Fight Stress and Improve Your Health

Everyone has the notion that stress is detrimental to our wellbeing, but do you know what you can do to help relieve this stress? You might have some ideas, but putting those ideas into motion is a bit more difficult. Exercise, fun activities, and even sleep can help reduce the stress you are facing. Fitting these things into your lifestyle can be tough though. For the elderly, however, fighting stress is an essential part of your healthy lifestyle. By having a stress fighting plan in place, you can improve your mental and physical health. For those at risk of getting sick-such as the elderly-beating stress becomes especially important.

Exercise is a great way to ward off the ill effects of stress. The hormones released by rigorous exercise do a lot for your physical health, but they also have a positive impact upon mental health. For example, exercise improves your brain's neurotransmitter numbers. These help your neurons (brain cells) function more efficiently and this can improve your mood. An improved mood is obviously a good way to deal with stress.

Cortisol levels can also be elevated by stress. Cortisol is a chemical that naturally occurs within our bodies, but it is closely linked to belly fat levels. In fact, cortisol is so closely related to stress that it has been dubbed the "stress hormone." While some cortisol is a necessity, too much can lead to weight gain-the bad kind. In the elderly, increased body fat can lead to chronic illnesses, such as diabetes. In addition to this, increased cortisol levels are linked to a decline in cognitive abilities, decreased bone density, decreased muscle mass, blood sugar imbalances, and high blood pressure. These things are all incredibly dangerous to the senior citizen population.

Stress can be relieved in other ways besides exercise. If you aren't getting enough sleep, stress might be the cause of this, but stress can also be relieved through sleep. This is a vicious cycle. Still, attempting to get around eight hours of sleep per night is important-even if you don't hit that number, trying is important. Resting is not as beneficial as sleep, but it is still important. Aim for eight hours of rest each night and you will see your stress melt away. Just make sure that you don't spend your sleepless hours tossing and turning. Try and use relaxation techniques or meditation to get your rest. A lack of sleep is connected to a weakened immune system-something that the elderly are already prone to. Getting sleep can keep you healthier as it lets the body repair itself.

Finally, have fun. Nothing relieves stress by unwinding and forgetting your troubles. This is a temporary fix, but it's extremely important. Fun pays off in a big way and it makes your life a lot more enjoyable. This, obviously, is a beneficial thing.

Matthew G. Young is a freelance writer who specializes in financial, sports, and health-related topics. To learn more about in home health care visit Paradise In Home Care

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Mental Health 101 - How Stress Can Damage Your Brain More Than You Know

Stress is a feeling of imbalance due to events that have a negative effect on a person. It is however, a normal way that the body responds to such events. This happens because the body prepares its defense system to counter the feared danger; this is a process to ensure mental, physical and mental health.

It is important to note that the body doesn't differentiate between physical and psychological stress. When a person is under stress due to a traffic jam, or a lot of bills, a busy program or when arguing with a colleague, the body reacts in the same way it will react to a life or death situation.

Since stress can be said to be an alert mechanism to the body's defense system, it helps the body in different ways. First, it helps one to stay on the line of duty, alert and with energy. In addition, in emergency circumstances, it can save life by giving an individual additional power for defense and many other helpful ways.

However, when stress goes beyond a given limit, it turns to becoming a damaging factor on issues of life such as health, relationships and productivity. In this condition, a person is said to suffer from mental illness. Sometimes, this leads to a nervous breakdown. At this stage, forces in the mind push and pull against each other, thereby, thoughts and emotions are swayed. Hence, the person feels not in control his or her life.

When the person is a state of instability, they depend on their emotions to create sadness, which develops into negative thoughts. At this instance, the person should be able to come up with a solution, but if the solution is not found, and the negative emotions become overwhelming, then mental illness is said to occur.

Prolonged season under this kind of mental state coupled with a faulty area in the mind leads to additional thoughts. If the problem is unknown to the victim, it creates a raised level of stress and copping mechanism goes down. What happens is that stress changes the equilibrium in the brain and this applies pressure to the mind. Consequently, if the instability is not corrected, the mind faces chemical imbalances leading to tumors and diseases, thereafter.

A psychological response to a prolonged experience of high level stress that reoccurs is known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A person experiences anxiety, nightmares, sweats at night and avoid social gatherings. In addition, the victim will suffer from daily abnormal stress and they will be trying to avoid it at the same time.

Post traumatic Stress Disorder now becomes a very serious mental health problem since the victim has suffered extreme trauma, therefore, making it easy to be attacked by diseases such as high blood pressure, heart attacks and other medical complications.

Chronic stress interferes with every system as early, be it digestion, respiratory, reproduction and speeds aging. In addition the stress can re-write the victims brain and enhance vulnerability to more anxiety, panic and depression.

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Stress 5 - Top Ten Tips on Relieving Stress

The best way to relieve stress is to prevent it before it develops. There are a few daily routines that you may implement to prevent stressful situations. You do not have any control over the circumstances causing the stress, but you do have control over the methods for relieving them. To relieve stress you can do the following:

1) Get a good night sleep. It is recommended that you get at least 8 hours of sleep.

