Each week, I build on my previous blogs. They are all inter-related and in a way are like a game of Connect-the-Dots: Once you connect all the little pieces of information I have provided, you can then see the bigger picture. What that picture represents is your health and the various aspects necessary to maintain it.
With that said, I want to continue talking about stress and things you can do to improve your mental well being. A friend recently sent this to me, and the simplicity of it really hit home. So read it and then try to have a better day.
1) Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate antidepressant.
2) Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.
3) Buy a Tivo or use DVR to tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
4) When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, “My purpose is to _______ today”.
5) Live with the 3 E’s: Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
6) Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did last year.
7) Always make time to exercise.
8) Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
9) Dream more while you are awake.
10) Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat fewer processed foods.
11) Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds and walnuts.
12) Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13) Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14) Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, issues of the past, negative thoughts and things you simply cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in something positive.
15) Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, the only difference being, these lessons you will remember a lifetime.
16) Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out credit card.
17) Smile and laugh more.
18) Life may not be fair, but that does not mean it isn’t good.
19) Life is too short to waste hating anyone or anything.
20) Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21) You don’t have to win every argument. Sometimes, just agree to disagree.
22) Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up your present.
23) Do not compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey has been like or will be.
24) Burn those scented candles, use the 600-thread-count sheets, the good china — every day should be a special occasion.
25) No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26) Frame every so-called disaster as “In five years, will this matter?”
27) Forgive everyone for everything.
28) What other people think of you is none of your business.
29) Time heals almost everything.
30) However good or bad a situation is, remember it is temporary.
31) Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will, so stay in touch.
32) Get rid of everything that is not useful, beautiful or joyful.
33) Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
34) The best in life is yet to come.
35) No matter how you feel, get up, get dressed and show up.
36) Call your family often.
37) Always try to do the right thing.
38) Each night before you go to bed, complete the following statements: “I am thankful for ______” Or “Today I accomplished ______”.
39) Remember to rise above the stress.
40) And finally, just enjoy the ride. Experience each and every day to the fullest, life is a gift; unwrap it and cherish it.
Anyone have any suggestions or comments let us know? Leave comments and/or questions here or on our FaceBook page.
by Mike White (Owner, Trainer @ Body-N-Motion)
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Time to De-stress
Last week, we discussed the biological and chemical facts regarding stress. I believe the word was “cortisol.”
We’ve established that stress often is out of our control; it comes from external factors rather than from something we personally have brought upon ourselves. There are two things to think about when talking about stress: first, how to prevent excessive amounts and second, when it does hit, how to cope in a healthy manner.
I think it is best to take preventative measures towards stress, rather than waiting till you have the stress-related breakdown. So let’s talk about different daily habits that you can utilize to help prevent taxing situations from getting out of hand.
Start off by simply being realistic. If you feel like you have too much on your plate, learn to say no! When you take on too much responsibility at one time, it is bound to lead to a meltdown.
Second, stop living in the future, and start existing in the now. Do not allow yourself to be caught up in the hypothetical world of tomorrow. Exist for today; you cannot control tomorrow, no matter how much you think you can. Take life one day at a time.
Another thing you can do to help prevent stress is maintain a healthy lifestyle. This includes getting enough sleep; exercising on a regular basis; maintaining a healthy diet; and being wary of substance abuse.
As a personal trainer, I deem it necessary to pause here and go into further detail in regards to why exercise is especially important in preventing and coping with stress. As I discussed last week, when your body is stressed, it responds by preparing us for fight or flight. But this is, more or less, unnecessary in most situations. By exercising on a regular basis, you can help decrease the production of stress hormones; which, in turn, aids in preventing the long-term effects of stress. Besides, it is a natural antidepressant and a darned good sleeping aid.
As I said, those are all great ways to help prevent stress, but inevitably, we all reach our breaking point. So what then? Well, there are plenty of things that you can do to regain your composure. Obviously each of us is different, so it is important to find out what is best for you personally.
One thing that often helps people feel better is to simply talk about the stress, whether it’s to a friend, family, or maybe even the person who is causing all that stress. You may realize after a good rant session that perhaps you were making the situation out to be worse than it really was, or perhaps it will help to put the situation into a clearer perspective.
Another idea is to try deep breathing techniques. Although it’s most effective if you can isolate yourself in a quiet area, if that is not a possibility then wherever you are at is fine. Simply sit back, close your eyes, and focus on taking deep, full breaths. There are intricate breathing methods you can find easily all over the Web. If you feel this is right for you then I highly recommend that you check into it.
