5 ways to lower stress naturally

15/04/2015 13:245 Ways To Lower Stress Naturally

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Your guide to the best of health and wellness

by JJ Virgin

5 Ways To Lower StressNaturally

Stress has become such the new normal for me that I dont know how to not

feel stressed, a friend recently confessed. Its almost like if I didnt have a

zillion things to worry about, my mind would start creating stressful

thoughts.

Shes not alone. Relationships, kids, and finances become major stressors for

just about everyone. So does maintaining steady employment. One study

found increased work demands and worrying about work during free time

could disturb sleep and impair awakening. Older folks (45 and up), females,

and people with higher body mass indexes (BMIs) were especially susceptible

to work-related stress that impaired sleep.

Not finding that work-life balance often means you sleep less, neglect exercise,

and down-regulate "me" time, all while grabbing a high-sugar impact muffin

with your morning java jolt to keep you going.

All that neglect poses a serious whammy to happiness, health, and hormones.

Adrenal hormones like cortisol stay ramped up, leading to a miserable "wired

and tired" feeling. One study found even one night of poor sleep can knock

your hormone insulin out of balance, triggering insulin resistance and

diabetes.

Chronic stress also makes you sick. A meta-analysis of 300 studies found

chronic stress could seriously crash your immune system. Studies also show

stress can make you fat and increase your risk for serious problems like

cardiovascular disease.

You can't eliminate stress, but you can learn to become more resilient to its

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detrimental impact. These five strategies can help you downsize stress

naturally while up-regulating your quality of life.

1. Go low-sugar impact. You've had the day from hell, so you order an

apple pastry with your latte. Unfortunately, high-sugar impact foods only

worsen stress as metabolic havoc ensues. "Consuming refined sugar...

[and other] refined carbohydrates leads to a spike and then drop in blood

sugar levels, which can result in anxiety, nervousness and irritability,"

says Trudy Scott, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution. She notes a

study that shows chronic stress sometimes triggers comfort food binges.

Trade the processed, high-sugar impact foods for lean protein, healthy

fats, lots of cruciferous and leafy veggies, and slow-release high-fiber

starches to steady your blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to

consistent energy and mood levels.

2. Workout smartly. Studies show stress impairs your efforts to stay

physically active. The opposite is also true: Staying active reduces stress.

You've likely felt that post-workout stress-zapping endorphin rush. That's

because, according to Matthew Stults-Kolehmainen, Ph.D., a kinesiologist

at the Yale Stress Center, exercise can boost hormones like

norepinephrine that elevate mood and even improve stress-damaged

thinking. Burst training, also called high-intensity interval training

(HIIT), becomes my favorite efficient, effective exercise to beat stress,

and you can do it in just minutes a day. "When stress hits, our physiology

is designed to fight or flee," says Dr. Jade Teta, co-author of The Metabolic

Effect Diet. "Short, intense exercise engages recovery aspects of

physiology and helps the body learn to reengage the parasympathetic

nervous system." I combine burst training with resistance training with

my 4 x 4 Workout, which you can do in just 15 minutes, three times a

week. Grab a free 4 x 4 here.

3. Get 7 9 hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep. Ive written about

seven hormones that become out of whack with too little sleep. On a

practical level, sleep deprivation makes morning rush hour traffic

miserable as you imagine your boss reprimanding you for being late while

devouring your third dark roast. Frustrating episodes throughout your

sleep-deprived day become monumental events that leave you even more

stressed. A chicken-or-egg cycle ensues as stress cuts into your sleep.

Among other problems, studies show chronic stress and sleep loss

increase your risk for depression and other mood disorders. Make time

for seven to nine hours of high quality, uninterrupted sleep every night.

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5 Ways To Lower StressNaturallyBy JJ Virgin



April 09

Celebrity Nutrition & Fitness Expert JJ Virgin helps clients lose weight fast by

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You'll find you're more productive and capable of rolling with whatever

stress the following day throws at you.

4. Create bliss time. Relaxation gets short shift as our work-more

mentality pervades. Schedule "me" time and prioritize it just like you

would an important client. One study shows a massage could lower your

stress hormone cortisol while boosting your feel-good neurotransmitters

serotonin and dopamine. Another study among the elderly found

acupuncture could reduce stress and boost lymphocyte production.

Studies also show regularly practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM)

can be effective against chronic stress. What matters most is what works

for you, even if that means watching a silly movie or having a coffee date

with your beset friend. Find it and make it a daily habit.

5. Optimize gut health. Stress plays more of a role in gut health than you

might realize. One study showed stress-induced prolonged combat-

training increases intestinal permeability (more commonly called leaky

gut). Chronic stress can also contribute to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

and numerous other gastrointestinal conditions. Repopulating healthy

microorganisms with a probiotic supplement is among my gut-healing

protocol. One study found stress suppressed inflammasome, required to

maintain healthy gut flora. In this mice study, probiotics reversed that

detrimental effect.

As you can see, chronic stress creates a domino effect that can wreak serious

havoc on your life. You can't eliminate stress, but you can learn to reduce and

even become resilient to its impact. What one strategy do you find works

reduce stress levels? Share yours below or on my Facebook page.

2015 JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc.

About the Author

JJ Virgin

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