Need examples? Don't check your cell phone for 1 hour. Can you do it? Or, are you checking that device every 5 minutes? What about your email? Do you check it every 2 minutes? These are just 2 examples of how life is on full tilt, seemingly non-stop. Unless you manage it.
According to Life Extension Magazine, 80% of Americans report experiencing intense, chronic stress over personal finances and the economy. What about the rest of the world? The magazine reports: The World Health Organization estimates that stress-related disorders affect nearly 450 million people worldwide.
Limit prolonged stress in your life. A certain amount of stress is good for us to live efficiently. Too much stress…well, you know the answer.
In a Mayo Clinic article, “Stress Basics,” it states:
“When your brain perceives a threat, it signals your body to release a burst of hormones to fuel your capacity for a response. This has been labeled the "fight-or-flight" response.
Once the threat is gone, your body is meant to return to a normal relaxed state. Unfortunately, the nonstop stress of modern life means that your alarm system rarely shuts off. Without stress management, all too often your body is always on high alert. Over time, high levels of stress lead to serious health problems.”
Here are my 6 quick tips to relieve day-to-day stress:
1. Regular exercise helps your body work better, stay healthier and relieves the stress of the busy day.
2. Laugh often and don’t take yourself too seriously
3. Learn to relax by using tools such as music, deep breathing, walking, massage therapy, meditation, etc.
4. Have a grateful attitude. Find things and situations to be thankful for every day.
5. Focus on positives and not negatives. You can always choose to be optimistic in any situation.
6. Disassociate yourself from negative energy vampires in your life. You become like the people the hang with.
What you eat also affects your levels of stress and health for that matter.
Here are some eating tips to improve your health, manage body weight and lessen daily stress:
1. In general, you should strive to eat whole, natural foods. These foods have one ingredient, the food itself. Fruits, veggies, nuts, lean meats and salad greens are examples. These foods will keep you healthier and cause your body and metabolism to work properly.
Eating Healthy Smoothies is a delicious way to eat whole, natural foods. Download your Free Book!
2. Drink only water and unsweetened drinks like tea for beverages. Not drinking sugary drinks will help you reduce dangerous belly fat. And one example: green tea has many health-related properties. The L-theanine (a non-protein amino acid) in green tea helps you to relax.
3. Stress-relieving foods include:
a. Foods high in Vitamin C help reduce cortisol, a stress hormone in your body. Eat chili peppers, oranges, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, strawberries, papaya, tomatoes and cantaloupe.
b. Eat plenty of foods high in Omega-3 fats. These healthy-fat foods combat stress and have many health related benefits. A study published in Diabetes and Metabolism found that Omega-3 fats reduce cortisol and adrenaline. An Ohio State University study showed Omega-3 fats decreased anxiety by 20 percent.
Flaxseeds, krill oil, wild salmon, chia seeds, sardines, grass-fed beef, halibut, virgin olive oil, walnuts and almonds are high in Omega-3 fats.
c. Eat more foods high in potassium to help relieve stress-related hypertension. Spinach, lima beans, kidney beans, white beans, kale, collards, Greek yogurt, wild salmon, bananas and mushrooms fit the bill.
d. Foods which trigger serotonin release helps reduce your stress levels because it promotes feelings of well-being. Turkey, eggs, fish, beans, nuts, cottage cheese, hummus and oats are great sources to trigger serotonin release ( from the amino acid tryptophan).
e. Eat more broccoli. It has the vitamin, folic acid which reduces stress and anxiety.
Reduce your stress levels with a healthy lifestyle!
Catherine Ebeling and Mike Geary are co-authors of the popular ebook, Fat-Burning Kitchen, which shows you how to totally revamp your kitchen to make your body a fat-burning machine!
Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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