We all have stress to one degree or another.

Work, finances, health, relationships, you name it.

Stress is everywhere in our modern society.

Learning how to manage, however,  can mean a healthier, longer life.

Mainstream medicine is finally making the connection between your emotions and your health.

Shyam Prabhakaran, M.D., head of cerebrovascular disease and neurocritical care at Rush University Medical Center confirms this in a recent article stating “Now we’re realizing how interwoven emotions and [diseases] are.”

In some ways, I think we all know stress is bad. What’s surprising though, is just how bad.

For example did you know stress raises your blood pressure and makes your blood stickier?

This makes for a perfect recipe for a blood clot which can lead to a stroke.

And consider this:

A recent National Institute On Aging study found that people who were aggressive and angry most of the time  had thicker carotid arteries than those who were more calm and easygoing.

If severe enough, a thickened carotid artery may clot and block blood-flow to the brain.

So the lesson to be learned?

Relax. Eliminate as much stress as you can in your life.

Here are a 4 great ways to do that:

1. Take up a meditative practice. Yoga is a great choice. You’ll work on your flexibility and strength – all while relaxing! Other choices include Tai Chi or traditional meditation.

2. Breathe. Believe it or not, deep breathing is a great stress reliever you can use at any time. Simply take a deep breath in through your nose. Hold your breath for a count of 3 and then slowly exhale through the mouth. Do this at least 5 times next time you start feeling anxious or worried.

3. Exercise. Working out is a proven stress-reliever. As you work out, your body releases endorphins, those “feel good” hormones that will brighten up your day and let you toss your worries aside.

4. Put things in perspective. Sometimes all you need to relieve a little stress is to realize that the problems or situation may not be as bad as you think. Socrates wrote to this very point, expressing that if all our misfortunes were laid in one common heap, where each had to take an equal portion, most would be content to take their own.”

Constant stress seems like the norm in today’s world. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Take some time out to relax … reduce your worry … and enjoy life a little more each day.

And by the way … if you’re stressing about your health, why not take advantage of your FREE Week of personal training.

During this week, you’ll receive detailed information on how to get fit and trim and execute a fitness program that’s tailored to YOUR body. It’s the worry and stress-free way to get fit this year.There’s no obligation and it’s totally and completely free. To sign up, click here.

The New Year is underway and everyone is thinking about their resolutions.

The most common?

To get in shape. Today, I’d like to share with you the BIGGEST secret that will help you achieve your fitness resolutions, no matter how big they are.

Whether you’re looking to get a set of six pack abs … or to gain tons of muscle … or just get fit enough so you can be healthy well into your golden years … this secret will make it possible.

What is it? It’s the secret of mindset.

Now before you think to yourself, “oh I’ve heard this already”, hear me out.

Rarely anyone talks about the mental aspect of achieving your ideal body. Yet it’s the MOST critical component.

Because without the right mindset, chances are you won’t accomplish your body transformation goals.

In fact, a slew of new research is PROVING how important your mindset is to your health and fitness.

Harvard University researchers conducted a study involving over 80 hotel room cleaning attendants.

These folks were from seven different hotels. The attendants were split into two groups.

The first group was told how beneficial to their health their line of work was. After all, many of them cleaned at least 15 rooms per day.

This first group was also informed of how many calories they burned each day. Plus, they were given a handout to look at on a daily basis that showed them how many calories each activity they did burned (i.e. vacumming, scrubbing, changing sheets, etc).

The second group was not informed of how many calories their work burned. Also, they were not told that their line of work was in fact very good exercise for their body.

Researchers made sure that the lifestyles of these cleaning attendants stayed the same. Meaning, that they didn’t start changing their exercise or eating habits at home. Also, hotel managers made sure that the attendants all had the same workload.

The result?

The cleaning attendants in the first group (those that were told how many calories they burned, etc) lost a significant amount of weight. In addition to the weight loss, they also lowered their blood pressure, and decreased their body mass index (BMI).

The second group (the ones that weren’t told about the health benefits of their job) showed ZERO improvement.

Weird, huh!?

It just goes to show how important your mindset is.

Another study published in the “Journal of Physiology” decided to test out this mind-body connection theory.

