How to Keep Stress from Getting in the Way of Your Fitness

Transcription

1 How to Keep Stress from Getting in the Way of Your Fitness Relaxation Techniques to Manage Stress and Improve Your Physical and Mental Health By Drew Manning 1

2 Legal Notice: This ebook is copyright protected. This is only for personal use. You cannot amend, distribute, sell, use, quote or paraphrase any part of the content within this ebook without the consent of the author or copyright owner. Legal action will be pursued if this is breached. Disclaimer Notice: Please note the information contained within this document is for educational purposes only. Every attempt has been made to provide accurate, up to date and reliable complete information no warranties of any kind are expressed or implied. Readers acknowledge that the author is not engaging in rendering legal, financial or professional advice. By reading any document, the reader agrees that under no circumstances are we responsible for any losses, direct or indirect, which are incurred as a result of the use of the information contained in this document, including but not limited to errors, omissions, or inaccuracies. 2

3 Table of Contents Introduction..pg. #04 How Stress Can Prevent Weight Loss..pg. #05 Deep Breathing Relaxation Techniques...pg. #07 Mindfulness Meditation for Stress Relief.pg. #09 Getting Started with Yoga and Tai Chi..pg. #11 Including Stress Relief in Your Daily Routine.pg. #13 3

4 Introduction Do you suffer from chronic stress? Do you have trouble losing weight? These two issues are directly connected. Your ability to lose weight is tied to so many different bodily processes that nearly any deviation from the norm can impact your chances of weight loss this includes stress. Stress leads to overeating, slows your metabolism, and can prevent you from sticking to your fitness plans. If you don t want stress to get in the way of your fitness goals, then you need to learn to deal with this stress. The typical recommendation for dealing with stress is to get moderate exercise, spend time outdoors, and to eat healthy meals. But, when you re stressed out, it can be hard to accomplish any of those three recommendations. Instead, you should deal with the stress head on. This is achieved with the help of relaxation techniques and activities. Over the following pages, you ll learn more about the connection between stress and weight loss. And, you ll find several relaxation techniques that will help you get rid of the stress while also improving your ability to manage additional stress. With the right techniques, you can keep stress from getting in your way. Get started today 4

5 Chapter #1: How Stress Can Prevent Weight Loss Stress can get in the way of your fitness goals in numerous ways. It can limit your ability to lose weight, keep you from sticking to your workout plans, and even lead to overeating. First, you need to understand what happens to your body in moments of stress. When faced with a stressful situation, the fight or flight response is triggered. During this response, your body produces glycogen from your stored glucose, to energize your body. This release of energy, combined with increased cortisol levels, can lead to food cravings. If you suffer from chronic stress, then you may likely have trouble curbing your food cravings. In addition to these food cravings, the increased cortisol levels can directly limit your ability to lose weight. High levels of cortisol can lead to a reduction of muscle mass. This slows your metabolism, which limits the number of calories that you burn throughout the day. Your body begins storing extra fat, as a precaution. Your body is protecting you by preparing for additional stress. In addition to hormonal changes, stress can have an impact on your ability to stick to your plans. 5

6 When you re constantly stressed, it is harder to plan your meals, manage your time, and make healthy decisions. When you re stressed, you re more likely to order takeout than to prepare a healthy home-cooked meal. These factors can make it difficult to get the weight loss or fitness results that you want. With high cortisol levels, you have a direct obstacle that is keeping from achieving the body that you ve always wanted. So, if you ve tried eating a healthy diet or working out every day, without results, then stress could be to blame. What can you do to overcome this obstacle? You ll need to identify the cause of your stress. This is an important step. If you can identify the cause, then you can take steps to avoid future stress. If the stress is unavoidable, then you ll need to rely on the relaxation techniques presented in the following pages. This includes: Deep breathing techniques Mindfulness meditation Yoga and Tai Chi While these techniques can provide instant relief, they also increase your ability to manage future stress. You don t need to use all the techniques provided. But, you should at least try to include one of these techniques in your daily routine. 6

7 Chapter #2: Deep Breathing Relaxation Techniques The first technique that you should consider using is deep breathing. This is one of the easiest techniques to use and it doesn t require a lot of time. Why Should You Use Deep Breathing? Deep breathing allows you to inhale more oxygen. This helps slow your heart rate, relax your muscles, and lowers your blood pressure. It also helps increase the flow of oxygen to the brain, which is limited in times of stress. Basically, deep breathing gives you a chance to calm down and relax. Whether you perform this for a minute or several minutes, it will have an instant effect on your mood and stress levels. Deep breathing is also an essential part of other relaxation techniques. Whether you re meditating or performing Yoga, there is a focus on your breathing. How Can You Start Practicing Deep Breathing? Deep breathing can be practiced anywhere. You don t need any equipment. Though, you ll get better results if you can find a calm, quiet location. When you practice this technique, you should try to breathe from deep within your abdomen. You want to get more fresh air into your lungs, which is how you get more oxygen into your body. To get started, you should find a quiet spot and sit in a comfortable chair. If you have trouble with deep breathing while seated, then you can perform this technique while lying down. 7

8 When you are ready, place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Inhale through your nose. As you inhale, you should feel your stomach rising while the hand on your chest should remain still. Exhale through your mouth. Continue to exhale until you ve pushed all the air out of your lungs and contracted your stomach muscles. As you exhale, your stomach should move, but your chest should remain mostly still. Repeat this process. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. If your chest rises and falls, then you are not breathing from deep within your abdomen. You can perform this for several seconds or several minutes. This is a technique that you can use anywhere. You can practice your deep breathing while sitting at your work desk, while you are on a bathroom break, or anywhere else. Though, this method will be more effective if you can find a quiet spot that is mostly free of distractions. This is also a useful technique for instantly putting a hold on stress or anger as it arises. The moment that you feel stressed or angered, simply take a moment to pause and breathe deeply for one or two breaths. This alone is often enough to calm your mind and prevent the stress or anger from taking root. Deep breathing is a simple solution for dealing with stress. But, sometimes it s not quite enough to calm your thoughts. While you re inhaling and exhaling, your mind could still be focused on the cause of your stress. If this is the case, then you should try one of the next two techniques. Along with offering the same benefits as deep breathing, they can help take your mind off your worries 8

