Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

Lack of energy and stress are common these days. The toll that stress takes in our daily lives is scary and its long term consequences could be damaging, even lethal.

The University of Maryland Medical Center website indicates that “Stress can certainly influence the activity of the heart when it activates the automatic part of the nervous system that affects many organs, including the heart.”

There are three things we must do to battle stress:
- Exercise
- Eat healthy
- Learn to relax

I think about these basic and necessary things every single day. Yes, you may deviate from time to time by eating fast food or taking a day off from exercising, but you always have to come back to them.

The secret is to find a daily routine that works for you. If you try to abruptly change your lifestyle, it is likely that you will not succeed. For example, I love to lift weights, but you may not like that. Perhaps a daily walk works for you.

You don’t have to go “salad crazy”, but you can moderate what you eat and incorporate greens to your diet. MODERATION is key. If you have a few drinks every day, try to bring it down a notch. That doesn’t mean that you have to stop drinking.

One thing is for sure, stop smoking if you want to leave a long and healthy life.

Most people who are stressed out will find that learning to relax can be the most challenging part of this daily routine. I still find it difficult. One technique is to leave things where they belong. For example, at 5 PM when you go home from work, learn to leave office related issues in the office. Don’t take them home with you. If you don’t do that, any problems you had at the office will soon taint the relationship you have with your wife, children and friends. Shake it off.

Meditation can be extremely helpful as a relaxation tool. Even some simple breathing exercises can make a difference on your stress level.

Stress creates a vicious cycle on our daily life. We are stressed, consequently we are tired. We don’t feel like exercising. We eat comforting food to come down. We watch TV to take our mind “off things”, but we are unable to relax. We go to bed and start all over again next day.

I am not a doctor but this is common sense. If you don’t get off this ride, you will pay a hefty price.