Another option is to simply exercise. Yes, I mentioned this one already, but seriously guys it is a great stress reliever. Whether it is Pilates, yoga, walking, kick boxing, running or lifting — whatever it may be, chances are, it will help to calm you down.
You must make time for yourself 15-20 minutes of personal time. Now in those twenty minutes you may choose to read, take a hot bath, meditate, or any of the other suggestions I have made.
Anyone have any suggestions or comments let us know? Leave comments and/or questions here or on our FaceBook page.
by Mike White (Owner, Trainer @ Body-N-Motion)
We’ve established that stress often is out of our control; it comes from external factors rather than from something we personally have brought upon ourselves. There are two things to think about when talking about stress: first, how to prevent excessive amounts and second, when it does hit, how to cope in a healthy manner.
I think it is best to take preventative measures towards stress, rather than waiting till you have the stress-related breakdown. So let’s talk about different daily habits that you can utilize to help prevent taxing situations from getting out of hand.
Start off by simply being realistic. If you feel like you have too much on your plate, learn to say no! When you take on too much responsibility at one time, it is bound to lead to a meltdown.
Second, stop living in the future, and start existing in the now. Do not allow yourself to be caught up in the hypothetical world of tomorrow. Exist for today; you cannot control tomorrow, no matter how much you think you can. Take life one day at a time.
Another thing you can do to help prevent stress is maintain a healthy lifestyle. This includes getting enough sleep; exercising on a regular basis; maintaining a healthy diet; and being wary of substance abuse.
As a personal trainer, I deem it necessary to pause here and go into further detail in regards to why exercise is especially important in preventing and coping with stress. As I discussed last week, when your body is stressed, it responds by preparing us for fight or flight. But this is, more or less, unnecessary in most situations. By exercising on a regular basis, you can help decrease the production of stress hormones; which, in turn, aids in preventing the long-term effects of stress. Besides, it is a natural antidepressant and a darned good sleeping aid.
As I said, those are all great ways to help prevent stress, but inevitably, we all reach our breaking point. So what then? Well, there are plenty of things that you can do to regain your composure. Obviously each of us is different, so it is important to find out what is best for you personally.
One thing that often helps people feel better is to simply talk about the stress, whether it’s to a friend, family, or maybe even the person who is causing all that stress. You may realize after a good rant session that perhaps you were making the situation out to be worse than it really was, or perhaps it will help to put the situation into a clearer perspective.
Another idea is to try deep breathing techniques. Although it’s most effective if you can isolate yourself in a quiet area, if that is not a possibility then wherever you are at is fine. Simply sit back, close your eyes, and focus on taking deep, full breaths. There are intricate breathing methods you can find easily all over the Web. If you feel this is right for you then I highly recommend that you check into it.
Another option is to simply exercise. Yes, I mentioned this one already, but seriously guys it is a great stress reliever. Whether it is Pilates, yoga, walking, kick boxing, running or lifting — whatever it may be, chances are, it will help to calm you down.
You must make time for yourself 15-20 minutes of personal time. Now in those twenty minutes you may choose to read, take a hot bath, meditate, or any of the other suggestions I have made.
Anyone have any suggestions or comments let us know? Leave comments and/or questions here or on our FaceBook page.
by Mike White (Owner, Trainer @ Body-N-Motion)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Stop Stressing!
For the next couple of blogs I want to talk to you all about stress. It comes in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. We each have to deal with it though; it’s part of the human experience so to speak. Some stress in your life can be a positive thing; it can serve as that extra motivation to stay focused or that nudge you need to get all your daily tasks accomplished. For the most part, we each know what are stress-triggers are, but what you may not know is the chemical cause of stress and some of the health risks associated with it.
The word of the day is cortisol. Maybe some of you have heard of it. It is a hormone secreted by the adrenal gland and is involved proper glucose metabolism, regulation of blood pressure, insulin regulation, immune system functions, and the body’s inflammatory response. It is always present in the body, but in the mornings there is a higher level than in the evening. It is often referred to as the stress hormone because your body produces it excessively when it is feeling overwhelmed, whether mental, physical, or emotional.
How it works, on a very basic level, is simply when your body feels threatened, it secretes adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol which then increases the flow of glucose, fat, and protein in the bloodstream to boost energy and physical readiness to handle the stressful situation at hand. When your body is in this state your heart rate and blood flow increase. This enables you to potentially run faster and fight with more intensity. All other bodily processes (at least the ones that are not needed for immediate survival) are slowed down; this includes the digestive, immune, and reproductive systems.
