|
|
| Information |
|
|
Exercise And Stress
"Stress is when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven't fallen asleep yet." Kim rolled over and reached for alarm that rang much too early. It was a restless night's sleep as usual and the pain in her neck reminds her that today is going to be another long day at a job that used to give her joy. She reaches for her favorite black skirt but sighs and throws it back in the closet.It doesn't fit like it used to. Depressed, she doesn't know what to wear anymore. She feels bloated and fat. Most mornings she can go to the bathroom and count on her morning "meditation" to feel better but lately even her monthly cycle has been off. Kim opens the bedroom door and sneaks a peak at her husband; she hasn't been able to be intimate with him in weeks even though she loves him very much. She realizes that she is not interested in many of the things that she used to enjoy. She just seems to be spending most of her time irritable and tired. It doesn't help that her hair is frazzled and at 32 she keeps getting visits from the acne fairy. Kim is like a lot of women these days, overworked, stressed out and fighting depression. She hates the thought of seeing the doctor and taking medications but she doesn't know what else to try. Kim is not alone. 90 percent of all visits to the doctor are for stress related disorders. Stressed Out! Does Kim's situation sound familiar? One of the most common problems I hear from clients is that they felt fatigued, anxious or depressed. And they often have trouble sleeping, even though they are exhausted. Most of them share a common underlying theme, adrenal burnout. It's the result of racing through life with a constantly aroused sympathetic "fight or flight" nervous system. In the heightened nervous state of adrenal burnout, the body overproduces adrenaline, Cortisol and other stress hormones. Eventually, this causes the adrenal glands, the front line in the stress reaction, to show wear and tear and become depleted. This frequently leads to impairment in the thyroid gland, which can cause a further decline in energy level and mood. This is one of the reasons why so many women have thyroid glands that don't work well. The first step for Kim and women like her is to exercise. Taking personal time for you in of itself is a great stress reducer but when that time involves exercise the benefit is two fold. Simply going from out of shape to fit reduces stress levels by increasing a sense of well being and self confidence. Feeling confused and overwhelmed is a common stress symptom and through exercise the blood flow to your brain is improved, bringing additional sugars and oxygen and a sense of wellbeing. This increased blood flow also brings the precious endorphin. The post workout endorphins are chemicals secreted by the body after intense exercise and they make you feel great. They are a legal and healthy "high", a gift from Mother Nature. How to exercise to reduce stress is a common question that is easy to answer. The required amount of exercise time required to decrease your stress level is minimal. If you want to only apply moderate intensity to your exercise regime, then 30 minutes of walking or other exercise 5 times a week works perfectly. For those that like to exercise more intensely(getting your heart rate to 70% or more of your max heart rate), 20-30 minutes 3 times a week will do wonders for you. When starting your stress reduction exercise program make sure you include all three kinds of fitness. The first kind of fitness is flexibility. Tying in with your stress reduction theme, if you combine a tai chi or yoga type program, not only will you gain flexibility but you will also reap benefits from the meditative and calmness aspects of these disciplines. Taking as little as 10 minutes from your day to focus on your breathing and flexibility will help shift your attention from a stressful situation to your body, allowing you to cope more effectively with any situation. Short, rapid breathing is usually associated with stress, so the objective is to deliver as much oxygen to the body as possible and just relax. The second kind of fitness is cardiovascular work or aerobics. Doing your cardio will not only burn fat and reduce the health risks associated with the mid-line bulge but also increase your blood flow and vitality. The third kind of fitness is muscular work or weight lifting. Many women use weight lifting to "work out" their stress and leave their problems in a pool of "glow" on the gym floor. Lifting weights changes your shape, releases endorphins and increases your confidence in many aspects of life. Weight lifting if kept under an hour has a very positive effect on your hormone levels. It increases the fat burning ones and decreases the catabolic hormones like Cortisol and DHEA. These hormones when released repeatedly over time can cause several problems including depression and cardiovascular disease. Getting Exercise In If you just can't find time for a structured program, then your stress is probably caused by doing too much! Here are some quick ways to beat stress during the day: Walk to work. Some might say that this will involve an extra hour a day to your schedule.I say "So what? Why are you in such a hurry?" If you do live far away, then just park the car a half mile away. You can also get off the bus before your stop and walk the rest of the way. At the mall, park your car far away. Not only will you get some exercise but you won't get dings in your paint job. Use your bike to get around. If the last time you were on a bike was when you were a kid then you forget how much fun it can be! Take the stairs instead of the escalator. When I went to Las Vegas there would be a line up in front of every escalator, and not a soul on the stairs. It's crazy that some people would wait two minutes to glide up these escalators when they could be up there in 10 seconds and get some exercise. The bottom line is that stress comes from feeling out of control. Only you can regain that control and taking care of yourself. Exercise is the first step. Ray Burton is a personal trainer and owner of the exercise fitness site He has trained for Golds Gym, World Health Club and the Canadian Military. Ray enjoys helping people live better lives through his Fat To Fit email course and his ebook "Fat To Fit"
