Will Everyone Have A Life Coach In The Future?

Date: December 31, 2009
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Uncategorized
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Personal development has become so popular. It was only a decade ago, that people never heard of personal development. And life coaches? The only coach most people knew was the one for the favorite sport team. In this article, we will look at life coaching, and the trends towards to future.
When we look at personal development, self improvement, and life coaching, we find they fit together. A life coach generally deals with a system of improving the individual, so they can change the results.
You see, most people don’t think with that expanded view. Instead we are taught that we need to work harder to make better results. However, that is old thinking, and it looks like the world is waking up.
If we look at the personal development films around today, we see The Secret and many other films which would have been unheard of a decade or two ago. This has made a major shift in how people go through life.
More and more people are learning the benefits of personal development. The internet has supported this also. A few years ago, getting access to this great free information would have been unheard of. You may have had a magazine or two, and books, but those weren’t as accessible as going to Google and finding that information.
This has made more high achievers to look for life coaches online. And the life coaches have had a hard time finding unique individuals like you who wants to get more out of life – both professionally and personally.
This fusion has all come together to create a new industry of life coaches. And the trends speak for themselves. As more people want to get ahead in a competitive world, they need a life coach.
As the internet allows a life coach to easily gain access to those high achievers, they don’t have to charge expensive fees to cover traveling costs, and also they don’t have to have as big a marketing budget to get a client. This works best for you, and the life coach, creating a win-win situation.
Some of those in personal development are looking at a route to become a life coach. You perhaps may be in such a position yourself. And the life coaching industry now has more and more life coach certification and life coaching training that is making it easy to get into life coaching, and start your own practice.
The end result of life coaching is its impact. And the impact that life coaching can do is immense. It allows people to learn at a much faster rate. You don’t have to be stuck in a formal learning method, but can simply get help in the areas you need, and find the solutions you need now.

5 Tips for Mental Balance From a Psychotherapist

Date: December 31, 2009
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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Living doesn’t really need to be such a battle. As soon as we let go of just a few old thought habits, things are likely to become a whole lot easier. Here are just a few things you can do in order to maintain good mental balance: 1. Let Go of the Need to Be Right – Is working ourselves up into a state of needless excitement simply because of a need to prove we were right anything other than an exercise in frustration and futility? If only we had been able to take a small step backwards and look at the situation in a calmer, less egotistical manner, then perhaps we might have been able to see – and to react – a little differently. After all, what have we really accomplished by always being right? Does it really bring respect, or does it simply breed resentment? Simply by giving up the burning need to be always right, we free ourselves – and others – to get on with the really useful and productive things in life. We may play being the know-it-all, but who really likes a know-it-all? A little inner humility goes a long way in the mental balance department. 2. Let Go of Being Perfect – Understand that being excellent does not mean being perfect. Sometimes it’s easy to demand too much of ourselves. If we imagine that we need to be perfect because this means that we cannot be criticised, then we need to do some serious work on self-acceptance. Don’t waste your time attempting to make something absolutely perfect. It really is far more effective and useful to finish a task in a timely manner than it is to spend forever in a futile attempt to be perfect. There really is no point in dragging things on forever trying to get it perfect. Do your very best and then move on. Do this often enough and your best – and you – will just keep on getting better in a natural, progressive and balanced manner. 3. Let Go of Trying – And start doing. This is where those advertising people working for Nike were on the money: What a wonderful slogan! ‘Just Do It!’ With that attitude we pretty much guarantee positive results. And, of course, mental balance is all in the attitude. The problem with trying, as opposed to doing, is that whenever we try, we set ourselves up to fail. You didn’t try to open this page, you just did it. You didn’t try to get out of bed, you just did it. We give ourselves excuses when we merely try. Lying to ourselves about ourselves and making excuses for ourselves really isn’t the best way to achieve mental balance: We need to get honest. We either do it or we don’t. It really is that simple. The choice is simple: either we act or we don’t. Did I mention simple? When we allow ourselves to let go of trying, then we allow ourselves to begin doing. And doing allows us to move forward and grow. Set goals and start achieving them — go on, just do it! 4. Let Go of Mistakes – We can learn from our successes and learn from our mistakes too – and then we need to move on. Every single experience we ever have contains some kind of lesson – even the ones we don’t get right – if only we allow ourselves to see and learn. Mistakes are there, after all, to be learned from, which is why they’re called ‘successive approximations’ in the language of psychology. Each time we make a mistake it’s an opportunity to learn to get it right. Dwelling on our mistakes and beating ourselves up for them is a futile pursuit. Take the lesson and move forward. A well balanced self is a self that uses and is guided by life’s lessons. Such an attitude leads to a life full of excellence – and mental balance. 5. Let Go of the Past – The past is there for a myriad of reasons – to instruct and inform, for example – but it is not meant to be lived in. To do so robs us of all we ever really have: Now. When we catch ourselves continually spending time in the past, then maybe we need to think about working with a professional who can help us come to terms with and move on from the past. Each one of us has a past and each one of us has gone through experiences that were difficult and unfair. Because of this, each one of us has the need to forgive. Failure to do this makes us prisoners to the past. And if forgiveness seems just a bit too difficult at the moment, at least consider that anger and resentment does not hurt the person or people who have hurt us – they just keep us in chains to them. Letting go of the past usually involves finding a way to forgive – and don’t forget, this means forgiving ourselves, too. Do this and we truly will live in a state of real mental balance and inner peace.

