Your Health strategies

Nowadays Stress Relaxation Techniques should be a part of everyday life to overcome stress … After all, daily stress is a part of most people’s lives. For example; If you’re very young and going to school there’s the stress of fitting in with your friends and exams.  When you get older there’s the pressure of finding a career, work related stress, financial independence and raising a family.  As you age your body’s defense system doesn’t work as well.  Unfortunately, this same defense system is greatly affected over time by stress.  In other words … Placing yourself in positions of Stress with very little Stress Relief will cause your immune system to age prematurely.  Stress is also linked to illnesses including heart disease, high blood pressure and Alzheimer’s just to name a few.

Stress and Premature Aging

A study published by National Academy of Sciences found that stress can cause a person’s immune system to age prematurely.  The study discussed the caps on the end of chromosomes called telomeres.  As a cell divides the telomeres in that cell shorten.  When the telomeres become too short the cell can no longer replenish itself. This is why we age, and the reason we are unable to live forever.

The research showed a test that checked the telomeres and stress levels of 58 healthy pre-menopausal women.  The results were amazing.  On average, women that experience constant stress had an immune system 10 years older than their current age.  Although the study explained they weren’t exactly sure of the impact they did have a very plausible theory that Hormones released during stress are shortening the telomeres and cutting the life span of cells.  Imagine for a moment the number of illnesses your body will attract if your immune system is permanently compromised.

The Good News on Stress and Relaxation Techniques

Being aware how stress affects the body is the first part.  The second comes through finding real positive Natural Stress Relief Techniques.  The greatest ways to get control of stress come from surrounding your self with friends and family, maintaining a positive outlook, consistent exercise and effective relaxation techniques. 

Effective Relaxation Techniques should include: Relaxation Breathing Techniques, guided meditation/ stress relief CD’s, Relaxation Programs and Visualization Techniques.  Each method is a great way to release any built up tension and prevent the effects of long term stress.  This combined with a healthy diet and adequate sleep will make all the difference to you living a long and healthy life.

Stress Relief Techniques … If you don’t do them will you get fat? When doing a little research on the subject I have come to believe there is a solid link between the 2.

You see, our body contains a system called the neuroendocrine system which activates a series of hormones whenever we feel threatened or stressed.  Many years ago this system was useful to assist us in fleeing when there was danger near. 

The Hormones released include adrenalin (for the burst of energy), corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) and Cortisol (helps us to replenish our bodies after the stress has passed).  The downside is Cortisol can hang around in our system for a while after the stress and cause your appetite to increase.

This system is great when you’re under physical danger but isn’t so good on the everyday stress that we all face like paying the bills, work pressure and family pressures.  In other words your neuro-endocrine system can’t tell the difference between non-physical stresses and still responds with the need to replenish your system – or eat.

By listening to the messages from the neuro-endocrine system can not only lead to weight gain, but also leads to visceral fat which is fat that lies around the stomach area of the body and increases the rate of heart disease and diabetes.

What does that all mean?  Put simply, if you experience stress you are more likely to gain weight.  This is interesting when you consider more people are under stress today than 30 years ago and we currently have a record obesity rate.  Interesting.

It all comes back to Stress Relief Techniques and playing a part in learning how to

a) Release built up Stress

b) Developing new methods for handling Stress

There are many forms of Natural Stress Relief available to show you how to handle stress more effectively and release built up stress.  There options available include: Stress Relief CD’s, Relaxation Programs, Stress Management Activities and Relaxation Breathing Techniques.  Whether you like it or not stress is in everyone’s life. It’s more a question of how you handle it.

A report compiled by NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) shows indisputable facts that Work Related Stress is the highest cause of stress in today’s society.  The survey shows that one in four people view their jobs as the number one stressor in their life.  It also shows that three quarters of people believe workers have more on the job stress than a generation ago.

The report is a compilation of surveys by several key players in stress reduction and stress management including Northwestern National Life and Yale University. 

The causes of Stress at Work and Work Related Stress were:

—> Working conditions – The location, people you work with, environment, culture and terms of employment.

—> Worker characteristics - Individuals outlook, abilities, personality and coping style.

The NIOSH approach to Stress at Work is to find a balanced approach to the working lifestyle.  It can be defined in 3 basic categories:

—> A balance between work and family/personal life

—> A support network of friends and co-workers

—> A relaxed and positive outlook

Generally, focusing on third strategy will have a massive impact on the first two.  A good method to tackle stress is through relaxation techniques conducted on a daily basis as a method to release built up stress and anxiety accumulated during the day.  Different relaxation techniques including stress relief CD’s, relaxation breathing techniques, stress relief exercises, keeping a journal and physical activity are excellent methods for creating a more relaxed and positive outlook.  The greatest step you could take would be to complete a stress relief program.  An excellent stress relief program should gives specific methods of relaxation, a way of setting and recording relaxation goals and specific stress management techniques to learn and implement.  This combined with a greater respect for work related stress would decrease the overall instances of stress and help to develop a more focused, happy workforce.

You are what you eat, and if you’re feel like you need some sort of stress relief or you experience anxiety attacks it may have something to do with your diet. 

Let me explain … there are several factors that determine the level of stress and anxiety you experience daily.  They include: your environment, your psychological status, your methods for releasing stress and your diet. Diet has shown to impact how we handle stress at work, our level of concentration and the ability for our bodies to function normally.

There are several parts of your diet you may believe help to relieve stress, but few people are aware that these are the same things that actually cause stress.  Take for instance, smoking.  Many people believe that smoking helps to relieve stress.  But if you read this article you’ll understand smoking is one of the main causes of stress.

Here are some of the foods and drinks you should take in moderation to reduce your stress and experience natural stress relief:

—> Foods that contain caffeine – This is found in coffee, non-herbal tea, chocolate, coke, etc.  Caffeine causes the release of adrenalin which increases the level of stress.  Too much caffeine has the same effect as long term stress on the body. 

—> Alcohol – Excessive consumption of Alcohol stimulates the secretion of adrenaline and is shown to result in nervous tension, insomnia and irritability.  Excess alcohol will deposit fat around the heart and in excess limits the liver from removing toxins from the body.  During stress your body produces several hormones that are normally filtered by your liver.  If your liver isn’t functioning properly, then your body can’t remove the toxins resulting in serious damage

—> Sugar – Sugar has NO essential nutritional benefits what so ever. Sugar provides short burst of false energy that can not sustain the body.  These short bursts of false energy result in irritability, poor concentration and depression.  High consumption of sugar can also result in diabetes.

—> Fat – Avoid foods rich in saturated fats as they place unnecessary stress on the cardiovascular system.  These include: deep fried foods, bacon, sausages, cakes and pies. 

—> Salt – Foods high in salt increase the blood pressure affect the adrenal glands and cause emotional instability.  Look for salt substitutes that contain potassium to still enjoy the flavor of salt without all the nasty side-effects.

These foods mentioned are all Ok in moderation, but should never be used solely as a method of stress relief as they will result negative side affects.

Of course diet is essential in stress relief, but nothing can beat well chosen stress relief techniques like exercise, yoga, a stress relief CD, meditation, relaxation breathing techniques or other beneficial stress management activities.