It’s not just your head at work when you’re under stress; it is actually a full-body event. It may be caused by the dog that won’t go outside when it’s cold, shopping a big box store on Sunday or cleaning your car that never gets done.

Stress causes the body to increase its production of hormones such as epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol. The problem is high levels of these hormones are linked to a variety of health problems such as weight gain and disruptions in the body’s blood sugar levels. More importantly it is how we assess a situation that often determines our stress level. For example, if your adult daughter snaps at you, it’s fair to say she is either unhappy with you or she’s just having a bad day.  If she’s just having a bad day that shouldn’t make you upset. You need to be in the right frame of mind to figure it out.

Cognitive behavioral therapy as well as muscle relaxation can decrease the levels of these stress hormones. Here is one way to stay cool.
First, tense your muscles and then relax them. There are variations but the idea behind progressive muscle relaxation is to consciously tense one group of muscles, such as your feet or thigh muscles, for about 10 seconds then let them fall limp.  Work your way up from your feet to your head and neck and notice how the complete relaxation feels.

Start practicing this muscle relaxation once or twice a day, for 30 seconds, when you feel your muscles tensing, your heart racing or your palms sweating. You can work up to 30 of these daily mini practices. Soon it will transform from an exercise to a habit that helps you stay upbeat and productive during your day.

If there are offers of mindfulness-based stress reduction classes in your area, you may want to consider taking them.  At least check them out.

To your success at healthy aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

I’ve known for a long time that when I’m in a funk, down in the dumps or just in a lousy mood, a quick 20 minute walk/jog or even 10 minutes on the treadmill or running up and down the stairs 5 times will help get me through the temporary blues. (I do admit, however, the stair piece doesn’t work so well.)  Now the experts are saying the mood boost associated with a moderate aerobic workout can last a long time ever after you take off your walking shoes.

I’m smiling to myself as I write this post because I’m thinking of all the time, money and energy spent on arriving at this conclusion and they could have just asked me!

But now it’s official, friends. But here’s something I didn’t know. I never really thought about it but I assumed that this boosted good feeling only lasted for a short time. Now we’re being told that rather than fading after an hour or so, the beneficial effects of physical activity on mood begin as soon as a person exercises and may last as long as 12 hours afterwards. “Post-exercise glow” were the words in the report presented May 2009 at the American College of Sports Medicine’s Annual Meeting. The research was carried out at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Depression Clinical and Research Program.

Apparently, exercise helps to relieve stress by releasing endorphins and other good hormones that elevate our mood. What is of particular interest is that even in moderate amounts, exercise can be very helpful in preventing emotional problems. All of which is a very good thing because we face enough physical and mental challenges as we get older and can certainly do without the emotional glitches.

To your success at healthy aging.

Ruthan Brodsky