Depression Hypnotherapy

Date: December 30, 2009
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Uncategorized
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Depression, as understood within depression hypnotherapy, is not a passing low mood, nor is it a sign of personal weakness or a condition that sufferers can spontaneously “snap out of”. It can destroy lives – not only the life of the sufferer themselves, but also the lives of those close to them.

Depression comes in many different forms, and from a wide range of causes. Some types of depression run in families, indicating genetic pre-disposition or psychosocial conditioning. Other forms can be triggered by organic causes, as a reaction to medication, a chemical imbalance, or result from interpretations of past experiences.

The cost of depression in human suffering cannot be over stated. People with depression typically demonstrate persistant sad or anxious moods, experience low self-confidence, negative thoughts, feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, emptiness, guilt and worthlessness. They often display a loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyed, demonstrate increased fatigue, have difficulty concentrating, remembering and making decisions. In extreme cases, depression can result in thoughts of death or suicide.

At a physical level, depression can affect sleep, either difficulty in getting to sleep, early-morning awakening, or a desire to oversleep. It can also affect the appetite leading to weight loss or weight gain. Long term depression tends to lower the immune system and typically results in persistent symptoms such as headaches, digestive disorders and even chronic pain.

But much of this suffering is unnecessary. Appropriate treatment can help most people who suffer from depression. In Western societies, 7 to 12 per cent of men experience diagnosable depression, and 20 to 25 per cent of women. But, many people with depression do not recognise that it is a treatable illness, and so endure life without receiving help. The first step to getting appropriate treatment is to seek medical advice. Treatment choice will then depend on the outcome of that medical evaluation.

Depression hypnotherapy, a very specific and enduringly effective form of ‘talking therapy’, has been shown to be a highly effective treatment for overcoming depression and helping people find lasting emotional well-being.

Christine Woolfenden, clinical hypnotherapist of Echelon Associates Hypnotherapy Practice (www.echelonassociates.co.uk) employs depression hypnotherapy to help individuals understand the source of their own unique emotional difficulties. Hypnosis is used to encourage relaxation, to focus the attention and then to identify and explore the causes, de-sensitise memories of the past, address the symptoms, and control the physical, emotional and cognitive responses to the triggers as they present themselves in the individual’s life.

Depression hypnotherapy offers people the opportunity to identify and develop their own inner resources to lead a more positive, emotionally fulfilling life, counteracting the negative physical side effects of depression, rationalising self-defeating thoughts and beliefs, re-programming the mind and body to respond positively to situations, people and events, turning problems into goals, building self-confidence and feelings of self-worth along the way.

Chris responds to her clients with integrity and respect, taking a compassionate yet goal directed approach to applying depression hypnotherapy to facilitate lasting emotional health.

Stress Hypnotherapy

Date: December 30, 2009
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Uncategorized
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Stress, in the form of pressure, can be useful. It can focus the mind, improve motivation and, ultimately, lead to goal attainment. In this positive light it tends to be referred to as ‘ustress’. But, excessive pressure over prolonged periods of time can lead to feelings of distress.

Stress can be result from any number and combination of sources such as work demands, insecurities, change and uncertainties, long-term pain or ill-health, family expectations and financial concerns.

No one person’s cause is quite the same as the next. People interpret and react to things differently; what one person might consider an exciting challenge, another might find altogether overwhelming. Whether a person will react negatively or not to specific situations, people or events, depends largely upon their life experiences; what has happened to them in the past, how they have interpreted those events, and, most importantly of all, the nature of the emotions around the stored memories of those events.

Too much stress experienced over prolonged periods of time can be damaging both physiologically and psychologically. Individual’s body responses to stress (the fight and flight response) tend to vary, but typically people are left feeling physically tense, unable to sleep, out of control, feeling helpless, unable to cope and vulnerable to ill-health. Often emotions, perceptions of self-confidence and feelings of self-worth are also negatively affected, ultimately influencing choices and behaviour.

Christine Woolfenden DCH DHP reg. GHR, clinical hypnotherapist of Echelon Associates Hypnotherapy Practice (Charlbury, Oxfordshire) offers a holistic approach to helping individuals manage stress more effectively; the Stress Hypnotherapy Treatment Programme.

At the outset, the individual’s unique situation is assessed to identify and explore the causes, symptoms and triggers of stress as they are experienced. The physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioural ramifications of that stress are investigated in depth.

The Stress Hypnotherapy Treatment Programme employs deep relaxation hypnosis to lower the physical stress response and counteract the damaging side effects of stress, easing away tension to allow the body the opportunity to rest and repair and so operate optimally. By anchoring the physical and psychological sensations of deep relaxation, people are taught how to re-create those feelings whenever desirable or necessary. Direct positive suggestion and post hypnotic suggestion are used to re-educate the cognitive response to stress, and to instil alternative, more effective ways of dealing with specific stressors as they arise, so extending the ustress comfort zone.

