Stress: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

In today’s world, it has come to be that we are all a little stressed out. We all have bills to pay, work to go to (in which the dynamics there might be a little stressful), a house to take care of, then add on a family, pets, and the list can go on and on. After a while we all just start to break down. We all handle stress in different ways and how our body responds to that stress can very but it can come in the form of sickness, eating too much or not enough, gain weight or lose weight, get acne, and the list continues.

First things first, what we should all know is that stress in of itself is a neutral. But it is how we use this stress that can make it a good stress (eustress) or a bad stress (distress). Now, the stress we are going to be talking about with negative impacts on your body is related to the distress. So, why does stress have such an impact on our bodies? Well, it is because when the body is under stress, a hormone, Cortisol, is released in the body and it produces what is known as "our fight or flight response". This is a good thing (especailly if we are being chased by something like a T-Rex), however, only for a short period of time. It is the very thing that saves people or gets us through a really rough patch. But the longer that we are under a great amount of stress,  the more that it will break down our bodies because of how hard it is on it over time.

With the way that we are all living these days we are always on the go and should have had things done yesterday. Therefore, we all don’t take the time to eat as well or exercise as often as we need to. To top it off, there is so much stress that we have to deal with there seems like there is no healthy way of getting rid of it.

Stress is something that everyone will experience but we need to find ways to combat it so that we are not victims of weight gain (due to cortisol, which is known to increase abdominal fat), weight loss by not eating, or getting sick (by being run down). Here’s how….

1.       First, you need to exercise. And not find the time but make the time! This is very important because by putting your body under that kind of work and stress it will help alleviate the distress that we are put under.

2.       Next, Eating will also become crucial to you and by eating healthy you are providing your body with the proper nutrients to support optimal health.

3.       Another thing you should do is make time to have fun. Whether this is time that you sit at home and read a book or you go out to watch a movie or participate in a hobby, you need to make time to decompress and have fun.

4.       Make sure you have a safe or scared space. You need to have a place where you feel like you can have calming time and a place where you can relax completely.

By doing these relatively simple things you will change your life. And we know that it seems like a grand statement but it is true. We all may not even realize how much stress we even are carrying around with us until we make that change or all four and then you see how much of a difference there is. We hope that this will help you through your holidays and through your daily life. There are sites below that are related to stress and its impact on the body and techniques to help you through it.

·         http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/slash-your-stress-level

·         http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/meditation-lowers-blood-cortisol-levels

·         http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/mental-health-and-exercise

Committed to your health and fitness goals,

Justin and Angie LaPointe

How to Reach Your Goals This New Year’s

Tis' the time of the season that the year ends and people start to make their goals that they wish to achieve for the upcoming year. We have all done it, our New Year’s Resolutions. They will tend to be: “I want to be fitter, healthier, weigh less, run more, go to the gym more, eat better, etc.” and the list can go on and on. The problem with this is not that people have these goals or even that these goals are unrealistic but the problem tends to be that people go head first into the deep end and they get burnt out which leads them to giving up too soon.

Now, we have all had this happen to us at one time or another. Whether it is getting burned out, never quite making it to the gym, or maybe you are wanting to begin eating better next week, there are ways to make you successful in achieving your goals, whatever they may be.

1.      You need to MAKE THE DECISION FOR YOURSELF TO DO IT.  You need to consciously make it a part of your routine and changing your lifestyle to accommodate it. Make yourself WANT TO DO IT and NOT “have to do it”. This self-talk will help you change the way you look at it, especially if it is a goal that may be good for you but it is not something that you originally are really wanting to do.

2.      FIND WAYS TO ENJOY YOUR NEW ACTIVITY.  Whether it is with a friend or a big group of people, going outside (biking, hiking, rowing, running, etc.), listening to music, or even having little rewards for your successes to motivate you, you need to find ways that will motivate you to stay on the path.

3.      One of the most important parts of setting goals and new resolutions is that you MUST MAKE THEM REALSITIC.  By setting realistic goals they are less intimidating and you are also more likely to go after them. With goals that were already too intense for you reach, you might start out discouraged, intimated, or unsure if you are even going to reach it.

4.      FIND YOUR INSPIRATION. Music, quotes, movies, books, etc. find something that is inspiring to you and is something that will fuel you in your lowest of low moments.

5.      ENVISION YOURSELF SUCCEEDING! This is very important because if you can’t see yourself succeeding then how are you going to succeed? You need to believe that you can do it so much so that you can actually see yourself doing it.

6.      Last but not least, you need to MAKE THE COMMITMENT TO DO IT.  This is pretty self-explanatory but it is also one of the hardest steps to do. So, make a pledge to yourself that when you make the commitment then you stick with it and achieve it!

Remember that you can do anything that you set your mind to and that you need to believe that you can complete your goals and make them come into reality. Getting your mindset and having the will power to do all this will go up and down but you will find the strength that you need to make it happen. You just need to make sure that you take that first step.

Good Luck and remember we are always here to help you on your health journey

Committed to your health and fitness goals,

Justin and Angie LaPointe