9 Chapter #3: Mindfulness Meditation for Stress Relief The next technique is mindfulness meditation. With this form of meditation, you will use deep breathing as a tool to help you clear your thoughts. Mindfulness meditation can help you become more focused on the present, instead of worrying about the past or future. This will work best in a quiet room without distraction. Why Should You Use Mindfulness Meditation? Some people are hesitant to try meditation. They think of it as a holistic practice with no real value. The truth is, it is a simple technique for helping to calm your mind and relax your body. Also, this form of meditation doesn t require the use of a mantra or introspective thinking. You are simply clearing your mind. You can get started with just a few minutes of meditation. In fact, you should keep your meditation to under 5 minutes, until you ve gotten used to this technique. As with most things, you can increase your chances of success by taking small steps instead of diving right in. Start with several minutes of mindfulness meditation. As you get better at managing your thoughts, you can extend the duration of your meditation. When meditating, you should find a comfortable spot, such as a chair. You should also keep your spine straight. Some people prefer to sit on the floor with 9

10 their legs crossed. The position is less important if you can sit up straight. This helps with the breathing. How Do You Get Started with Mindfulness Meditation? To get started, sit in a comfortable spot and begin breathing naturally. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. You should make a conscious effort to breathe naturally. But, you don t need to breathe deeply. Just allow the air to flow in through your nose and out through your mouth. Focus on your breathing. Your belly should rise and fall. As you meditate, random thoughts will likely enter your mind. This could include thoughts related to the situation that is stressing you out. Whether it s a positive or negative thought, you should acknowledge the thought without judging it. Simply recognize the thought and then allow it to go away. If you have trouble letting the thoughts drift away, return your focus to your breathing. That is the basic idea of mindfulness meditation. As thoughts enter your mind, let them pass. You don t ignore them, but you also don t give them your focus. At first, this may be difficult, which is why this is a practice. You need to stick with it. Try to meditate for several minutes each day, slowly increasing the duration of your meditation. Over time, it will get easier to recognize thoughts without dwelling on them a skill which can be carried over into the real world. With practice, you can become better equipped to not let stress get to you in the first place. 10

11 Chapter #4: Getting Started with Yoga and Tai Chi The next technique for relaxation is exercise. More specifically, there are two forms of moderate exercise that you can consider using. Yoga and Tai Chi. These methods share similar benefits. Why Should You Use Yoga or Tai Chi? Yoga and Tai Chi are both useful methods for reducing stress. They help enhance your mood and can have a positive impact on your physical health. Both practices require you to use various poses. This gets your body up and moving which improves blood circulation and the flow of oxygen to your brain. This brings the same benefits offered by deep breathing and mindfulness meditation. Though, with Yoga and Tai Chi, you may find it easier to forget your worries and to focus on the present. Focusing on the various poses gives your mind a distraction which can be more effective than trying to force yourself to focus on your breathing. How to Get Started with Yoga? There are different types of Yoga routines and Yoga classes that you can use. Almost all these methods use steady movement, gentle stretching, and deep breathing. 11

12 Hatha yoga and Satyananda are the two most common types of yoga practiced by beginners. There are several options for practicing Yoga. You can find a local Yoga class, watch a Yoga DVD or online video, or you can hire a private teacher. Whichever option you choose, you should make a commitment to include this in your weekly routine. You should try to practice Yoga several times throughout the week. Most Yoga routines will last between 30 and 60 minutes. If you want to try it for yourself, you should go online and search for yoga for stress relief videos. You can find these online and follow along as if you were in a Yoga class. How to Get Started with Tai Chi? Tai Chi is like Yoga in several ways. Both practices require gentle, steady movements. Though, with Tai Chi, the poses resemble martial arts moves performed at slow speeds. In fact, Tai Chi has its roots in martial arts. It is a low-impact, relaxing exercise that may be more suitable for people with joint problems or injuries. You don t need to bend your body into various poses as you would with Yoga. But, you are getting your body up and moving around. As with Yoga, you can find online videos for Tai Chi. Though, it s best practiced in a synchronized group like you may see at public parks. Search local community centers, community colleges, and senior centers in order to find information on local Tai Chi groups. 12

13 Chapter #5: Including Stress Relief in Your Daily Routine Time can be a major stress factor. When you re pressed for time, it s easy to get stressed out and not put aside time for yourself. But, sometimes you need to slow down and take a moment to focus on your mental and physical health. Even if you don t feel that you have any time available, you can squeeze in one or two of the techniques discussed. Yoga and Tai Chi will require more of your time, but they aren t the only options presented. Deep breathing is a technique that only requires a few seconds to get started. Meditation can be completed in several minutes. If you are pressed for time, then start with one of these two options. The amount of time that you devote to your relaxation techniques doesn t matter in the beginning. The goal is to get in the habit of using these techniques each day or several times per week. If you take it slow, you increase your chances of success. In fact, as soon as you finish reading this you should try the deep breathing technique. Even if you just do it for a few seconds at least you re moving in the right direction. Every week or two, you should try to extend the amount of time that you give to these relaxation techniques. If you keep at it you will get results. As a final tip don t use these techniques while you re sleepy. You ll get the greatest benefits if you perform these techniques while you re fully awake. 13