Thousands of years ago, stress was our friend and it serves us well. When we were confronted with danger, (like a predator that wanted to eat us), stress chemicals will quickly flood the body, enhancing our ability to either fight or flee.As soon as the danger dissipated, the stress-chemical levels would quickly-drop, and so would the feelings of stress.
Today, however, we're under constant stress. We're bombarded by inputs of the media,cell phones, pagers, computers, e-mail, voicemail, faxes, etc. We're inundated with bad news, bad relationships, stressful jobs and difficult living environments. Even worse, just thinking about negative things (wether they're real or not), can trigger the stress response. So understanding stress and how you can reduce it is critical to living a healthy and happy life.
Stress is fatiguing. Fatigue is demoralizing. And demoralization may lead us to seek quick highs from sugar, caffeine, alcohol and other drugs. So, what happen to your body when you are stressed?
The body responds to stress by releasing hormones, including one called cortisol. Cortisol levels are suposed to go up and down quickly. But when you're under chronic stress, cortisol continues to pump out. And it triggers a cascade of events. For example, cortisol causes fat to be stored around your middle. That belly fat causes most of the "silent inflammation" that leads to diabetes, heart disease, and virtually all other chronic conditions that humans suffer from. Cortisol is the principal hormone of stress, so when you are under stress, the brain starts responding chemically by slowing down your metabolism and everything gets slower, the body stores more fat, the blood sugar levels increases and you start suffering of acid reflux and constipation. So yes, stress makes you fat! being stressed won't help you to lose weight properly even if you are on a diet or doing exercise. So, in conclusion: being stressed makes you fat, being relaxed help you to lose weight!
Reducing stress requires ACTIVE relaxation. Most of us think relaxation is a passive "nonactivity" that requires a couch, a beer, and a Tv. But stress reduction requires profound, deep relaxation, which is not something that happens automatically.You have to ACTIVELY relax.And yes, the best way to relax is by getting a Massage! Doing deep breathing, meditation and yoga can help you to relax too.
By decreasing mental stress and noticing the profound benefits to your nervous system, sleep habits, and digestion, you will learn about the subtle but powerful connection between psychological, spiritual and physical toxins. When your nervous system is balanced,when your digestion is working properly, when you are relaxed and rested and when you are healthier inside and out, you may find you have much more energy and happiness for your everyday life.
Start rewarding and taking care of your body now! Getting a massage is not longer a luxury, it's a necessity, it's one of the keys for a healthier life.
Visit my website for my contact information,
http://www.therapeutic-hands.com/
Angela Lind. LMT
Source: "The Ultrasimple Diet" by Mark Hyman.
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