Take a Chill Pill
(or how lifestyle really affects our stress levels)
Let’s face it. We are all stressed in some way. Stress can linger physically from something like a chronic knee injury, can challenge us emotionally or can even affect us internally in the form of a chemical imbalance. Whatever the cause may be, we need to analyze our own stressors to identify what exercises and lifestyle choices can get us back on track. Many of my ‘Type A’ clients always wonder: Why am I not fit if all I do is run around all day and hit the gym five times a week? The secret lies in your autonomic nervous system (ANS), which is primarily responsible for controlling your body to reach homeostasis.
The ANS is composed of primarily your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), the system responsible for rest/repair and build, and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) that prepares your body to react quickly in fight or flight situations. Those two systems are responsible for the stresses in our life. The PNS (the body’s brakes) serves us as a soother: without it, we’d never be able to get to rest, have proper digestion or be able to grow physically or psychologically. The SNS (the accelerator) on the other hand is our activation mechanism, which when dominant, shunts blood and attention away from our internal organs and into our muscles to facilitate action. The SNS system is dominant in all situations that increase our heart rate or blood pressure momentarily.
The challenge in today’s society is that the SNS system is activated most of the time in most individuals, thereby creating muscle tension, fatigued limbs and even a loss of sexual appetite. Financial stress, poor quality foods, emotional hardship, exercising too much or too little are the factors of an unbalanced lifestyle. Always being on the go (include excessive exercise) can lead us to weight gain and psychological fatigue. Often your body will rebel and let you know that you need to slow down, signaling you in the form of sickness or long-term ailments. So what is the answer for an overly dominant SNS?
Even though some types of stresses are good for us (by provoking growth and health) we need to identify the 6 physiological stressors that over activate the SNS in our lives:
Physical stress
Good: Active and healthy exercise that enables a balanced lifestyle
Bad: Suppression of immune system due to lack of exercise,too much active body tension or excessive exercise
Chemical Stress
Good: The right ingestion of vitamins/enzymes/proteins/fats
Bad: Synthetic foods (such as soft drinks) that cannot be neutralized in the body and therefore remain as toxins
Electromagnetic Stress
Good: Sunlight!
Bad: Overexposure/ underexposure to sunlight
Mental Stress
Good: Learning/studying/creating future plans
Bad: Taking on too much responsibility/ emotional hardships
Nutritional Stress
Good: Consuming then right amount of natural and nutritious foods
Bad: Overeating/eating too little
Thermal Stress
Good: Maintaining your core body temperature
Bad: Exposure to drastic changes in temperature
In order for us to reach homeostasis and proper functioning we need to recognize that sometimes running on a treadmill like a mad-man will not do us any good. If your body is already in PNS debt, is fatigued from stress at work, suffering from a sweet tooth, or is in distress from personal issues, then you are not physically ready for excessive energy output. To exercise excessively under these conditions could lead you into a downward spiral of unhealthy bodily functions and an unhappy mental state. So yes, if you are stressing about body image at the end of a stressful day at work, you are not doing anything to really help your body. You are just letting the SNS take over and drain you.
So, for those frazzled individuals out there: try a balanced fitness routine of meditation, light cardiovascular exercise and easy weight training. Do an energizing workout rather than a goal driven (half-maniac) workout. It’s not emasculating to do tai chi or meditation rather than hitting the boxing ring. Be gentle and give your body an active rest through slow and cautious exercise. Once you feel a sense of zest and readiness – go for that workout you want for yourself. The most important objective is that you feel good at the end of your workout and not worn out. Identify the triggers of your physiological stressors and do something to heighten your PNS. Once you reach homeostasis you’ll be happier and fitter!
For Questions/Advise and interest in personal training: ns@theartofbody.com / 08123 89 09 99