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news News Corp exec becomes chief of Germany's Premiere (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp's chief financial officer for Europe and Asia has been named chief executive of German pay television group Premiere, following the resignation of Michael Boernicke, Premiere said on Wednesday. News Corporation to redevelop London Wapping site (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is to redevelop its Wapping site in London, moving all its UK businesses, including News International, Harper Collins, MySpace and Dow Jones, under one roof. DeJesus, Royals sad at Sweeney news (MLB.com) DeJesus, Royals sad at Sweeney news Tribune blames Google for damaging news story (Market Watch) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Tribune Co. said Wednesday that the mistaken online publishing of an old news story that cratered UAL Corp.'s stock price earlier this week was because of a repeated technology failure at Google Inc. UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News (UPI) Chesney nominated for 7 CMAs ... Hoffman: I'm not playing Penguin ... 'RocknRolla' No. 1 at U.K. box office ... Jessica Simpson stops song on 'GMA' ... News from United Press International. DailyMe: News tailored to your individual tastes (The Christian Science Monitor) Column: Custom news websites come and go, but this one gets it right. Get the latest news in racing (Daily Racing Form) In order to read Daily Racing Form's free daily news stories it is required that you have a DRF.com free membership. If you do not have a DRF.com free membership, please register here . You will NOT need to be logged in to read each day's free news stories. Newport News police in standoff with man, possibly armed (The Virginian-Pilot) NEWPORT NEWS Newport News police are involved in a standoff with a man inside an apartment who may have a gun, police said. A detective went to an apartment in the 500 block of 19th Street to try to serve a warrant on a suspect, said Officer Lou Thurston, a police spokesman. AIS adds news video to services (Bangkok Post - Thailand's English news) Advanced Info Service (AIS) is introducing real-time news video clips over mobile phones, aiming to make its news content services a flagship source of non-voice revenue. Kyodo News agency says three inmates executed (AP via Yahoo! Malaysia News) Kyodo News agency says three death-row inmates have been executed in Japan. Site: news - Google News New Voices in Congress Will Change the Tone of the Democratic Majority - New York Times
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for exercise Fort Jackson terror exercise canceled (The State) Army officials have canceled a training exercise at Fort Jackson testing soldiers? ability to deal with dozens of injuries after a terrorist attack. Forecasts calling for thunderstorms and lightning Wednesday prompted the cancellation because much of the activity was supposed to take place in open fields at the base, a spokeswoman for the Army said. Dozens of mock casualties were to be ... Santa Clara County plans emergency responder training exercise (San Jose Mercury News) A large-scale, multi-jurisdictional emergency response training exercise is planned for Thursday at the DePaul Medical Center in Morgan Hill. Many with 'fat' gene may need exercise (UPI) MIAMI, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- More than half of all people of European descent have one or two copies of a "fat" gene variation, but lots of exercise may help, researchers say. Aerobic exercise for the wheelchair-bound (EurekAlert!) ( University of Texas at Austin, Electrical & Computer Engineering ) Simple exercise machine makes it fun for wheelchair users to fight high obesity, diabetes and heart disease rates. In Ramadan, Jordan TV campaign urges holy month observers to try healthy eating, exercise (AM New York) AMMAN, Jordan (AP) _ The public-service TV ads deliver a cheerful, yet pointed, message to Muslims observing Ramadan's traditional dawn to dusk fast: "Don't overeat" when night comes. "Exercise and stay healthy." Canadian ships arrives to exercise with Indian Navy (Islamic Republic News Agency) India - Canada - Navy Exercise Two Canadian warships will be visiting Indian waters for four days from Wednesday and carry out an exercise in the sea off the Chennai coast on Saturday. Community-based exercise organizations can help prevent diabetes (New Kerala) Washington, Sept 10 : A study conducted at the YMCA has shown that community-based exercise organizations can help in preventing diabetes. Training exercise on Whittington Drive (The Peterborough Examiner) The Peterborough Lakefield Community Police Service Emergency Response Team is conducting a training exercise in the area of Whittington Drive. This is a training exercise only and the public is not at risk. Exercise Tips for Success (Carteret County News-Times) (ARA) - Everybody knows that exercise is good. Doctors have told us for years that exercise can help us lose weight, look better, feel better, and even sleep better. However, exercise sounds like work, and many of us claim that we just don't have time to add more work to our daily lives. Wearable Fitbit automatically tracks your exercise routines (Engadget) Filed under: Misc. Gadgets , Wearables Although the world already has a set of headphones that encourages you to work out , the newly announced Fitbit is just a hair more sophisticated. Designed to be worn or carried around in a spare pocket, the personal tracker is about the size of a standard flash drive and includes a built-in motion sensor to keep tabs on "exercise intensity ... Site: exercise - Google News Ask the Trainer: Add exercise to your efforts to stop smoking - Sheboygan Press
