Stress and Our Health

In fighting our way to living more enriched and fulfilling lives, we find that being physically healthy is not what it all entails but that more importantly; we also have the healthiest of minds and hearts. Surrounding our selves with more stress gives us less attention to many details that may seem unimportant and non urgent as we look at it now. We postpone so many things thinking about the future when we take for granted the present and end up regretting the past. Among these things that we overlook, is the quality of our health.

As we all are well aware, obesity couples with poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyle are big topics in the discussion of health. Often times, when people are stressed they tend to give in to it, some rationalizing their fast food binges, lack of exercise and oversleeping by saying that "I'm stressed and I deserve this."

But is this really what your tired body wants and deserves?

Being stressed does not only make you age faster and make you emotionally unstable, but since it is a response to nature's threats, catabolic hormones are triggered and released into your system. These system's hormones which include cortisol, are destructive and increase the body's ability to store fat.

Not only do the hormones contribute to weight gain but stress itself causes major mood swings, depression, anxiety which in return diminish any person's zest for life and fulfillment. When stress is present, people tend to resort to old habits and "comfort food" which are 80% of time unhealthy, consisting of refined sugar and greasy, fatty protein high food. And although they make you feel satisfied for a fraction of a time, it only leaves you wanting for more and thus making you eat more and more and more.

What can we do to lessen and best of all, eliminate stress?

There are a million of things you can do everyday to help yourself in overcoming stress but three steps can do the trick.

First, relax. Stop fretting the small things. There is always a reason to be thankful for today and when we appreciate life, we have lesser attention for the minute details. Second is, to exercise. Exercise release endorphins that trigger happy feelings. When you exercise, you not only get to sweat out your frustrations but also, you get to have more activity to lose weight. And lastly, SMILE. There is a meditation technique that is just almost fool proof. From the moment you awake until you get to bed at night, smile. When you are about to get really annoyed, stop for 10 seconds, and smile. It's amazing how you will find it hard not to be negative when smiling.

So, what's next? Ask yourself, "is this what I want?" and be true to yourself and soon you will hear a resounding answer that will tell you that indeed it is about time that you listened to your body. Sooner or later, you will have to but we never know when that time will come and it is always been better to be prepared.