I attended a workshop this week on “Secrets to Success without Stress.” I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was looking for tips on achieving success in my career without sacrificing important time with my family. As a working mother, balancing competing priorities is a challenge and lately I feel like I’m going to drop one of my many balls in the air.

I was expecting tips on managing workload or networking, instead we were greeted by a holistic life coach who gave us a lesson in meditation.

Did you know that 90 percent of stress and toxins can be relieved through breathing?

If you’re like me, you may not think about breathing too much. We have enough to think about. Breathing is one of the few things that is automatic and we shouldn’t have to think about it….right?

Deep breathing, along with visualization, meditation and yoga are great ways to relax and relieve stress. Some stress in our life is good, it can help motivate us to meet a deadline or achieve a goal, but excessive stress can lead to many health problems including insomnia, fatigue, headaches, fatigue, backaches, weight gain and more. Over time this can result in suffering a heart attack or stroke. A 2008 Swedish study found that stress can also double the risk of diabetes.

In my effort to get and stay fit, I tend to focus on the high impact activities that burn a lot of calories fast. But it is also important to incorporate mind-body activities to help the mind be as fit as the body. I blog a lot about fitness and healthy eating on my Five a Day the Fun Way blog, but I’ve never given much thought to stress relief being part of our overall fitness picture.

Yoga and Pilates are great exercises for the waistline and for the mind because they incorporate breathing along with concentrated exercises. I recently started taking pilates three times a week and I love the effect it has had on strengthening my core and relieving stress. After receiving the lesson this week in breathing, I’m going to make sure to focus on my breathing and practice mini-meditative sessions throughout the week to relieve stress. What do you do to relieve stress? Did you know that breathing can relieve stress and toxins? I’d love to hear from you!