2) Pace yourself. Do not try to do too much at one time.

3) Think realistically. Do not allow your emotions to get out of control.

4) Plan better. Set schedules and prioritize your tasks.

5) Take breaks. Get away from it for about 10-15 minutes.

6) Take walks. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise.

7) Call on your support. Ask others to do the work that you are weak in doing.

8) Confront problems by talking. Bring the problem out in the open.

9) Delegate. Do not try to do everything yourself, but rather, seek help from others.

10) Keep a positive attitude. Do not take life so seriously, laugh sometime.

Another way to relieve stress is to talk to someone about your problems. It could be a family member, friend or health care professional who will give you the emotional support you need to reduce stress.

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Effects of Alcohol on Mental Health & Secret Tips to Reverse the Damage

Drinking alcohol can intensify emotions, both positive (happiness, joy) and negative (anger, depression).

The are strong links between drinking alcohol and anxiety, depression, and most worryingly suicide.

Mental health is our ability to enjoy life and also deal with challenges that come our way. If we have good mental health then we are able to get on and do the things we want to do in life.

Alcohol & Sleep

Sleep is how your body maintains itself. Getting the right amount, particularly deep sleep, is crucially for mental and physical well being.

When we're a bit stressed out most of us like to have a couple of drinking before bed to send us off to sleep. The thing is, although alcohol does get us to to sleep quickly, it actually reeks havoc on the overall quality of our sleep. Probably one of the biggest effects of alcohol, due to the many knock on effects.

We are much more likely to wake up in the night to go to the toilet but more importantly alcohol disturbs our brains natural brain rhythms and prevents us going into the deep sleep that we need in order to feel refreshed and fully rested in the morning. Most people agree that being tired makes life more difficult to cope with and contributes to overall stress levels.

Alcohol and Stress

Many people turn to alcohol to deal with stresses in their lives. This can often make the problems worse. Hangovers can make it difficult for us to function properly, leading to more stress which can compound over time and lead to serious mental and physical health problems.

3 Ways to Help Prevent Alcohol Damage.

Drink sensibly. Try to stick to 1 unit per hour as this is the rate at which the liver will process alcohol that you consume. A good trick for achieving this is to alternate every alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic drink. Another good idea would be to stick to under 5 units per session.

Eat a full diet. A diet rich in everything your body needs to maintain optimal physical and mental health is essential. Most of us know what a good diet is - the hard bit is sticking to it.

Take a supplement used by astronauts. Ever since the first mission to the moon NASA have been supplementing their astronauts diets with an edible plant known as AFA to help reverse damage done to their brains from the rigors of being subject to G forces. AFA has considerable health benefits, most remarkably the ability to support the bodies natural system of renewal -adult stem cells. AFA can help you to reverse damage done by alcohol.

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Ways To Relieve Stress And Anxiety - 3 Natural Stress Management Techniques

Do you feel stressed and anxious on a daily basis? Does it seem like being stressed out has become a way of life?

You wouldn't be the only one! I myself used to suffer with stress and anxiety all the time due to a high demanding job that involved handling huge sums of money for companies. I could never switch off from work even in my leisurely hours.

You see stress and anxiety is almost unavoidable, in fact the only way to eliminate it would be to rid yourself of all your assets and live off the land. Sounds far-fetched I know but you didn't see our ancestors before us queuing up at the doctors for prescriptions!

Although it's slightly off topic you should watch the film "into the wild". It's based on a true story of a guy who got sick of modern day living so gave all his money to the Oxfam charity and lived off the land. It's really moving and opens your mind to just how much modern day living has enslaved us.

So anyway, life as we know it has become complicated, it's extremely demanding and many work extremely hard in order to provide for their nearest and dearest. This means stress and anxiety is extremely common and many have to cope with stress on a daily basis.

However just because stress is near unavoidable doesn't mean we have to let it rule our lives. How you cope with stress is what matters which is why we'll discuss some simple and natural techniques for relieving stress and anxiety.

Exercise

Exercise is extremely effective for relieving stress and anxiety. It helps to rid the mind of worry and release any built up tension in the body. Stress can cause you to feel extremely frustrated and agitated and there's no better way to release that pent up energy and channel that frustration than to engage in some physical activity.

Note: Exercising doesn't have to entail a strenuous session in the gym or a three mile sprint! If you're feeling stressed and anxious then a simple walk around the block can help to relieve you of your anxieties.

Nutrition

Maintaining a stable diet and ensuring the body gets the proper nutrition it needs is another effective and natural way to lower your stress levels. If you don't maintain a proper diet then you're going to feel sluggish and fatigued and wont be able to operate at peak performance.

With the fast paced world we live in it's all to easy to snack on unhealthy products due to time constraints. Fast food is called fast food for a reason - because it's served up quickly! It's convenience but not necessarily the best option as it can affect your performance at work and in between work hours.

