STRIP AWAY ALL THAT NOISE
Pressing the pause button on Stress
As the cycle continues of waking up to new stresses and carrying them to bed, the pile of stresses seems to only accumulate with each passing day like an abandoned landfill. Susceptibility and exposure to stress seems to come from all corners of life including pressures from work, personal affairs, physical challenges, emotional demands, and financial strains.
So how does stress effect your body? When the human body encounters stress, it is natural for your heart rate to increase, alertness to intensify, and to experience a rise in cortisol and adrenaline levels. All these responses were designed to help the body respond to situations where heightened awareness and optimal response times are required. However, if the body is always encountering stressful environments and triggering stress responses the prolonged effects can cause significant damage to the body.
Some of the negative impacts of stress can include a weaker immune system, higher blood pressure, headaches, and an upset stomach. In addition to physical responses, stress may also affect mental and emotional states as well. High levels of stress can lead to more disruptions with sleep, as well as increased chances of depression and anxiety. When stress remains unaddressed, one’s ability to adapt to changes, meet requirements, and function healthy relationally are all hindered. Stress has the power to overwhelm and ultimately consume all aspects of life.
After identifying stress and the endless array of symptoms, it is imperative to adopt patterns to help manage and reduce its effects. When you have been living and coping with stress for extended periods of your life, sometimes vast lifestyle changes and adjustments are required to counter stagnant patterns and harmful habits. Often the first area to assess is the work-life balance aspect. Realistically, your work-life balance will never actually be perfect, however, adjustments and decisions can always be made to help improve. Job-related stresses will naturally exist, but deciding on what the right balance is will need much consideration. At what expense is a job with a higher salary, longer hours, greater challenges worthwhile when considering the impact on one’s health and general livelihood.
Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is essential in equipping the body to best handle stress. Consistent exercise can help boost endorphin levels in the body, improve mental health, and it also reduces time spent beaming in on the never-ending pile of stresses. One may also incorporate meditation, stretching, breathing techniques in addition to more traditional forms of exercise. Finding ways to relax and rest is necessary to subdue some of the cortisol and adrenaline spikes. As each gear in a clock works in unison to tell time, the body also requires attention to each part of life including diet, exercise, mental state, and rest.
NOT ANOTHER NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION
Establishing a lifestyle of exercise
Physical exercise along with a balanced diet are the best ways we can keep our bodies in optimal condition. Whether through weight management programs, strength building exercises or high intensity training, we can all find different methods to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Everyone begins routine exercise regimens with various driving motivators. Some like to perform workouts in order to look good, destress from work, counter health conditions, pursue hobbies through sports, and there are those that like to socialize and hang out at the gym walking in circles paying their rounds. Regardless of the initial reasons for engaging in exercise, it is important to set clear goals, build consistency, and maintain sustainability.
Sustainability is a huge factor to consider when engaging in a lifestyle of exercise. Too many of us have seen friends and family or we might be that person ourselves, that will work really hard for a few weeks often for a special event, and then immediately lose all motivation and drop that priority. The main reason for incorporating exercise as part of your lifestyle, should be for the wellness of your body. It is important to remind ourselves that exercise is for internal reasons first, for yourself, and external factors may come secondary.
Setting clear goals of where you want to be at in terms of performance or weight management are also essential so you can actually track your progress and find your own healthy pace. Keeping a journal of records allows you to look back and see where you were at before and how long it takes you to make progress and come closer to reaching your goals.
To maintain consistency, you may also consider accountability to keep you focused towards your goals. Some like to join sports teams, work out with a partner, sign-up for a personal trainer, basically anything to keep you going on days where you may lack motivation.
The benefits of physical exercise will always be evident in multiple areas of your life, improving your overall well-being and satisfaction.