Our bodies are designed for short-term crisis. When our bodies are exposed to wave after wave of stress, they begin to breakdown, hormones come out of balance, body systems become sluggish and dysfunctional. There are many hormones in the body.
Cortisol is known as the stress hormone. One of its jobs is to stimulate the release of glucose, fats and amino acids for energy production. This sounds positive; however, with long term exposure to ongoing cortisol pulsing through the veins the outcome is reversed and results in blood sugar imbalance, bones de-mineralization, muscular atrophy and proliferation of adipose (fat) tissue. The stress response can become more damaging than the stressor itself!
Many studies have indicated that stress is an underlying factor in MANY conditions…here are a few examples:
Aging
Depression
Insomnia
Memory impairment
Reduced libido
Cardiovascular disease
High blood pressure
Low blood pressure
Metabolism
Reproductive problems
Constipation
Immune suppression
Malabsorption
PMS
Ulcers
Stress Management Strategies
Practice yoga or diaphragmatic breathing
Eat a diverse range of colorful, organic, whole foods
Plan ahead and organize your day
Avoid foods high in sodium (i.e. processed, packaged, fast foods)
Eliminate caffeine
Increase high potassium foods (i.e. white beans, spinach, unsulfured dried apricots)
Eliminate alcohol
Determine food intolerances / allergies. Remove these foods from the diet
Eliminate processed, packaged, fast food
Exercise for 30 minutes each day (10 minutes at a time or 30 minutes at once)
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