You're trying, you really are.  You're getting up 30 minutes early 4 days a week, throwing on your headset, grabbing your iPod, leashing up the dog, working your piggies into your Five Fingers and heading out the door for a brisk 25 minute walk.  It's good for you, it's good for the pooch.  Back home, it's seasonal fruit on your homemade granola with organic, non-gmo soy milk.  More movement, less multi-tasking.  More local fruit/veggies, less feedlot meat.  But, you've left out one of the largest predictors of ill health.  Chronic stress.  It's said that 80% of all illness and trips to the doctor have a stress component.  Eighty percent. 

What is stress and do I have it?  A:  If you live in today's crazy, fear-laden, uncertain world, you have it.  Stress can be physical, emotional or psychological and everyone has a difference tolerance.  As the car stops suddenly in front of you, without thinking you've braked and grabbed your non-fat, one-packet Splenda latte at the same time.  All is good, it's over and you'll pick up your spilled purse later.  But, you can feel the residue of the stress hormones (cortisol and adrenalin) coursing through your body.  You're a bit shaky, like you had too much coffee, and perhaps you feel a sweat on your brow or armpits.  This stress is normal and important to our day-to-day life. It's life-saving, motivating and gets stuff done.

Here's where stress gets out of control.  You're at our desk and the phone rings.  You think it might be your ex staging a new argument about whatever.  Before you even pick up the phone you have a stress response-heart starts racing, furrowed brow, acid stomach.  It turns out it was your Mom, but you're still a bit shaken.  For many people, this happens all day long-with each report that is pending, the unwanted email, the notice of a bounced check, traffic.  The busier our days, the more opportunity for stress as we strive to fit stuff more into an already full day.  Will I be late for to the meeting, late to pick my daughter up from daycare, late to get dinner on the table?  Will I be late to be late?  This is the bad stress, the stress that occurs day-after-day, year-after-year. The stress hormones keep getting dumped into the system, but they aren't given an opportunity to be cleared out.  As your body produces higher levels of stress hormones, over time, it can lead to health issues. 

The positive news is that there is a lot you can do.  Just recognizing the events that trigger the stress response for you is a great first step.  Exercise helps move the stress hormones out of the body.  So, after challenging day at work, a vigorous flow yoga class or a run is good.  And, rest.   Real rest.  Not lounging on the couch while you're watching reruns of The Wire.  Rest, as in dark, quiet, comfy and warm. 

There'll be much more on this topic over the next few weeks leading up to some workshops I'll be offering on stress relief through restorative yoga (think bolsters, blankets, eye pillows, warmth, silence).   In the meantime, start a list of those things that seems most stress producing in your life.  It can be as huge as dealing with major health issue, a tortuous split-up, or your neighbor's barking dog.  No judgment.  Remember, everyone deals with stress differently.  Just notice.  Relax. Long exhalation.