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
6 Things A Norwegian Fable Teaches Us About Healthy Perseverance Part 1 Author, H. Besser, in his book, "Perseverance:How To Develop It," shares a Norwegian fable about a man who left his hometown to rejoinhis fiancée. Diet and Exercise - Without Going to the Gym Exercising and dieting are tasks that are very difficult for many of us, but usually just the thought of it that makes us queasy. There are some simple ways to get out and get fit, and you just might enjoy yourself too. Different Exercises Schedule to Combat Diabetes, Arthritis, and Obesity! Different Health Problems generally do not allow us to do traditional exercises. Above all, one type of exercise cant be effective to each group facing different challenges. Do You Have A Fitness Battle Plan? In fitness, as in war, you want to be on the offensive, not the defensive and this means that rather than reacting to maladies as they occur, far better to be in good general physical condition; preventive maintenance is preferable to remedial effort every time. One general rule of thumb I use is energy is the basic coin of the fitness realm and without it is damned difficult to mount any kind of serious fitness effort. 4 Steps To More Effective Aerobic, Streching, and Weight Training Exercise We all know that well-balanced diets include the different nutrients we need to maintain health and well-being. But did you know that your exercise program needs to be well-balanced, too? There's three types of exercise to include in your work-out diet. Exercise Equals Fun! Getting America's children to exercise has never been more difficult as the new boob-tube generation slouches in front of TVs, or sits for hours, mesmerized behind shoot-out video and computer games.However, it is possible to foster a regular exercise pattern for children from an early age, with simple activities that are more "fun" than "exercise. Sweating Vacation It seems like everyone is concerned about putting on the pounds over the annual holiday season, but what about summer vacations? We spend the greater part of the new year trying to shed the weight gained from an over-indulgence of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pies and various other sweets in order to slip into that new bikini or eliminate the gut before shedding the shirt at the beach. What happens when you reach your destination of summer frolicking? Toss your diet out the window and reward yourself with excess? Stay loyal to your eating and exercise plan? Somehow manage to find a happy medium? I was faced with these questions when I embarked on a weeklong excursion of bliss to Kona Village on the Big Island of Hawaii. Calf Cramps - How To Get More Gain For Less Pain! I cannot imagine that there is anyone past the age of about 10, that has never had calf cramps. Let's face it, they are horrible. The Truth About Exercise and Why Its Not Always Good for You! Exercise is often regarded as a panacea for many things.. Exercise Fun Do you consider exercise fun? Everyone wants to be fit and look good but what separates those that stick with it from the ones who call it quits within a month?If you think of exercise as fun or an enjoyable experience you are more likely to make a commitment to make exercise a habit. People who exercise regularly also know the health benefits of being fit and that becomes a big motivating factor. Home Gyms with Free Weights Having your own home gym with free weights is not only convenient but gives you the freedom to work out anytime you want. You save time and money, have no costly gym fees, no driving time, and no child care is needed. Pilates: A Challenging and Motivating Exercise Regimen Pilates is named after its creator Joseph Pilates. It is an exercise regimen that uses machines and special stretches. Mixing Things Up To say that the human body is an amazing machine is an understatement, especially when it comes to diet and exercise. Our bodies are constantly trying to achieve a state of homeostasis. Exercise & Motivation, Part 2: Overcoming Inertia & Getting Started In the first article in this series (http://tinyurl.com/8ztbo), we gave you an overview of the stages of change in Prochaska's Transtheoretical model. Online Fitness Coaching If I were to tell you that you could burn away as much fat as possible by sitting at your computer twiddling your fingers and toes, would you believe me? Well I sure hope you don't!However, losing weight in the confines of your own home at your computer is not only possible, it's a reality. What I mean is that you can use the advice that's given to you through online fitness coaching to pursue a more productive way of burning off undesired fat and reach your fitness goals. Benefits of a Good Training Journal Most of us have trained at one part in our lives. Chances are if you've ever taken your training seriously you've used a training journal or a training log. Tour of Diet - Cycling for Your Health The last seven years, or so, at the Tour de France has shown a success story that is very uncommon. Winning seven Tour de France championships is a feat that will be extremely hard to duplicate. How NOT to Return from an Exercise Break Several sites, including this one, recommend that you take a break every 8 weeks after working out with weights. But how do you come back from that break and get back into your routine?Does anyone suggest you just jump back in and do the same intensity as when you last left off? Definitely not. An Ab Exercise For Everyone! I don't have much of a problem with belly pouch or bulge, since I've been doing one ab exercise or another for most of my life to make my abs flat.But most of you haven't done any kind of ab exercise recently or ever in your life so you can benefit by my experience with one particular ab exercise especially. Invest in Your Health What if a trusted friend were to tell you about an investment where you could not possibly go wrong..
|
| Home | Site Map | Resource Links |
