| This description of a typical high-stress | | | | the December 2005 issue of "Medicine and |
| lifestyle may sound familiar to you... very | | | | Science in Sports and Exercise" concluded |
| familiar...You get up in the morning, and | | | | that walking on a treadmill for just 30 |
| you're running late, so the stress begins | | | | minutes can boost your mood and feeling of |
| before you're even done eating breakfast. You | | | | well-being.(2) Eat Regularly and Healthfully |
| rush off to work, stressing about whether | | | | - Skipping meals is probably the worst thing |
| you'll make it to work on time and then | | | | you can do for your health. Low blood sugar |
| stressing about whether you'll get a speeding | | | | levels that result from skipping meals not |
| ticket on the way and end up really late. | | | | only slow down the metabolism but slow down |
| When you get to work, you're stressing about | | | | virtually every system in the body. This in |
| your job performance, your demanding boss and | | | | turn affects your ability to think clearly |
| whether you'll get that promotion. When | | | | and contributes to stressful feelings because |
| you're not stressing about your performance | | | | of hunger pangs.Have a healthy breakfast for |
| at work, you're stressing about your son's | | | | starters. One of my favorites is one cup of |
| performance in school. As you're stressing | | | | slow cooked oats, (not instant oatmeal which |
| over the traffic on the way home, you're | | | | is loaded with preservatives) with banana, |
| stressing about your upcoming vacation plans. | | | | blueberries and a tablespoon of lecithin |
| Finally, you're on your way out the door for | | | | granules (very effective for lowering |
| vacation, but now you've got airport and | | | | cholesterol). Avoid processed foods such as |
| flying stress!It seems like you can't avoid | | | | bacon and sausage, which are high in fat and |
| it. Out of the frying pan into the fire, from | | | | lack fiber and nutrients. You should also eat |
| one stress to the next you go. It may even | | | | small portions throughout the day. This will |
| seem amusing on the surface, all these little | | | | keep your metabolic fire burning hot and keep |
| things stressing us out, but it's not a | | | | your blood sugar levels stable.(3) Learn to |
| laughing matter at all. Getting control over | | | | Meditate - Research indicates that meditating |
| the stress in your life can be a matter of | | | | for less than 20 minutes a day is extremely |
| life and death. If you're perpetually | | | | conducive to mental health and minimizing |
| stressed and you don't learn what to do about | | | | stress levels. The key is finding the time to |
| it, you could become a prime candidate for | | | | meditate and then sticking with it once you |
| high blood pressure - the silent | | | | start. A study published in the journal of |
| killer.Medical experts estimate that 90 | | | | Psychosomatic Medicine concluded that a short |
| percent of Americans will have high blood | | | | program in "mindfulness meditation" produced |
| pressure at some point in their lives. With | | | | lasting positive changes in both the brain |
| staggering statistics like this on their | | | | and the function of the immune system. The |
| minds, researchers from the University of | | | | University of Wisconsin-Madison research team |
| Pittsburgh embarked on a 13-year study to see | | | | found that meditation, long promoted as a |
| if early-life stressors impacted someone's | | | | technique to reduce anxiety and stress, might |
| future blood pressure levels.Following more | | | | produce important biological effects that |
| than 5,000 men and women between the ages of | | | | improve a person's resiliency.There are many |
| 18 and 30, the researchers studied the | | | | ways to meditate, but start by finding a |
| subjects' cardiovascular activity through a | | | | serene location, one where there are little |
| series of rather unusual tests, including | | | | to no distractions, where you can separate |
| submersing the subject's hands in ice cold | | | | yourself from the world. Then, just like you |
| water and having them engage in stressful | | | | see on television or in any other place that |
| video games.After taking each person's blood | | | | illustrates meditation, sit upright with your |
| pressure, they hypothesized that participants | | | | legs crossed and take long, deep breaths in |
| with the highest blood pressure readings | | | | and out. Focus as much as you can on your |
| would be precursors to high readings later in | | | | breathing and try to not let your mind |
| life. Thirteen years later, when the test | | | | wander. Be an observer; focus on your inner |
| results were re-evaluated--you guessed it--a | | | | self.One of the reasons meditation is so |
| significant number of those same participants | | | | effective at reducing stress is because of |
| had become hypertensive. The study was | | | | the power of breathing properly. Go ahead and |
| published in the American Heart Association | | | | try it - right now. Take a long, deep breath |
| journal Circulation.So how do you go about | | | | through your nose... hold it, hold it.... |
| minimizing your tendency towards getting | | | | Then slowly let it out through your mouth, |
| stressed? Is it even possible in today's fast | | | | and say to your self, silently, RELAX. Even |
| paced, information-overloaded and hectic | | | | with that one single breath, you felt a wave |
| society? The answer is yes and you're about | | | | of relaxation pass through your body as |
| to learn how.First, I'd like you to consider | | | | tension drained away. Now imagine what a |
| the fact that I'm not suggesting that you | | | | session of twenty, fifteen, ten or even just |
| stop everything you're doing. You don't | | | | five minutes per day, whatever you can |
| necessarily have to slow down, you simply | | | | manage, of deep breathing meditation or |
| need to calm down. With that thought in mind, | | | | guided relaxation will do for you.The |
| here are some action steps you can take | | | | benefits of meditation are remarkable and |
| starting today, which will make a big | | | | this is not just some mystical Eastern "new |
| difference in keeping your stress levels | | | | age" prattle - the scientific research now |
| under control, and minimizing the negative | | | | proves it. One way to easily get started with |
| effects of stress that cannot be avoided.(1) | | | | a meditation is with hypnosis audios. Did you |
| Exercise - Besides being good for your body, | | | | know that hypnosis sessions begin by using |
| exercise is good for your brain. Exercise | | | | deep breathing to induce a state of deep, |
| stimulates the release of endorphins, which | | | | deep relaxation? In fact, when you "let go" |
| make us feel happy, and at ease. It also | | | | and let a hypnotherapist guide you through |
| helps to increase the flow of blood in the | | | | it, whether in person, or more conveniently, |
| brain, ridding the mind of waste products | | | | by listening to audio, you automatically |
| that develop in the course of stressful times | | | | release tension, reduce stress and reach a |
| when mental processes are in excess. | | | | deeper state of profound relaxation than any |
| Furthermore, the more fit you are, the more | | | | other way.Frank Mangano is a natural health |
| you're able to cope with events in life that | | | | expert and best selling author who teaches |
| bring about stress.I recommend a minimum of | | | | you how to dramatically improve your health |
| 30 minutes of walking most days of the week, | | | | naturally without expensive and potentially |
| gradually increasing to 45 minutes to 1 hour | | | | dangerous prescription drugs. |
| most days of the week. A study published in | | | | |