Making small changes to your diet can have a big impact for relieving stress and anxiety. Try cutting out sugary, fatty and processed snacks and replacing them with healthier alternatives such as;

* Replacing sugary drinks and sodas with water and natural fruit juices

* Replacing snacks such as chocolate with fruits, nuts and even seeds

* Avoid junk foods like the plague!

* Instead of binging, try eating little and often, fueling your body as and when required

Breathing Exercises

Here's a natural stress management technique that's extremely effective. Why is it that experts recommend hyper-ventilating to people that experience panic attacks? Because controlled breathing relaxes both the mind and body almost instantaneously!

Deep breathing helps to oxygenate the blood flow and reduces your heart rate which is often increased when you're feeling stressed and anxious. It also relaxes the muscles and helps your mind to calm down relieving you of that pent up frustration.

Whenever you're beginning to feel stressed and anxious take deep, slow breathes, really fill your lungs with air on each breathe. There's no need to go frantic just nice natural long drawn breathes will do the trick.

Start applying these three stress management techniques regularly and you'll soon find relieving yourself of stress and anxiety gets a whole lot easier.

Is stress affecting your ability to cope in day-to-day life? If so apply these 3 coping strategies for stress and learn to lower your stress levels and calm your mind on a day-to-day basis.

http://path-to-happiness.com/stress/how-to-lower-stress-levels/

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Reduce Your Personal Stress

According to a report that I was reading recently, one in every three adults suffers from moderate to high levels of personal stress. With so much bad news in the papers and on television, uncertainty about the economy and the pressure of daily life, is it any wonder more of us are feeling stressed.

• Every year nearly something close to 50,000 Australians are admitted to hospital due to stress-related disorders.
• Stress requires more people to take time off work than any other health condition or disease.
• The total cost of Australian workplace stress is more than $1.2 billion per year.

Most of us experience some level of stress in our lives, especially from our work. The stress of urgent deadlines, demanding clients, meetings, families and bills all add to stress levels There doesn't seem to be any end to the modern day disease of personal stress. So, what can you do to overcome stress?

Simple strategies for reducing your stress

1.0 Take a 3 minute holiday

Learn to 'chill' for a few minutes when you're feeling under pressure. Find somewhere quite to sit, close your eyes and just relax. It sounds like a simplistic idea, but it does work!

2. Drink plenty of water

Your body is 80% water - so keeping it hydrated is essential. You'll notice that when you haven't been drinking enough water your attention starts to wander. Keep a drink bottle on your desk and drink at least a litre of water every day, more if you are exercising.

3. Take a lunch break

Getting away from your desk for thirty minutes can reduce your levels of stress and change your outlook. Don't say that you don't have time for lunch; that is a cop-out!

4. Get up every 50 minutes and stretch

It can be so easy to get caught up in what you're doing that all of a sudden you've been at work for 3 hours and the only muscles you've moved are in your fingers. Stretching will get the blood flowing around your body again - you'll feel invigorated, awake and your quality of work will noticeably improve.

5. Relax your eyes (and wrists)

Constantly staring at a computer screen will give you eye strain. Every 15 minutes or so look away from the screen, or close your eyes briefly.

Allow your eyes to have a power nap. While you're doing this, face your palms away from you, grab your fingers and pull them back towards you very gently. This is a great stretch for your wrists and will help to battle carpel tunnel syndrome and other conditions caused by the overuse of your wrists.

6. Breath slowly and deeply

If you're feeling tired, grumpy or frustrated it could simply be that you're not getting enough oxygen to your brain. Most people don't breathe correctly. A few times a day (perhaps when you're having your 3 minute holiday or getting up to stretch), take the time to breath deeply and slowly in through your nose, into your diaphragm (the lower part of your abdomen) and then out through your mouth. Each breath should take you about 6 seconds. Breath in, hold for a second or two and then let it out.

Paul Puckridge awakens managers and employees to the need that they must develop their 'worksmarts' so they can get to the next level at work and future-proof their careers.

Paul is an author, teacher and speaker on leadership, innovation and worksmarts. He is the Training Director of The Success Institute - Australia and ovwe 15 years has written over 30 professional development programs, 10 books and a host of other professional development materials.

To receive regular articles, downloads and templates, or get a FREE copy of Paul's 'How to Develop Your Worksmarts' simply sign-up at http://www.paulpuckridge.com

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How to Find Sound Mental Health and Evolve in a Crazy World

The information you have in dreams helps you in so many ways that you will surely realize that your dreams are sent by God. When you translate the meaning of dreams according to the scientific method of dream interpretation you verify that all dreams contain meaningful messages.

These messages give you detailed information about what is happening in your psychological system and in the world around you. They also talk about your past, your traumas, and the problems you are facing now. Thus, you understand from the beginning that the unconscious words reflect the truth.

God knows everything about you, your life, and everyone around you. You find solutions for all problems in dreams.