They got two groups of people. One group was given what they were told was an “energy drink.” They were also told that this energy drink WOULD in fact improve their strength and performance while working out.

The second group was given an identical energy drink. However, they were NOT told about the drink’s strength and performance benefits.

The result?

Those in the first group actually DID improve their strength and performance.

The second group however, showed no improvement.

The connection is clear. In order to achieve your best body, you’ve got to have the right mindset.

Otherwise, you’ll be heading upstream, without a paddle.

So how do you get this mindset?

The easiest way is to do visualization.

Imagine every day that you have achieved your ideal body. Get into the feeling of it. Clearly see how good you look.

Look at your definition. Feel how energetic you would feel.

Do this everyday, a few times per day.

And as you eat clean and train hard, imagine that everything you’re doing, day-by-day, is getting you one step closer to your dream physique.

Before you know it, you’ll have achieved a body you love and others envy!

Once you’ve got your mindset down, you’ll also need a good nutrition and exercise program.

That’s why if you haven’t already, I highly recommend you take advantage of your FREE Week of Personal Training .

During this week, you’ll receive detailed information on how to get fit and trim, execute an exercise program that’s tailored to YOUR body and experience our one-on-one personal training. You won’t be disappointed!

There’s no obligation and it’s totally and completely free. To get started, click here.

Body fat comes in two varieties. There’s subcutaneous fat, a noticeable layer of fat that lies just below the skin, and then there’s visceral fat, which is buried beneath the muscles. Visceral fat is the more worrisome variety because it surrounds vital organs and is metabolized by the liver, which turns it into blood cholesterol.
Visceral fat can go largely unnoticed because it’s not visible to the naked eye. In fact, the only effective way researchers can locate visceral fat is by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which uses magnetic waves to take a picture of the inside of the abdomen. Researchers can use this picture to estimate the amount of visceral fat a person is carrying.
What Causes Visceral Fat?
Your genetic makeup is between 30% and 60% responsible for the amount of visceral fat you carry. Nevertheless, research shows that both your diet and your level of physical activity contribute to your level of visceral fat. People who consume large amounts of saturated fat and people who perform little or no physical activity are likely to have high stores of visceral fat.
Short of talking a physician into performing an MRI on your abdomen, how do you know how much of this unhealthy fat you have? Check your waistline. A trim waistline is a good indicator that you don’t have a large buildup of visceral fat.
Getting Rid of Visceral Fat
Research shows that people whose diets contain polyunsaturated fats in place of saturated fats have less visceral fat. Polyunsaturated fats are found in high concentrations in sunflower, corn, and soybean oils, as well as in fish. Also, just exercising moderately—doing things such as walking, swimming, or playing tennis—on most days of the week will help you prevent visceral fat from accumulating. What’s even better is that doing regular bouts of vigorous exercise can markedly reduce the amount of visceral fat you already have.
Building muscle—through weight lifting or other resistance exercises—will help, too. Muscle burns calories and helps you maintain your metabolic rate. The more muscle you have, the bigger your body’s engine, and the more likely you will be to burn fat
Once adipocytes get the signal from hormones and release fat into the bloodstream, they shrink just like a balloon that you let air out of. When they shrink, so does your body fat. But if you eat excess fat once you’ve shrunk your adipocytes, chances are it will find its way right back to the adipocyte, and once again you’ll gain fat.
No matter how much physical activity you do, adipocytes never shrink so much that they disappear entirely. Like a balloon that you let all the air out of, you’re always left with some remnant. The only way to totally remove adipocytes from your body is with a surgical procedure such as liposuction or excision. But even with these procedures, if you go back to eating excess fat, you’ll put all the fat back on.
The physical activity recommendation for improving health is to accumulate 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, if not all, days of the week.

