This is particularly important for the person who rushes to complete things, has what they might consider a hectic living/ family situation, or a heavy schedule. 

Meditations and finding stillness or mindfulness in everyday actions

Walks in the open air (in nature or a green, leafy environment if possible is best for the Hippocampus)

Humans contain a lot of liquid, so staying hydrated can help with pain, muscle tightness, ease of movement, recovery from fatigue, strength and mental health.

Our nutritionist Duncan Rock says “ You should aim to drink around 1ml of liquid per calorie burned”.

Gentle puffy cheek, straw or lip trill exercises will help massage and stretch the inside walls of the throat (pharynx) and the vocal cords (sometimes called folds). You should aim to vocalise in both your low, speaking register and your upper, high register (M1 and M2). 

Verdolini, a brilliant voice researcher, concluded that SOVT exercises (as listed above) for 5 minutes, 2-3 times a day will help reduce swelling or inflammation on the vocal folds. Our recommended straw is the SOVT straw: With a minimum of 12 variable resistance configurations, the SOVT Straw enables easy rebalancing of air pressure and realignment the vocal folds, whilst also encouraging efficient vocal fold vibration to help singers vocalise with ease, gain vocal power without straining, and recover tired and fatigued voices. (Use the discount code VCC20 for 20% off your order!)

Don’t only keep vocally fit, but keep physically fit, and moving too. Remember, your voice is in your body, not the other way around, and so getting your blood pumping and maintaining your physical fitness is incredibly beneficial to all of your bodily functions.

REGAINING VOCAL STAMINA: Thoughts from our Vocal Rehabilitation Coach, Dr Jenevora Williams.
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What do we mean when we talk about lack of stamina? We use muscles that contribute to vocal production all day, everyday.
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What we are talking about with stamina are the muscles that are used for the EXTREMES, like singing higher notes.
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Those muscles need to be gently coaxed back into use. It doesn’t help to be frustrated, panicky or anxious. We need to be gentle and start slow.
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Five minutes is enough to start! Do something else and come back to your practice. It doesn’t need to be huge and extreme to start.
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Try some hums or buzzes in a low-medium pitch range and gradually (emphasising GRADUALLY here) increase.
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Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is your voice, so be calm and kind with yourself as you ease in and familiarise yourself with more extreme vocalisations.
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PS Remember that practice doesn’t always need to be vocalising. Reading about the voice, CPD, and working your music theory skills all count towards beneficial practice.

Our American colleagues have established a very helpful list for when you are actually using medicine, to find out the side effects it may have on your voice.

Your voice is the organ of your soul, and you have a duty of care to yourself. You must feel empowered to say “no” or “this is the last time I can do it today” in order to best protect and maintain your instrument. Voice rest is important for healing and recovery, and we know that taking frequent mini-breaks is more helpful than less frequent but longer rest periods. Allow your vocal energy battery to recharge as often as you can during the day.

You should also consider whether eating, drinking or smoking habits best serve your voice in terms of reflux, allergies, burning and motor impedance.

Warming up for 2-5 minutes with gentle, low pressure exercises that work your entire range help engage, wake up and prepare the voice for use. It is important to warm up for the task/s ahead, considering genre and laryngeal configurations can be a key factor in vocal longevity. 

Cooling down is often forgotten about, and it is as important (if not more important) than warming up. The aim of a vocal cool down is to reset your voice to a comfortable, easy speaking range, which can be achieved by gentle, low humming and soft creaking.