Managing The Stress Of Life

Article Courtesy of Chris Gregoriou - Metro Body Fitness

We live in a fast-paced world, forever changing, with information and media
thrust upon us as an ever increasing rate, its no wonder most peoples
stress levels are very high.
Stress is the emotional and physical strain you feel and is
brought on by pressure or changes around you
Its not always the unpleasant events that can cause stress, such as loosing a
job, or breaking up with a partner, but nice changes can also cause
stress, such as dating, a promotion or moving to a new place.

Top rated stress’s:
1) Death
2) Relationship
3) Job
4) Financial
5) Health
6) Sex

Are some people are more vulnerable to stress than others?
Your personality type plays a role in how you react to stress. People that are impatient,
drive themselves hard and fly off the handle easily (sometimes called Type A personalities)
may be more at risk for stress-related physical problems.

What are some signs of stress?
People react to stress in different ways. Once you identify your own signs of stress, they
can serve as your personal early warning system. Think of yourself as a car that's equipped with lights and gauges to warn you if any problems are developing. If you keep an eye on the gauges and catch the trouble early, the problem may be easy to fix. If you ignore the warning signs, you may be in for a major repair job.

You should assess yourself for four types of stress signs:
• Changes in body functions and physical health
• Changes in emotions and feelings
• Changes in behavior
• Changes in thoughts

The mental symptoms of stress include tension, irritability, inability to concentrate, feeling
excessively tired, and having trouble sleeping. The physical symptoms of stress include dry mouth, a pounding heart, difficulty breathing, stomach upset, frequent urination, sweating palms, and tense muscles that may cause pain and trembling.

Why we gain weight when stressed:
Stress creates an increase in the hormone cortisol, and chronic stress creates a chronic increase in cortisol. This is a problem because it slows your metabolism, leads to cravings and is linked to greater levels of abdominal fat storage. The vicious cycle of stress and weight gain goes around and around. Stress causes you to eat emotionally, and your raised cortisol levels cause that
food to be stored as fat.

Some tips that will help you feel calm, more peaceful, and maybe even ...stress-free.
1. Stop and "do nothing." (Give yourself a chance to calm down!)
2. Take a deep breath.
3. Exercise!
4. Make sure you're eating healthy.
5. Meditate, do yoga or perform another relaxation ritual like prayer or
journaling.
6. Lie down and rest for a few minutes (it's refreshing!).
7. Stretching! (Simple stretching can really do wonders.)
8. Get enough sleep.

The Hump Day Crew's PT Chris, continues his tips on the show as he assess Adz, Ginni and Bish's stress levels - click here to listen to the podcast.

For more information - visit Metro Body Fitness