Exercise and Relaxation

Trying to consciously live a healthy life can be difficult, given all of lifes pressures. Between the stresses of work, family, and situations that are out of our control, it can be easy to fall into the habits of poor eating and a sedentary lifestyle. But, it is important to eat a healthy diet and exercise, not only to maintain a healthy weight, but to also keep your stress levels manageable. While stress in our lives is not completely unavoidable, its effects can be controlled.

Through a healthy diet, exercise, and relaxation, it is possible to not only keep your stress levels at a manageable level, but you will feel healthier and stronger, better able to take what is thrown at you. It is when you ignore the needs of your body that you can cause major physical and emotional problems, which can have long-term effects.

When you are experiencing stress, all parts of your mind and body are affected. Your entire body experiences changes that will worsen if not dealt with. When you ignore your stress:

Your immune system can become compromised, leading to more frequent illnesses.
Your moods can fluctuate severely, making you harder to talk to and associate with.
Your diet can be affected either by overeating or under eating. This can in turn affect your weight, your blood sugar levels, and your cholesterol levels.
Your energy levels will quickly decrease, making it harder to concentrate on tasks at work, your family, and other life issues. This can influence job performance and your enthusiasm for your family, which can lead to troubling situations.

Ignoring the stress in your life can only lead to compounding stress and problems. You have a higher chance of being unhealthy, more tired, depressed, and short-tempered. You also increase your chances for life-threatening illnesses and conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, heart disease, and even stroke.

It is vital that you make time in your busy life to exercise and relax. Exercise does not have to be rigorous or painful, though. Simply taking a walk with your family in the evenings will lead you to lower stress levels and a healthier lifestyle. You can start practicing yoga, a fitness regimen made up of challenging stretches that is proven not only to tone your muscles, but also to help keep you relaxed and centered mentally. If you are feeling really ambitious, join a gym. Committing yourself to a healthy lifestyle is something that you wont ever regret.

If you can find the time to take a short walk or jog every day, stretch your muscles, and even engage in breathing exercises, you will quickly find that exercise and relaxation go hand in hand to help create a more powerful, focused, and healthy you.

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What is stress?

Stress (roughly the opposite of relaxation) is a medical term for a wide range of strong external stimuli, both physiological and psychological, which can cause a physiological response called the general adaptation syndrome, first described in 1936 by Hans Selye in the journal Nature.
An emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health which can be characterized by increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability and depression. Stress does not cause migraine but can be a migraine "trigger".
A condition in which the organism is subjected to unfavourable or unfamiliar environmental conditions, resulting in some alteration in normal physical functioning. Short-term stress can often be overcome. Long-term stress can reduce resistance to disease and parasites, inhibit self-healing processes, and reduce life-span.