By Woody McMahon   

You live in a fast paced world; one your body or mind was never designed to successfully handle. The relentless fast pace that just about everyone is keeping contributes to the ever increasing number of stress related illnesses. Heart disease, osteoporosis, sleep disorders, weight gain and back pain can all be traced to a high stress lifestyle. When asked, the number one attribute most people would like to change about their lives is the pace. So the next time you catch yourself running from here to there
and everywhere in between, consider the negative effects you are having on your health.

The Damaging Effects of Too Much Cortisol

Prolonged "rat racing" causes cortisol, a stress hormone, to build-up in the blood preventing your immune, cardiovascular, skeletal and digestive systems from working properly. High cortisol levels can also keep you from losing or maintaining a healthy weight, give you low energy and make you feel tired, raise your blood pressure, prevent your bones from strengthening properly, make it difficult to sleep and can contribute to depression. Over time, stress destroys your body's ability to function
properly and if left unchecked, can actually shorten your life. So what do you do if you feel rushed and anxious all the time? What is the best way to reduce stress and get more enjoyment out of your life? How do you stay active but not too active?

Try these three practical steps that can greatly reduce your stress levels and help you live a longer and healthier life.

Step 1: Simplify Your Lifestyle

If you find yourself running around in a tizzy and realizing you have over-scheduled your life, consider simplification. Approaching life like there is no tomorrow leaves little time for enjoyment. If you want to live life to the fullest, you must also enjoy it to the fullest. Being constantly scheduled means just going through the motions and turning stressful events into stressful days. The first step to simplification is to begin writing down your schedule and seeing if it looks reasonable. Is there time for a healthy breakfast? What about a lunch where you actually sit down and eat;,not in front of your desk or doing something else at the same time? Have you left time for some fun physical activity:a nice walk with a friend or maybe a stop at your favorite health club? Have someone else look at
your schedule and if they say, "wow, that looks kind of busy" then you need to go back and remove something from that day to slow it down. Remember, the emphasis is on enjoyment and not on getting things done.

Step 2: Daily Meditation

If your mind is running at "100 miles a minute" then your body, even when you are sitting still, will try to keep up. Constantly bombarding your body with the "100 miles a minute" messages sends it into full cortisol overdrive. True physical relaxation comes when the mind slows down and lets your body relax. Daily meditation is a great way to quiet your mind, relax your body and reduce cortisol levels to improve how you look and feel. In just 5 minutes a day, you can start a good meditation habit. Here's how:

Find a quiet spot and then sit in a comfortable chair with your feet flat on the floor. Close your eyes and allow your mind to get calm and slow down. If just closing your eyes doesn't work, you can concentrate on a candle flame or your breath as a way to center your attention. A great little book to help you is called Meditation, A Beginner's Guide by Charlotte Parnell.

Step 3: Make Time to Get Physically Active

When it comes to activity, the old saying "different strokes for different folks" comes to mind. Don't be tricked by the myth that there is only one right activity. Forget the "more reps for toning" or "the fat burning zone" misinformation as well. The key to reducing stress is to find enjoyable activities and then stick with them. You can dance, ride a bike, chase your dog or kid, lift some weights at the health club, or swim a few laps.

The bottom line: find something that is fun, something you like to do, something you will keep doing. It's not important if you're any good at it. In other words, don't let perfectionism or what other people might think stand in the way of having some fun with your friends. Adopt and practice these three stress reduction tools and your life will be less stressful and a whole lot more fun.  

Living a healthier lifestyle is easy with Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc.'s programs.  For suggestions and advice on living a healthier lifestyle, call Woody McMahon for a no cost consultation, at 703-628-2880 or email woody@sequoiahealth.com.