Project Body Smart | Stress and Your Health
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30 Jun 2012
Posted by jen
Category Health and Wellness, STRESS MANAGEMENT
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The Unhealthy Fitness Industry

Stress and Your Health

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Stress and Your Health.

 

Everyone today is under some sort of stress. Financial, Health, Relationship, Work, Family and the list goes on and on. What we do about the stress we’re under is important. Recognizing we’re OVER Stressed and we suffer from PROLONGED (chronic stress) stress is the key to getting it under control and moving toward being healthier.

 

Stress affects health in almost every way.

 

Immune system

Depression

Premature Aging – Skin, Hair loss.

Increased chances of developing degenerative diseases (cardiovascular, diabetes, cancer)

Anxiety Disorders

Fits of Anger or Rage

Ulcers

Exhaustion – Tired all the time

Skin disorders – breakouts, rashes, and hives.

Chemical Dependencies – Alcohol, Drugs, Nicotine

Infertility

 

 Weight Gain and Obesity

 

Prolonged stress can lead to various health issues, one of them being Uncontrollable weight gain. One of the long term effects of the hormone Cortisol is weight gain.  Cortisol is released when we are under stress. No big deal if the stress is temporary because the body will deal with it. Unfortunately we are chronically stressed today and this hormone wreaks havoc on the body over time. A great book to read is Accidentally Overweight by Dr. Libby Weaver.  It’s so much more than a weight loss book. Well worth the read.

Some more health issues of chronic stress are.  

·         Decrease in muscle tissue
·         Suppressed thyroid function
·         Higher Blood Pressure
·         Impaired cognitive performance
·         Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
·         Decreased bone density
·         Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, which slow down wound healing and other bodily repair systems.
·         Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat degenerative diseases like heart attacks, Stroke, diabetes and the development of metabolic syndrome, higher levels of oxidized “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which may lead to other health problems!
My suggestion is to find the source of the stress and eliminate it.  This I know is not always possible so we must find ways to deal and release stress.  Or engage in relaxation activities to counteract the stress damage to our bodies. 

Some ideas are but not limited to

 

Exercise

Eat clean food – not processed foods full of chemicals and sugars

Meditate

Yoga

Engage in Laughter

Reduce exposure to electronic devices

Breathe slowly and deeply periodically through the day. Particularly if you’re feeling stressed

Take a good quality nutritional supplement. Which leads me to my next topic but it will have to wait until my next blog entry.  I need to go relax now..

 

Have a great day and if you’re Canadian have a fantastic Canada Day tomorrow.
In good health
Gord

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