Sessions
• 25:51 Change #6: Apnea Walking
• 28:15 The Results so Far
• 30:08 Having an Open Mind / Conclusion / The Take-Away!

Resources / References:

Freedive Flo&Olga

Flo on Instagram (mr.10minutes)

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Freediving is a unique sport and has very few similarities with other sports. Most of the top level freedivers train intensively for months on end, year after year, and hours upon hours per day in the pool, at the gym and depth, sacrificing social activities for yoga and sleep.

How do these freedivers maintain such high motivation?

Well all freedivers, even the most skilled and successful freedivers, have times with they feel a bit unmotivated. But the best freedivers know how to overcome this and stay motivated in order to keep the momentum going and keep improving as a freediver. This podcast provides some tips on how to motivate yourself to become a better freediver.

This episode is part three in the podcast series, Inside the Mind of the World's Top Freedivers, about mental techniques for freediving.

Time Stamps:

• 00:00 Introduction to the podcast
• 01:15 Recap of the last episode
• 04:55 Continuing where left off and other factors that help motivation for freediving
• 05:29 Loving the grind of freediving
• 13:10 Giving out mentally before physically
• 17:11 Do you really need to love the grind? Accepting the grind
• 18:49 Be positive and optimistic!
• 24:53 Negativity leading to over-training and burn-out
• 26:18 Pick a freediving competition
• 31:21Self talk and rational thinking for freediving
• 35:46 Stay in the moment!
• 41:19 Have a good coach!
• 43:10 Or have a good training buddy
• 44:10 Be curious!
• 46:30 Motivational cues for motivation
• 48:44 What motivates me to freedive?
• 51:54 Conclusion

Resources:

Interview With World Class Freediver Sara Campbell Success And Failure

Tanya Streeter - Freediver

Specific Training for Freediving by Umberto Pelizzari

Rest and Recovery | Freedivings Most Under Rated Training Principle

Davide Carrera - Making Love to the Sea

Alexey Molchanov - Interview 2019 - Recovery, Success and the Best Training for Freediving

How Olympians Stay Motivated

The Deepest Dive. How Far Down Can a Freediver Go?

30 Minutes With...Miguel Lozano

Alessia Zecchini - Interview - World's Deepest Woman about Motivation, Home and her own Success

Born To | Freediving | Episode 1

Mental Techniques for 102m

Interview With Freediving World Record Holder Matt Malina

Meet Dave Mullins

An Interview with Herbert Nitsch, The Deepest Man on Earth

Apnea: las increíbles fotos de la colombiana Sofía Gómez Uribe desde el fondo del mar

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Welcome to the fourth episode of the Freediving Podcast by Renee Blundon. This episode is about motivation and goal setting for freediving.

Motivation is the cornerstone of success for every great freediving athlete and every great freediving achievement. In this episode I’ll go over motivation, what it is, where does it come from and why is it so important for freediving? I’ll also talk about goal setting in extensive detail with tips and examples from some of top freedivers from all over the world to help inspire you and to ensure that you never quit!

This episode is part two in the podcast series about mental techniques for freediving.

Time Stamps:

• 00:00 Introduction to the podcast
• 01:20 Recap of the last episode
• 03:00 An introduction to motivation for freediving
• 05:25 What is motivation – to put it simply?
• 05:50 Why is motivation important for freediving?
• 11:20 The signs of low motivation and the influence of people
• 13:34 Ok, so where does motivation come from?
• 14:19 Goal setting for freediving, your main goal
• 18:04 Setting sub-goals for your main goal
• 19:34 How to make SMARTER goals
• 23:40 Why to write down your goals
• 24:40 The SELF Journal, a workbook and journal for goal setting
• 26:47 Either put in the effort or adjust the goals
• 29:40 Goal setting for beginner or intermediate freedivers
• 34:14 Conclusion and whats on for the next episode
• 35:40 What’s going on with me and my training

Resources:

30 Minutes with... Miguel Lozano

Alessia Zecchini - Interview - World's Deepest Woman about Motivation, Home and her own Success

Best SELF

Herbert Nitsch: The Deepest Man on Earth

Living the Thrill of Competitive Freediving in Villefranch, French Riviera

Meet Dave Mullins

Mental Techniques for 102M

Specific Training for Freediving by Umberto Pelizzari

The ONE Thing by Gary Keller

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Welcome to the third episode of the Freediving Podcast by Renee Blundon. This episode is part one of five about the mental training and techniques that the world's top freedivers use to prepare for their deep dives.

The freedivers at the highest level, may be somewhat well matched in terms of their breath-hold ability, conditioning, their physical abilities and skill level. But that alone is not enough to achieve world records and win World Championships and the major freediving competitions. Mental techniques and strategies is extremely important so that freedivers can get their minds in the best possible condition for optimal performance and relaxation.

Based on her own personal research from watching / reading interviews, by reading blogs and articles of the top freedivers, Renee will provide an overview of the kinds of techniques which these freedivers use to prepare for their dives. She'll also give details and examples into these different techniques, and how they work, as well as how the techniques can be used by competitive freedivers to maximize your performance.