Article was taken from http://www.womenfitness.net/visceral_fat.htm

Experts have recommended high-impact aerobic exercise as a means for increasing bone mass, but a review of 24 studies on aerobic exercise and bone mineral density in women suggests that walking just 30 minutes per day a few days a week is enough to moderately increase overall bone density.A team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in Boston analyzed studies that followed predominantly sedentary women assigned to aerobic exercise programs lasting 16 weeks or more.Walking was the preferred form of exercise by most participants. Compared to non-exercisers, the regular exercisers increased their bone mass by about two percent.Exercise helps strengthen bones because it forces them to bear weight, which is why high-impact exercise elicits even greater gains in bone density.The fact that walking and other low-impact activities are also beneficial, however, is particularly encouraging given that many women find high-impact exercise painful or difficult to master.Experts recommend women follow a program that combines both aerobic activity and weight training, which also increases bone mass, to lower their risk of developing osteoporosis.

Source: Annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, October 24, 2001.

http://www.acefitness.org/healthandfitnesstips/healthandfitnesstips_display.aspx?itemid=201

Balance is based in total wellness, and total wellness is more than just emotional health or physical fitness. The 7 Aspects—Emotional, Physical, Intellectual, Social, Environmental, Occupational and Spiritual—encompass every square inch of your life, and practicing positive habits in each of these areas will help you find total wellness.

Emotional Wellness is the life area that involves your internal landscape—your personal thoughts and feelings. How you cope with stress is a huge component of your Emotional Wellness and has a big effect on your sense of mental balance. As you explore your Emotional Wellness, you journey into self-discovery. This means getting comfortable with who you are by building positive self-esteem and learning about emotional self-care. Basically, when you’re comfortable in your own skin, you don’t get knocked down as easily by the frustrations of daily life.

Physical Wellness focuses on finding optimum physical fitness. When you hear the term “physical fitness,” you may envision hours spent working out and eating nothing but salad. That might be Physical Wellness for some, but it doesn’t have to mean that for you! While exercise and eating healthy foods are part of the Physical Wellness equation, so are adequate rest and hygiene. Physical Wellness isn’t about having the “perfect” body. In fact, at times the drive for physical perfection can create emotional and physical imbalance. Physical Wellness means living a lifestyle based on habits that support healthy bodily function and longevity.

Intellectual Wellness helps you fall back in love with life and sparks your imagination. It isn’t “school.” It’s learning for learning’s sake, about whatever you want to discover. Reading, visiting museums, watching television shows and movies on interesting topics, writing and creating your own art are all keys to balance in the aspect of Intellectual Wellness. From finding hobbies to learning new, practical skills, the words to keep in mind when working toward Intellectual Wellness include “exploration,” “wonder,” and “discovery.”

Social Wellness is about relationships. Friendships, family, romance, and how you treat the cashier at the grocery store are all aspects of your Social Wellness. Social Wellness involves your ability to foster intimacy in relationships while maintaining supportive boundaries; respecting the needs of others, as well as balancing a social life with personal responsibilities. When your Social Wellness is in order, you feel both supportive and supported. Social Wellness is about the give and take that occurs in healthy relationships so that everyone feels nurtured and loved.

Environmental Wellness is probably the most overlooked wellness aspect of the seven. You might not realize how much of an effect your environment plays in your sense of balance, but your mood is heavily influenced by the people, places, and things around you. When your space is clean and clutter free, you feel better. You also feel better when you connect with nature and care for your natural environment. Acts of caring, whether extended to your personal surroundings or the world at large, create simultaneous feelings of self-care.

Occupational Wellness is something we all deal with. Even if you’re in school or a stay-at-home mom, you have an occupation. Discovering Occupational Wellness means exploring our true purpose and calling in life, learning to cope with work stress, working toward our goals, and finding a career that lines up with our ultimate dreams. Your occupation is what you’ll spend most of your time doing, so you want it to feel meaningful. This requires taking directed steps to get in touch with who you are and what you want from your chosen career.

Spiritual Wellness has an enormously broad definition. We each have our own, individual spiritual journey, and Spiritual Wellness deals with how we seek meaning and purpose in life, our connection with the universe, and a relationship with a higher power, if we so choose. You can explore Spiritual Wellness as part of a faith-based community, but it’s not necessary. Spiritual Wellness means clarifying your beliefs and values so that you can truly live by them.

If you focus on each of the 7 Aspects of Wellness, you’ll find balance and feel better!

This information was taken from

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Finding_Balance_With_The_7_Aspects_of_Wellness.html