You may have the tendency to dislike believing in God's existence because you follow the atheistic and materialistic mindset of the modern civilization. You probably consider science more important than religion. Perhaps you believe that it is strange to read a document about a scientific method of dream interpretation, which declares that our dreams are produced by God. God is not a scientifically proven truth.

However, the accurate translation of the meaning of dreams based on the scientific method translates God's words because it is based on real research, and not on the dream interpreter's imagination. Carl Jung looked for the meaning of dreams like an archeologist who was trying to understand the meaning that the dream images had for the human race. I precisely followed his steps, proving that his method is efficient and real.

I was cured from my severe neurosis, which already had characteristics of schizophrenia, and I became a psychiatrist and psychologist. I started curing others through dream translation without payment, since September of 1990. I completed Carl Jung's research and I simplified the dream language before publishing my work online, in 2007 and 2008, after nineteen years of studies and real cures through dream therapy.

I looked for the meaning of many dream symbols that Jung didn't explain. I also discovered the wild side of the human conscience, which generates mental illnesses within our human conscience.

I could better understand the dream language because I was a literature writer since my childhood and I had an extraordinary literary talent. All my writings were inspired by the unconscious mind, which sends us therapeutical dreams and gives us artistic talents with the intention to help us escape craziness, and have the chance to evolve.

I also was a designer since my childhood. Many of my drawings helped me better understand my psychological reality. I found important dream symbols in my drawings and in all the personages of a literary book I started writing after suffering from a tragic car accident, when I was 15-years-old. This book helped me completely understand the meaning of the symbolic dream language and relate the information I had in dreams to our mental health, based on Carl Jung's lessons.

My work proves to the world that Jung was a special scientist. The real importance of his work was not properly evaluated by the ignorant, superficial, and hypocritical world. My work proves to the world that Jung discovered the right code for the comprehension of the real meaning of the dream language according to the meaning given by the dream producer; the unconscious mind.

Only Jung didn't distort the meaning of dreams with his suppositions, like all the other dream interpreters and scientists of the world. Everyone must learn his method of dream interpretation based on my simplifications, after continuing his mission.

The real translation of the dream language accurately transcribes God's words. This is an important scientific proof of God's existence, which can be verified into practice when you learn the dream language and you start understanding the meaning of your own dreams.

You verify that your dreams talk about your past and about all the details that were important for you. You understand from the beginning that your doctor already knows everything about your psychological system and how you can be cured. God is an excellent psychiatrist and psychologist; the only one who can cure invincible mental illnesses.

My work also proves to the world that human beings are unable to cure mental illnesses without divine guidance because there is craziness into the biggest part of the human brain.

This means that we are absurd from birth. Absurd creatures cannot understand how to find sound mental health without being guided by a mentally healthy and wise mind; the divine unconscious mind. We indispensably need superior guidance.

Alone we will never find peace. We are unable to put an end to terror, violence, immorality, poverty, hypocrisy, indifference, and greed because we are absurd and evil. Craziness and evilness are synonyms.

We are wild and under-developed primates who have inherited a satanic anti-conscience. Our anti-conscience keeps trying to destroy the human conscience we received from God. We received this conscience from God in order to transform our wild side into human content by obeying God's guidance in our religion and in our dreams.

However, we refuse to respect our religion. On the other hand, only now I am scientifically proving God's existence thanks to the fast dream translations based on my dynamic method, derived from Carl Jung's complicated method of dream interpretation.

His method is so complicated and obscure that it doesn't have a practical value for average people. Only now that I simplified the dream language can you easily understand the dream language and have a direct communication with God without complications.

My work solves a basic problem because it is the result of my obedience to God's guidance. I would never be able to simplify Jung's method without divine guidance. My work is God's gift to the world. I was an obedient servant.

God is the best psychiatrist you can find, but God also is your spiritual guide. You have to transform your personality and become a better person. You have to understand the meaning of goodness, so that you may defend its importance into practice.

Your goodness is more important than anything else for your evolution as a human being, but you tend to believe that goodness is something you should give to those you like. You disregard those you dislike, and you never show compassion before their pain.

God will show you that you have to behave like an angel in all occasions, with everyone, even with your worst enemies. And not only that; you have to love your enemies the same way you love your children even when they do something you dislike.

You have to show compassion to everyone, without exceptions.

Your goodness helps you keep your mental stability because it doesn't let you agree with the satanic ideas sent by your anti-conscience whenever you face challenging situations. When you try to become a perfect human being you don't make costly mistakes that can put your mental stability in danger.

However, trying to become a better person in a crazy world is a dangerous adventure you cannot face alone. It's very hard to be good in a selfish world, especially because you have inherited absurdity into your own brain. You have to obey the wise unconscious mind that produces your dreams, even if you will disagree with God's wisdom.

God will save your sanity and help you use all of your brain power. Even if in the beginning you won't understand God's plan for your psychotherapy, you should always believe that God knows what is better for you because God is wise and saintly, while you are an imperfect creature. Many times you won't be able to evaluate God's wisdom from the beginning because you ignore how your future will be unfolded, and many other things that God cannot explain in a few words.

Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung's research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.
Learn more at: http://www.scientificdreaminterpretation.com

Click Here to download a Free Sample of the eBook Dream Interpretation as a Science (86 pages!).

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How to Reduce Stress

Stress is a very normal, but potentially dangerous aspect of human behaviour. Stress likely evolved in humans as a response to dangerous situations, and in these cases it is an important survival mechanism. However, left unchecked, stress can have a negative impact on an individual's emotional and physical health. In fact, stress has been associated with a number of conditions including anxiety, depression, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, and more. As such, it is important to effectively manage stress. Fortunately, there are many safe and natural means of reducing stress.

1. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle - One of the best and easiest ways to manage your stress levels is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Eating healthy and getting regular exercise are proven methods to reduce stress and to improve your mechanisms for coping with stress. Even just 30 minutes of walking after a difficult day at the office can help you forget that day's challenges and relieve the associated stress. Moreover, eating well ensures that you have the energy and nutrients you need to feel your best so you'll be more prepared to tackle stressful situations.


2. Practice Meditation or other Mind-Body Exercises - Focused meditation and breathing gets your mind off stressful situations and replaces them with positive thoughts and feelings. Meditation doesn't just mean sitting in a quiet room and chanting; indeed, any repetitive activity including walking, swimming, painting, or knitting has meditative properties. Ultimately, you want to focus on being relaxed and visualize yourself in a positive state. Breathing deeply will also have a calming effect so that you can relieve tension and feel calm.


3. Avoid Stressful Stimuli - Wherever possible, you should avoid stressful stimuli. You can avoid those people who cause you stress, and you can take control of your environment. For example, if you feel stressed because your team is losing, turn off the TV and change your activity. Also, learn your limits and how to express them to people. One of the biggest mistakes people make that leads to stress is taking on more than they can handle. If you're getting slammed at work, you might not want to take responsibility for planning your family reunion. Sometimes in order to deal with your own stress, you need to learn to say no to others.


4. Achieve a Healthy Life Balance - Life is about more than just work. Coincidentally, work is often the main source of stress for people. If you want to be truly happy and stress free, you have to find ways to achieve a healthy work-life balance. If your work requires long hours, that's fine, but try to take time for breaks during the day. A short walk in the afternoon can revitalize you and help you reduce your stress. Also, make plans to enjoy your favourite hobbies and activities during your down time so that your whole life doesn't revolve around work.


5. Try Sound Therapy - Research today suggests that sound therapy can have powerful effects on relaxation and stress levels. Sound therapy is specifically designed to target brain areas associated with relaxation. These therapies calm the nervous system, reduce heart rate, and even improve sleep. Moreover, sound therapy is versatile so you can take it with you wherever you go; you can listen in the car, in the office, or at home before bed.

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Powerful Thinking - How to Think Yourself Happy and Out of Worry, Anxiety and Stress

The thoughts we focus on affect our energy levels either empowering or draining us. Over time the impact of negative and fear-based thoughts leads to stress, anxiety, depression and general poor well-being.

Does this sound like you?

When we allow our negative thoughts through focusing on them to hook us into worrying and fearful ways of looking at our life, we lose the will, ability, energy to do the things that inspire us.

Does this sound like you?

Most people are focusing negatively on themselves and find it easy to argue for their limitations, talking about, what they can't do or can't have or can't be. It's a habit of thinking that most people have learnt. Like any bad habit it can be changed.

Does this sound like you?

Most people aren't aware of what quantum physics says about "thinking". It's a fact that there is evidence to suggest that just our focus on an atom changes it.

Imagine the difference between that focus being positive or negative and you have the essence of how you can change your life through thinking positively, and arguing for your unlimited potential.

We all know this as a truth because we know that positive people are happier. Some people find it more difficult to believe things that they haven't seen with their own eyes or something that undermines an old belief. Most people don't know that a belief is a thought that has grown with negative or positive focus into an absolute. Your belief may seem true to you but it doesn't mean it is.

The truth is we're using invisible forces all the time and not questioning it. I don't know anyone who questions the Law of Gravity anymore, do you? I don't know anyone who doesn't use electricity because they don't understand how it works, do you? We use lots of things that we don't understand.

So, try on this concept and free yourself of worry, anxiety and stress.

Your thoughts are energy and become things and circumstances. Just pretend that it's true and give yourself the chance to experience the benefits of believing in it temporarily. You'll feel just like a skeptic who discovers the amazing ability to illuminate his living room by finding that a light switch has miraculously appeared on his wall, banishing the need for candles!

Give yourself a day and decide only to focus on the positive elements of every situation...so, for example, if you're driving in your car and someone pulls out in front of you, choose the positive view and see the best in the other driver. Find a positive reason that they had to pull in front of you, something like they were stressed because they had an argument with their son or daughter. Search for the positive aspect and decide to believe it instead of the negative.

Write down the results. What did you notice? How did you feel? What differences were there? What did other people notice about you? How did other people respond to you? What did you learn? What were the benefits of thinking positively?