This was necessary and helpful for the Neanderthals who relied on this quick adrenaline rush when running away from a saber tooth tiger. But in today’s day in age, typically, the stress we suffer is psychological and does not usually require us to fight or take flight. Unfortunately, our bodies do not make this distinction. To it, stress is stress no matter what sort. So regardless of the situation- whether your kids are screaming, you are trying to make deadline, finances are tight, you have too much homework, you and your boyfriend/girlfriend just broke up, a family member is very ill- your body is shifting into this overdrive mode automatically… just like that caveman running from the saber tooth. Looks like we still have some evolving to do.
Since we are constantly bombarded with stress, our bodies are constantly trying to cope. This presents us with a huge problem. The longer your body is in stress mode, the more difficult it is to go back down to normal mode. Instead, your stress hormone levels, heart rate, and blood pressure all remain elevated. The effects of this can be detrimental.
People who have high levels of cortisol in their blood stream are at risk for developing a variety of problems. These include blood sugar imbalances, lower bone density, impaired mental performance, loss of muscle tissue, lowered immunity, high blood pressure, and an increase in abdominal fat (which is associated with a whole different set of problems including heart attacks, strokes, etc).
With all of these health issues stemming from stress, it is easy to see why we need to take a couple of seconds just to breath, not just for mental clarity, but because it is physically good for you as well. Life is hard no one said it would be easy! Life’s hurdles are there to make us stronger. We all must remain strong in our faith and know that a healthy body will get us through these tough times. Next week, I want to go through a variety of ways you can de-stress.
Anyone have any suggestions or comments on how they personally de-stress let us know? Leave comments and/or questions here or on our FaceBook page.
by Mike White (Owner, Trainer @ Body-N-Motion)
The word of the day is cortisol. Maybe some of you have heard of it. It is a hormone secreted by the adrenal gland and is involved proper glucose metabolism, regulation of blood pressure, insulin regulation, immune system functions, and the body’s inflammatory response. It is always present in the body, but in the mornings there is a higher level than in the evening. It is often referred to as the stress hormone because your body produces it excessively when it is feeling overwhelmed, whether mental, physical, or emotional.
How it works, on a very basic level, is simply when your body feels threatened, it secretes adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol which then increases the flow of glucose, fat, and protein in the bloodstream to boost energy and physical readiness to handle the stressful situation at hand. When your body is in this state your heart rate and blood flow increase. This enables you to potentially run faster and fight with more intensity. All other bodily processes (at least the ones that are not needed for immediate survival) are slowed down; this includes the digestive, immune, and reproductive systems.
This was necessary and helpful for the Neanderthals who relied on this quick adrenaline rush when running away from a saber tooth tiger. But in today’s day in age, typically, the stress we suffer is psychological and does not usually require us to fight or take flight. Unfortunately, our bodies do not make this distinction. To it, stress is stress no matter what sort. So regardless of the situation- whether your kids are screaming, you are trying to make deadline, finances are tight, you have too much homework, you and your boyfriend/girlfriend just broke up, a family member is very ill- your body is shifting into this overdrive mode automatically… just like that caveman running from the saber tooth. Looks like we still have some evolving to do.
Since we are constantly bombarded with stress, our bodies are constantly trying to cope. This presents us with a huge problem. The longer your body is in stress mode, the more difficult it is to go back down to normal mode. Instead, your stress hormone levels, heart rate, and blood pressure all remain elevated. The effects of this can be detrimental.
People who have high levels of cortisol in their blood stream are at risk for developing a variety of problems. These include blood sugar imbalances, lower bone density, impaired mental performance, loss of muscle tissue, lowered immunity, high blood pressure, and an increase in abdominal fat (which is associated with a whole different set of problems including heart attacks, strokes, etc).
With all of these health issues stemming from stress, it is easy to see why we need to take a couple of seconds just to breath, not just for mental clarity, but because it is physically good for you as well. Life is hard no one said it would be easy! Life’s hurdles are there to make us stronger. We all must remain strong in our faith and know that a healthy body will get us through these tough times. Next week, I want to go through a variety of ways you can de-stress.
Anyone have any suggestions or comments on how they personally de-stress let us know? Leave comments and/or questions here or on our FaceBook page.
by Mike White (Owner, Trainer @ Body-N-Motion)
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