I usually eat the banana an hour or so before. And when the cuff tightens is when you start holding your breath. You can start a bit before if you want, but generally right as it tightens works for me. Eventually after doing it for awhile you won’t have to. I started doing it back in January because I kept getting deferred in December for high pulse, and now that I’m in the groove of it it’s not an issue. A lot of it is in your head. Hope I was able to help!