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5 Tips to That Help Depression, Anxiety and Stress

Here are 5 tips that help with stress, depression and anxiety. These are all natural things that you can do without seeing a doctor. They could help you beat your problems naturally.

1. Exercise Regularly

Exercise causes the release of endorphins that are helpful for both depression and anxiety. Exercising regularly will also reduce allow you to de-stress. When you need to blow off some steam, go for a walk, drive to the gym or do some yoga stretches. You can do yoga stretches in just a few minutes to relieve work-related stress and you won't even work up a sweat.

2. Do Deep Breathing Exercises

Many people are naturally shallow breathers. Training yourself to totally fill your lungs will help with anxious feelings and nervousness. Deep breathing exercises can be used to stop an anxiety attack. Simply breathe in for a count of 4. Hold the breath for a count of 4 and exhale slowly for a count of 4. This exercise stops the production of adrenalin and naturally relaxes your body.

3. Watch What You Eat

Some foods contain small amounts of nutrients that have some anti-depressant and anti-anxiety activity. Small amounts of tryptophan for example are found in turkey and cheese. Salt on the other hand can make you feel more anxious by raising your blood pressure. Processed foods and simple carbohydrates may make you feel sluggish and depressed because of their effects on your blood sugar levels.

4. Watch What You Drink

While a little alcohol might help you relax, it can also cause you to feel depressed. Excessive alcohol intake contributes to anxiety and depression. It also puts stress on your liver and other bodily organs.

Caffeine is a drug. Some doctors believe that many people are being treated with drugs for anxiety when they are actually suffering from caffeinism.

A small amount of caffeine can give you a boost. But many people are consuming a lot more than they should. Caffeine is a stimulant that causes your body to release adrenalin. Adrenalin is the main cause of panic attacks.

5. Increase Your Nutrient Intake

Depression and anxiety are symptoms of many different kinds of nutritional deficiencies. While you might think that your diet is giving you enough nutrients, you are probably missing out on some of the more important ones.

Omega-3 fatty acids for example are lacking in the typical American diet. The essential healthy fats are found primarily in fatty fish like tuna and salmon. Unless you are eating at least two servings of salmon, tuna or another fatty fish every week, you are not getting enough of a specific omega-3 called DHA.

Low blood levels of DHA are associated with an increased risk of depression. Fish oil supplements have proven to be beneficial for people with depression, anxiety and attention deficit disorders. The brain needs DHA to function properly.

5-HTP is another beneficial nutrient. It is not found in large enough quantities in foods to work as an anti-depressant. Supplements containing 5-HTP and other beneficial nutrients are available. Those supplements can help you fight depression, stress and anxiety naturally.

Please click the How to Treat Depression, Stress and Anxiety Naturally link below in the resource author box.

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What Is Stress?

If stress is so bad for us, why have our bodies developed the stress

response in the first place? From an evolutionary standpoint, stress is

not only useful but also necessary for our very survival. For the first

200,000 years of humanity’s existence, stress was a useful mechanism

to get us physically prepared to hunt a wild animal, run for our lives,

fight an opponent, or survive a natural disaster such as a flash flood.

Greater physical strength from the adrenaline rush, sharper hearing

and vision, heightened brain function, and more energy to fight or

run were certainly useful.

The catch-22 is that stress is not meant to be a long-term condition

 of daily life. Our ancestors experienced the heightened physical

response of a stress reaction during times of real physical danger, discharged

their energy dealing with the problem, and then returned to a physiologically 

normal state. But in the modern world most of our stress, unless we are getting 

mugged at knifepoint in a dark alley,is psychological in nature.

Therefore it is difficult to make it go away

by an immediate action that discharges the stress. When you have

twenty hyperactive eight-year-olds over for a birthday party and suddenly

the power goes out and you find yourself in the dark, what can

you do except light candles, try to avoid burning down the house

when a child accidentally knocks one over, and somehow keep them

all safe and happy until their parents come to get them in two hours.

Yelling at the kids or banging on the kitchen counter with frustration

isn’t going to solve the problem.

MAXIMUM ENERGY FOR LIFE

Chemical Changes That Occur during Stress

When you find yourself in a situation that your body perceives as stressful, 

a number of chemical reactions occur that push certain body systems 

into higher gear by shutting down or cutting off energy to others.

1. Stress affects the cardiovascular system. The first to be affected is the

cardiovascular system. In the presence of danger, much of the blood in

your outer extremities is shunted to organs that need more oxygen,

such as the brain (the decision maker), the heart, and your other vital

organs, such as the lungs and the liver. The constricting of the blood

supply to your hands, arms, feet, and legs has another role—it decreases

your blood loss should you be injured. Your body also increases its production 

of endorphins and other pain-reducing chemicals so that you

won’t feel the injury as keenly as you normally would. When these

changes happen, your blood pressure rises, your pulse races, and your

heart must beat faster and harder to handle the strain. Adrenaline

causes glucose and fat to be released from your tissues to give your body

a much-needed energy surge in case you must fight or flee.

