Q: How would you describe the following, Christmas, Birthdays, New Year, Weddings and Anniversaries?
A: No not a time to celebrate or a time to be happy the word we are looking for is a time of Stress!
Yes all these times that should encompass happiness and celebration tend to give us sleepless nights, headaches and the feeling of a pressure cooker about to explode. Currently the credit crunch is hitting us all hard so we all need to be ready with the boxing gloves on to knock stress into touch.
Stress can be described as a person's inability to be able to cope with a situation or event. The symptoms can range from mood swings, flu, colds even hair loss but long term it can lead to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. In the UK, stress-related disorders are responsible for as much as 60% of all absenteeism. This equates to around 180 million workdays and billions of pounds every year. Therefore, anything that can reduce the damaging effects of stress will not only make individuals happier but will also make companies richer. By now you should realise just how damaging stress can be yet stress in the UK is still not fully understood and people suffering from stress are often pervieved as weak or inadequate! The reality is stress affects us all one way or another and in many different social and business ways.
What's the difference between positive and negative stress?
Positive stress is when you are stressed or worried about something but ultimately in control. Negative stress is when you really are struggling to control the situation and this can have a significant affect on your health. The amazing thing about stress is that it is a silent killer and although it may not affect you straight away, it could do long term damage which may not arise for 20 or 30 years.
Personal Training and Stress
As an Expert Personal Trainer part of the initial consultation with any client involves building rapport and getting to know the client and some of the questions involved relate to stress. The most surprising part of this is that the majority of clients say they don't suffer from stress at all when in reality the majority of clients do. Most people perceive exercise as a way to combat being overweight and poor nutrition where in reality it can be a major part of combating stress.
Exercise and Stress
Have you heard of the terms "pent up stress or stress release valve" well in simple terms all the stress you are feeling is pent up in your body and you need to release it. When you encounter stress you produce excessive amounts of cortisol and adrenaline and the feelings of anxiety and anger can increase. A chemical called endorphins is needed to clear your system of all the stress and exercise creates these endorphins. If you don't clear the system then fatty deposits begin to form in the arteries and this can lead to high cholesterol levels and other heart complications. So whether you are stressed at work or home going for a brisk walk, run or any exercise can make you feel so much better afterwards, so get out there and cleanse the body!!
Top tips on stress:
1. Exercise - No matter how little it is, do something to get your heart rate up a couple of times a week, the more the better. Exercise evens out your blood sugar and keeps your stress levels easy to maintain . If you have a stressful day at work then release that stress by exercising in the evening even if its for a brisk walk. Do some exercise and you will notice the difference when you wake the next day.
2. Sleep - to alleviate and help stress you need to sleep properly, having broken sleep or waking in the middle of the night is a typical reaction to stress. Aim for getting at least 8 hours a night and if you do fall short over a period of time take the weekend to catch up on your sleep.
3. Water - As a personal trainer I can't stress enough how important it is. Water will help you feel better, help your body cope better, keep you focused, control headaches, the list goes on. Aim for at least 2 litres a day.
4. Food - I know you think you had heard it all before but eating fresh fruit and veg makes a difference also eat a decent breakfast every morning. People who are stressed tend to have bad and unreliable eating habits this will just make the stress get worse.
5. Eat foods rich in vitamins B and Zinc such as spinach and asparagus also fish oils such as omega 3 help keep the cortisal levels down. Avoid stimulants like tea, coffee, energy drinks and things like coke, as you drink them you'll crave them more and the Stress monster will love it!
6. Step Back - As I said before people don't always realise how bad there stress levels are, step back and look at the situation. Ask friends and family their thoughts you'll be surprised how others can see a difference in you but unless you ask they won't delve into the problem for you.
7. Above all if you can't think straight, are arguing with others, not eating, sleeping etc and don't feel in control seek help. You're not a freak or feeble you are suffering from a medical problem like any other.
Final word
If you do suffer from stress I hope some of this information has proved useful and has helped. Being someone who has had to deal with a large amount of negative stress in the past I can relate to this disturbingly common problem that really can chew people up and spit them out. Don't be that person.
Welcome to Train2Live Expert Personal Training in Coventry and Nuneaton. At Train2Live we believe regardless of who you are or your ability as long as you have a goal or have decided to make a change we can help support, motivate and educate you to get there. Train2Live provides a professional service, we endeavour to provide leading expert advice at all times and we are dedicated to helping you achieve your goals. We offer a wide variety of services to try to reach out and help everyone. If you are a novice or a professional and are thinking or hiring a Personal Trainer look through our site and hopefully you will decide that we can offer you the best quality service available.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Greenhough
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