Time Stamps:

• 00:00 Introduction to the podcast
• 02:02 Diving into mental training for freediving
• 02:35 The athletes at the top!
• 04:00 Examples of different approaches when it comes to mental preparation for freediving
• 08:20 Mental training playing such a big part on the dives
• 10:35 Mental training for when things go wrong!
• 12:00 Overcoming failed dives attempts with mental techniques
• 14:20 What do I mean by mental techniques for freediving?
• 15:15 Unpacking some of the mental strategies freedives use
• 18:25 Discussing the next episodes and conclusion
• 20:15 What's going on with me and my freediving training?

Resources:

Mental Techniques for 102M

Alexey Molchanov Interview 2019

Alessia Zecchini Interview

Alenka Artnik Sets New Freediving World Record

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Welcome to the second episode of the Freediving Podcast by Renee Blundon. This episode is part two about nutrition to improve your lung health and lung function for freediving while at the same time, improving your immune system to make it more resilient to COVID-19 and other viruses and bacteria.

This episode will focus on vitamin D and N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) in detail and will also touch on a few other important vitamins and nutrients. We'll also cover some super interesting info about the oxidative stress and free-radical damage caused in in the body from freediving, and what foods and supplements can help your freediving recovery.

This podcast can be helpful other athletes who are looking to improve their breathing and lung capacity, or anyone really who wants to improve their lung and respiratory health, which at the same time helps to improve your overall health and therefore your quality of living.

Time Stamps:

• 00:00 Introduction to the podcast
• 01:50 Recapping Episode 1 - Nutrition for freediving, vitamin A & omega balance
• 03:25 Intro to Part 2 of Nutrition for Freediving & lung issues in freediving
• 04:57 Vitamin D - an essential nutrient that your body absolutely needs
• 05:45 How they treated patients with respiratory issues with sunlight and cod liver oil
• 08:20 How is cod liver oil effective for lung and respiratory health?
• 10:30 Freediving in the wintertime in regards to vitamin D
• 13:50 How vitamin D and cathelicidins boost the immune system
• 14:37 Tips for getting vitamin D from sunlight
• 17:39 With COVID-19 are freedivers erring on the side of caution?
• 19:14 Should you get a Vitamin D Test? If so what do you look for?
• 21:27 Foods that are rich in Vitamin D
• 22:00 How to supplement with Vitamin D
• 22:40 N-Acetyl Cysteine - Needed to make Glutathione, an important antioxidant
• 23:49 Oxidative Stress and Free Radical Damage Caused from Freediving
• 29:29 Glutathione & NAC in regards to COVD-19 and other viruses and bacteria
• 34:10 Foods Rich in N-Acetyl Cysteine
• 35:15 N-Acetyl Cysteine Supplementation
• 35:55 Omega 3 Supplementation
• 36:23 Conclusion, recapping and discussing Vitamin C

Resources:

Why Taking Vitamin D Pills Could Help the Fight Against TB and HIV https://theconversation.com/why-taking-vitamin-d-pills-could-help-the-fight-against-tb-and-hiv-56238

Oxidative Stress in Breath-Hold Divers After Repetitive Dives https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23813458/

A Rapid Review of the Evidence for Effectiveness in Treating COVID-19 https://covid19-evidence.paho.org/handle/20.500.12663/1089

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Welcome to the first episode of the Freediving Podcast by Renee Blundon. In this episode, I'll talk about nutrition specifically for freediving and improving your lung function and lung capacity, in order to make your lungs stronger, healthier and more flexible for freediving while at the same time, improving your immune system, making it more resilient to COVID-19 and other viruses and bacteria.

This podcast can also help other athletes who are looking to improve their breathing and lung capacity, or anyone really who wants to improve their lung health and breathing, which at the same time helps to improve your overall health and therefore your quality of living.

Time Stamps:

• 00:10 Introduction to the podcast
• 01:56 Nutrition for freediving and lung health / lung function
• 07:00 Lung and respiratory issues in freediving
• 09:10 Health and fitness for a strong respiratory system and lung capacity
• 12:15 Nutrients - the foundation of good health
• 13:35 How respiratory and breathing problems are on the rise!
• 14:58 Measles, a severe respiratory infection and how it's naturally treated / prevented
• 19:00 Vitamin A, being used to treat Measles and respiratory infections
• 21:10 Low Vitamin A and malnourishment while freediving
• 24:00 How Vitamin A is fundamental to the immune system
• 24:35 Understanding how nutrition is being used in studies
• 25:40 What Vitamin A does and how it's needed to produce epithelial cells, surface cells that line the lungs
• 28:27 Foods that have Vitamin A in them
• 32:00 How to best supplement with Vitamin A
• 34:32 Vitamin A deficiency in the West - the issue with people eating empty caloric foods
• 35:52 The issues with eating artificial foods or partially fractionated foods, like egg whites
• 36:54 Omega-6 oils, how too much will affect your omega balance and arachidonic acid / inflammation
• 37:54 The science involved in nutrition; leukotrienes, arachidonic acid and too much Omega-6
• 40:40 Advice for targeting nutrition for freediving specifically
• 42:20 Conclusion and discussing Part 2 of Nutrition for Freediving and to Improve Lung Capacity

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In Episode Zero of the Freediving Podcast, I introduce the purpose of the podcast and how I hope to structure future episodes to provide weekly information about freediving training concepts, nutrition for freediving, fitness for freediving, mental training techniques, freediving preparation, breathing and breath-hold techniques and helpful advice for freediving in a safe, sustainable and healthy way.

This episode features a basic introduction about the concept for the show, some background about me and my freediving experiences, and why I'm passionate about freediving and living a healthy and EPIC lifestyle.

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