2. Some systems shut down. This enormous surge of energy comes

at a price, however. Certain other bodily systems must be shut down

somewhat in order to compensate. Your reproductive system, which

is normally very energy intensive, is suspended so that its energies

can be directed elsewhere. In the short term, this isn’t a bad thing,

since you would never think about fighting off the cave bear and

making love to your mate at the same time. But you can see how

living in a constant state of stress would erode your libido over the

long term.

3. How cortisol affects the body. Another chemical downside following 

the release of stress hormones is that cortisol accumulates in

your body. As the adrenaline rush that released fat and glucose as an

energy source subsides, the stress hormone cortisol becomes active,

causing insulin to be released to stimulate your appetite so that you

can replenish your fat stores. Since most of us don’t reach for an

apple or a piece of swordfish when we are ravenous, this usually leads

to craving a quick carbohydrate snack such as candy, pizza, cookies,

ice cream, or high-carbohydrate fast foods. Unfortunately, living

with a high level of daily stress causes the body to produce a consistently 

high level of cortisol, leading to overeating and weight gain,

especially in the all-important abdominal area in men.

The Stress Connection

No one can avoid stress. It will be with you, in one form or another,

every day of your life—within your working relationships and when

you are at home, with friends, on the freeway, in a crowded department 

store, or watching the evening news. Stressors, great and small,

surround us at every turn.

Suppose your alarm clock fails to go off one morning and you

discover that you have overslept by half an hour. You shake your husband 

awake, leap out of bed, take a five-minute shower, skip your

makeup, and pull a brush through your hair. Somehow you manage

to get both kids dressed, fed, and out the door to the school bus. But

you have no time for coffee and your own breakfast, so you start the

day hungry and not looking your best. When you get to work, you

find out that your secretary is out sick, so you must answer your own

phone and deal with tasks that you would normally allocate to him.

Somehow you get through the morning. But when you come up

for air, you remember that the Tuesday noon staff meeting has been

switched to Monday. Your secretary would normally have reminded

you of this, but he isn’t there. The quiet lunch you planned is out, so

you order a sandwich from the deli and wolf it down in five minutes.

All through the meeting you have indigestion.

On your way home you stop at the gas station to fill your nearly

empty tank. There is a line of cars waiting and you notice that gas

prices have gone up another ten cents per gallon. When you stop by

the bank, both of the ATM machines aren’t working, so you have to

go inside and wait in line to get some cash. When you stop by the

grocery store to pick up something for dinner you buy prepackaged,

frozen entrées because you are just too tired to cook. Your cell

phone rings and it’s your husband telling you that he’s stuck at the

office and won’t be home for a couple of hours. When you get home,

the nanny is on the phone with her boyfriend and the kids are fighting

in the living room. You speak more sharply than you’d like to the

nanny, quiet the kids and give them dinner, then eat with your husband 

when he gets home at nine. You both watch half an hour of television 

and fall into bed exhausted.

Everyone’s life is filled with small stressful episodes like this.

None of them, taken individually, will kill you. But over time the

effects of constant stress become cumulative, causing your health,

well-being, and energy levels to deteriorate. Stress causes wear and

tear on the body, keeping you on edge, giving you heartburn and a

jumpy stomach, making it difficult for you to sleep soundly at night,

unbalancing your hormone levels, elevating your pulse rate, and

making you cranky and irritable. It also makes you more susceptible

to colds, flu, and more serious types of disease by lowering the efficiency 

of your immune system. If you factor in lifestyle choices such

as being overweight, drinking too much, poor nutritional habits,

and not exercising, you are only increasing the long-term effects of

stress, both physically and emotionally.

The trick is learning how both to manage stress and to raise your

stress threshold. Minor incidents add up over a long time until they

do as much damage to your mind and body as one major, traumatic

incident. If you don’t learn to release stress daily or find a way to

make it work for you over the long haul, eventually stress will make

you sick or even kill you. It will certainly rob your life of energy, joy,

motivation, and fulfillment.

Extra Shake Weight Exercises

Fitness IQ, LLC, the makers of the Shake Weight® dumbbell, released a 6-minute workout DVD to accompany their product. However, for extreme fitness enthusiasts and individuals already in good physical condition, the 6-minute workout may not be enough. In this article, you will find a simple description of the original exercises, modifications to add to their intensity, as well as six extra exercises to maximize the use of the dynamic inertia dumbell.

The Original Exercise, Intensified

First, let's begin by adding intensity to the original manufacturer-suggested exercise. The original exercises devised as part of the 6-minute workout are still valuable, and make up a crucial part of an overall extreme workout. The three exercises are:

1. Standing Chest Exercise
2. Standing Bicep Exercise
3. Standing Tricep Exercise

If these 3 basic exercises become too easy, try this modification. For the first 30-second set on each exercise, stand on the balls of your feet with your calves flexed (i.e. on your "tippy toes") and focus on stabilizing your balance while shaking the weight. For the second 30-second set, perform the motion while in a squat position. By changing your stance during the exercise you force your leg muscles to join in the benefit of the dumbbell's dynamic inertia.

