Stress can take its toll on your health

stress

Several studies have shown that stress, whether caused by your job, relationship, tragedy, or whatever else, can take its toll on your health.

It's likely tied to the fact that when you're stressed, cortisol is secreted. This is our ‘fight or flight’ reaction that evolved in humans to keep us alive when large animals were running after us as cavemen. But today a stressful job makes us feel like a lion is running after us 40 hours a week.

When cortisol is released it produces a quick burst of energy along with a lower sensitivity to pain. In caveman times the release of cortisol was replaced by a relaxation response so that cortisol wasn’t constantly flowing through the body. Too much cortisol for prolonged periods of time creates a slew of side effects like high blood pressure and lowered immunity. Stress can also lead to heart attacks, abdominal fat, strokes, and so much more.

Researchers from The Epidemiology and Public Health Research Center demonstrated why being vigilant about stress is so important. The study, reported on Science Daily, followed 7,268 people, asking them to fill out a questionnaire on their stress levels. The study, published in the European Heart Journal, asked participants a simple question:

To what extent do you consider the stress or pressure that you have experienced in your life has an effect on your health?

Participants could choose from “not at all,” “a little,” “moderately,” “a lot,” or “extremely.” Participants were later asked about stress levels and other things that might impact their health like smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity.

Researchers found that those who reported that their health was impacted “a lot” or “extremely” by stress were 2.12 times more likely to have or die as a result of a heart attack. Capacity for dealing with stress had a large impact.

According to Hermann Nabi on Science Daily, "the main message is that complaints from patients concerning the effect of stress on their health should not be ignored in a clinical environment, because they may indicate an increased risk of developing and dying of coronary disease. Future studies of stress should include perceptions of patients concerning the effect of stress on their health."

Top 5 Proven way to become more flexible

Flexibility is an important part of your workout routine, since stretching your muscle fibers helps increase your fitness level, prevent injury, and stay agile and well. These daily must-dos will help you become more flexible, whether you’re just trying to touch your toes or if you’re aiming to finally be able to do the splits.

Start in the morning. Wake up your body with a daily habit that will both energize you and help you become more flexible. These morning stretches you can do in bed are gentle and soothing enough to also do before bedtime. Since your muscles won’t be warmed up when stretching first thing in the morning, be sure you never push your body farther than is comfortable.

Target problem areas. Overall stretching should be part of your flexibility routine, but taking time to focus on your tightest areas is very beneficial. If you spend a good deal of the day sitting, for example, you should focus on shoulder- and hip-opening stretches to combat it. When targeting muscle groups, try to hold stretches for few minutes before switching sides but stop if the stretch becomes uncomfortable or painful.

Roll out. It’s not a secret that proper rolling techniques help loosen knots in the layer of soft connective tissue in your body (called the fascia) while also loosening tight muscles. Foam rollers are affordable and easy to use, so invest in one and do these essential foam roller exercises regularly to help you become more flexible.

Complement your workout. If you’re serious about becoming more flexible, add yoga or Pilates to your fitness routine. Both will help you stretch and strengthen all your muscles so that you’ll see results as you stick with it.

Don’t skip the cooldown. Post-workout stretches are important, especially if you’re a runner or cyclist, since these types of exercises can create tight joints. Open up your body and help increase your flexibility by never skipping out on your cooldown. All it takes is a few minutes of these post-workout stretches after every workout to help your body stay flexible.