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Rise Against Stress: A Health Call By Women Fitness for 2013

With the changing nature of work pattern and lifestyle, stress among women is going to be a major health concern in 2013. Women Fitness health team aims to help women fight those innumerable health issues at the grass root level by learning ways to overcome stress and better manage their lives in 2013.

Stress symptoms are affecting women health, without realization. You may think illness is to blame for that weight gain, your frequent insomnia or your decreased productivity at work. But a series of studies have highlighted stress as the primary culprit, especially among women who fail to follow a healthy lifestyle.




 

JWT Intelligence recently published data on stress as a serious health issue in 2013.   They clearly outlined  that stress is mounting around the globe and that governments, employers and brands alike will need to ramp up efforts to help prevent and reduce it in 2013.  According to the reports the issue is close to home for many: More than 6 in 10 know someone who�s developed a serious health issue due to stress, and more than 4 in 10 have experienced stress-related health problems themselves. Stress needs to be observed as a global epidemic, much like obesity.
 

Source: American Psychological Association's "Stress in America" report, 2010

Watching the Picture Closely

Too much stress puts wear and tear on your body and damages your health. According to Dr. Brent Bauer, director of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota  "We completely underestimate the severity of stress and the impact on our health, When you look at what stress does to us, it reduces our immune, it delays wound healing ... and raises the risk of heart disease."

• Weight gain is often associated with emotional eating and the too-busy-to-exercise lifestyles of people under chronic stress.

• Hormonal Imbalance: Elevated cortisol levels are observed in women under stress, cause insulin resistance and weight gain. Stress can threaten breast-health, in large part, because it disrupts the natural daily natural rhythm of circulating hormones.  Chronic levels of elevated cortisol weaken the ability of your immune system to fight disease, including not only breast cancer, but also high blood pressure, elevated blood glucose (linked with increased risk of weight gain and diabetes), and osteoarthritis.

• The "worry-hurry" habit leads to stress, and stress is the road to pain, as well as a leading contributor to number one killer, heart disease. Symptoms of stress include feelings of panic, knotted stomach, headache, pounding heart, inability to concentrate, nervous gestures, and insomnia, as well as the feeling that life is out of control.

• Kidney function is reduced as less blood is available to the kidneys.

• Muscle fibers contract to prepare for sudden movement.

• Tightened muscles stop urination and defecation.

• Complicate Pregnancy: Stress, tension and worrying may not only be pregnancy risk factors, but may also be the causative factors of unnecessary complications. It is recommended that women who are planning to have a baby read as much as they can about pregnancy and childbirth. This will help them identify any potential pregnancy risks and help them to learn how they can be avoided if possible.

• The pupils of the eyes dilate.

• The salivary glands stop secreting saliva and the mouth feels dry.

• Skin becomes pale as surface blood vessels contract to direct more blood to muscles.

Stress Management Strategies

Once your stress-inducing problems have been clearly identified. You can think out on a wide range of possible solutions, rejecting those that you know from experience do not work. Focus on the quality of the effort involved rather than the amount of the solution.

• Physical activity: Data from the Centers for Disease Control shows only 16 percent of women 65 or older exercised regularly in 1990, and this percentage decreases as we age. Exercise is an effective stress buster, re-energizing the body and acting as a safety valve for our roiling internal anxieties. Level of exercise recommended is equivalent to about 45 minutes of brisk walking or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise per day.

• Relaxation techniques: Relaxation helps reduce stress by distracting your mind from stress provoking thoughts. Besides various relaxation techniques help to counter effects of 'fight or flight' reaction. There are two main techniques and both are easily learned. Practice them either lying down or sitting a straight backed chair, with your feet flat and your hands relaxing on your laps. Spend 15 min on each - preferably after work or just before going to bed.

Progressive Muscular Relaxation (PMR) - close your eyes and direct your attention to each part of your body in turn. As you do so, tense the muscle of the area and hold for 5 sec, then release and totally relax the muscles. Concentrate on the sensation of warmth and heaviness you will experience for about 10 sec.

Deep Muscular Relaxation (DMR) - Use the same routine as for PMR, but without tensing. Focus only on relaxing by directing your attention to each set of muscles in turn, feeling them become weak and heavy.

• Meditation: This technique allow us to achieve a deep state of calmness and serenity while remaining alert. It also causes the oxygen requirement, breathing rate, heart rate and blood pressure to drop and help muscles to relax. There are different techniques including so-called 'Mindfulness' meditation and Visualization. For example imagine a pleasant, peaceful scene, such as sunny, deserted beach. Close your eyes and concentrate on all the color, smell and sounds. Put yourself in the picture in a relaxed position. Continue Imagining for 10-15 min. If practiced regularly, it can also lead to a more relaxed general view of life.

• Yoga: The diaphragm, according to yogic science, is the seat of the intelligence of the heart and the window to the soul. During stressful situations, however, when you inhale and exhale, the diaphragm becomes too taut to alter its shape. Yogic exercises address this problem by developing elasticity in the diaphragm, so that, when stretched, it can handle any amount of stress, whether intellectual, emotional, or physical. Yogic postures stretch the muscles and expand the joints. As a result circulation improves and toxins are drained away. Some useful practices which take only a short time are the head and neck movements.

• Tai chi:  Tai-chi uses calming, structured movements to counteract the stress of living in today�s fast society. An over-stressed mind makes errors and interferes with the healthy functioning of the body. Your mind and body will begin to rest thoroughly in the tranquil state that comes with Tai Chi practice. 
   

• A healthy diet:  A balanced diet based on cereals, fruits and vegetables can help provide body with all the essential nutrients necessary for survival. Deficiency of various vitamins and mineral can exhibit a number of symptoms which might lead to mental and physical stress. Be sure to drink eight glasses of water a day and always drink more than you think you need.

• Socializing: It shouldn�t be something to fear. It�s the antidote for all of the other stresses in your life.

• Reducing Conflict: Avoid confronting situations.

Your health is one of your greatest gifts -- do what you can to protect it. Lowering your stress level should be a priority in 2013.

Dated 17 December 2012

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