The Extreme Exercise

In addition to the original exercises, we recommend extending the 6-minute workout with six new exercises that are far more intense and target a wider range of muscle groups-including legs and core. Here are six different exercises you can do with your Shake Weight:

1. Lunge Exercise
   
   While in a lunge position, hold the shake weight between your legs and shake side-to-side (parallel to the floor) while stabilizing your body with core muscles.


2. Standing Shoulder & Back Exercise
   
   Standing upright, hold the Shake Weight in an extended arm out to one's side and shake up-and-down (perpendicular to the floor).


3. Standing Isolated Bicep Exercise
   
   Standing upright, hold the Shake Weight in your bent arm. Holding your elbow fixed at your rib cage, shake the weight up-and-down.


4. Ab & Chest Exercise
   
   Lying on your back, raise your legs and shoulder blades off the floor in a static "crunch" position. Then, hold the Shake Weight in front of your chest and move in an oscillating motion (similar to the standard chest exercise).


5. Ab & Oblique Exercise
   
   In the same static crunch position, hold the Shake Weight with an overhand grip just above your waist line and shake side-to-side, stabilizing your body with core muscles.


6. Plank Bicep Core Exercise
   
   In a plank (push-up) position, hold the shake weight in one bent arm while supporting your body weight with the other extended arm. Shake the weight in similar style to a bicep exercise.

Randall Cook
Fitness Fanatic
Shake Weight Extreme
http://www.shakeweightextreme.com/shake-weight-exercises/ "Shake Weight" is a registered trademark of Fitness IQ, LLC

 Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6363302

Want To Lose Weight Without Stress? Try These Effective Weight Loss Tips

There is a lot of information out there on the best ways to slim down. As a result, many people are confused about what they should do. The article below shares practical advice for losing weight and keeping it off. While these are of course only a few suggestions, they should prove a good starting point.

Once you've eaten your breakfast, try only drinking water throughout the day. It's very healthy to drink water since it contains no sugar, fat, calories or artificial additives. It helps purify your body of unwanted chemicals and elements. Once breakfast is over, sticking to water only until your next meal will go a long way in helping you to lose weight.

Do not skip your meals. Make sure to consume three regular sized meals or five small meals each day. You can work in a snack here and there, but keep it small so that you still have room for your regular meals. This helps produce harmony to your body for top functionality.

A good way to stay motivated is to find a friend to pair up with during your weight loss journey. You can provide each other with encouragement and motivation when one of you gets lazy, and contact each other for support when tempted by the lure of unhealthy foods. Another person can also evaluate what went wrong if you fail, and possibly suggest an alternative strategy. You and your partners should also celebrate your progress.

Try using a pedometer to calculate how many steps you are taking each day when trying to shed some pounds. You should be taking at least 10,000 steps each day. If you are aware of how many steps you are taking you will be able to try to do more. Depending on your weight, walking 10,000 steps can burn anywhere from 250 to 600 calories, so every step you take gets you closer to reaching your target weight.

Keep a good variety throughout your dieting. This is an excellent way to help lose weight. Eating the same meals on a continual basis becomes monotonous and may cause you to lose your taste for them, thereby making it more difficult to maintain your weight loss regimen. Eat foods from all the food groups. Don't deprive yourself; just eat your favorite foods in moderation.

Maintain an exercise routine. Go out and join the neighborhood gym if you can afford to. There are lots of alternatives like jogging, Tai Chi or walking. If you have health issues, make sure that you consult a doctor before beginning a workout regimen. You can perform many different exercises at home during the day to stay healthy.

Make substitutions to change what you are eating. Examine your favorite high-calorie recipes and see what you can do so that they are healthier. Substitute the butter you use with vegetable oil spread. Rather than sour cream, use fat-free yogurt. Altering your foods can provide a fresh alternative and new addition to your meals.

Avoid food before going to bed. Stop eating at least 2 hours before your regular bedtime. If you must eat something, choose vegetables and water. There will be moments when you are unable to live by the 2 hour rule, however, do everything you can to keep those to a minimum. You are more likely to store fat when your body is not active.

Try using your leftovers from dinner to pack yourself a nice lunch. When you're making dinner, cook extra for the following day's lunch. You can create many different meals by making sandwiches with your leftovers. Leftovers are an easy solution to a healthy lunch.

Have a concrete plan in place to manage your stress. Stress is a major cause of obesity, as stress leads directly to emotional eating. Learn to cope with stress in healthy ways. Emotional eating is only a temporary coping mechanism, and it's important to replace it with activities that don't affect your health.

Thanks to the multitude of weight loss related tips that exist, weight loss can be confusing. Do not pick a complicated weight loss program, at first. Start with simple, healthy changes to your diet.

For more information on how you can shed those pounds without stress, visit http://rapidfatlossproduct.com

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