Memories from the past that are interfering with the present are re-visited and re-framed so that the emotional and cognitive influence on the present and future are de-sensitised.

The Stress Hypnotherapy Treatment Programme also applies techniques such as mental rehearsal, creative imagery, future pacing and pseudo-orientation in time to reduce stress, build confidence and boost self-esteem.

At Echelon Associates, Christine Woolfenden www.echelonassociates.co.uk offers a Stress Hypnotherapy treatment programme to promote positive physical and psychological change in response to perceived stress in an individual’s life.

Don’t Stress – Decompress

Date: December 29, 2009
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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By: M. Affeld

We live in a chaos filled world with commitments, family and professional pressures, personal challenges and seemingly overwhelming obstacles. Most days we manage. We think, if I can just get through next Thursday, next month or make it through the winter gray days I can get my life together. But time passes, the days race by and suddenly your life is rushing up at you. When the burden feels too heavy, we feel depleted and unable to meet the many demands placed upon us and we experience stress. In moderation, stress is actually a good thing. Stress motivates us to stay focused and alert and increases our productivity. One type of stress, eustress, is actually a necessary part of a balanced, meaningful life. Eustress is the type of stress we experience when falling in love, riding a roller coaster or participating in a risky activity or extreme sport. Eustress adds spice and flavor to our experiences, making us feel vital and alive. Problems arise when life’s demands exceed our limitations and negates our ability to cope. This type of stress is called distress and can become an ominous threat to both our emotional and physical well-being. Stress impacts not only our bodies, but our thoughts, emotions, relationships and behavior. When we feel threatened, whether for our personal safety or our emotional equilibrium, our bodies rapidly respond – we are ready for “flight or fight”. Stress is both a physiological and psychological reaction to events that disturb our personal sense of balance. Alarming experiences, either real or imagined, can trigger a stress reaction. When danger is sensed, the body’s defenses activate automatically with a wave of over 1400 reactions including the dumping of a huge variety of stress hormones, including adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine, into our systems. These chemicals race through our bloodstream, readying us to quickly react to the perceived danger. We have all experienced a response to stress: rapid pounding or fluttering heartbeat, shallow breathing, blood pressure soars, muscles tensing up with anxiety and all our senses on full alert. It isn’t pleasant and is often terrifying. We feel out of control, spiraling downward, bracing for what can only be a dreadful crash. This primal “flight or fight” response is experienced by everyone who encounters stress although the threshold that puts us in distress varies from person to person; what bothers me may not bother you, what frightens me, you may meet with confidence and assurance. For primitive man this response was life saving in that it enhanced his ability to react to danger and physical challenges. In response to stress, heart rate and blood pressure escalate to increase the flow of blood to the brain to improve decision making, clotting occurs more rapidly to prevent blood loss and blood sugar rises to furnish additional fuel for energy. These and many more automatic changes in our bodies persist as long as the threat continues. When the danger passes our bodies return to normal. Modern day stress tends to be insidious, more persistent and pervasive that our ancestors experienced. Contemporary stress most often originates from psychological rather than physical threats; however, our bodies do not recognize the difference. Unfortunately, our bodies respond with the same “flight or fight” response to any situation that upsets our personal balance. If we have a bad day at work, problems in our personal relationships or we are stuck in traffic, we react. Physical responses that are meant to support and protect us, are instead, potentially damaging and injurious to our health and well-being. If you live a fast paced life with a lot of worries, obligations and responsibilities, it is likely that you are running on stress most of the time – escalating into emergency mode with every looming business deadline, family crisis or bill that is due. Repeated or extended activation of the “flight or fight” response is especially dangerous as the more it is activated, the more difficult it is to shut off. Instead of leveling off once a crisis is over, heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormones remain at an elevated level. Continuous or prolonged exposure to stress increases our risk of memory problems, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, heart disease, stroke, infection or reduced immune function as well as obesity and stomach ulcers. Because of the extensive damage stress can cause, it is imperative that we learn how to handle stress in a more positive manner and reduce its corrosive impact on our health. The symptoms of stress often mimic other medical problems. Lack of energy, decreased productivity at work, fatigue, abdominal discomfort, severe headaches, back ache or neck pain as well as chest pain, breathlessness, heart palpitations and cold, clammy skin can all be symptoms of stress. Stress can severely affect our health and well-being and we may not even realize it until the damage is done. If we wish to be pro-active in the pursuit of optimum health, it is important that we understand stress, recognize the symptoms and then take affirmative steps to manage the predictable stress reaction triggers in our daily lives. There are a number of ways to manage and reduce stress. First, try to find a supportive physician. Share with your doctor the emotions you are experiencing and the physical symptoms your body exhibits when you are exposed to stress. This is an important step in getting the help you need. Cognitive therapy, a short-term type of psychotherapy based on the belief that we can change how we feel by changing the way we think about things, is often quite effective. Stress reduction techniques, such as meditation and yoga, can be beneficial. Talking with family, friends or joining a support group can be emotional lifesavers and help offset our feelings of social isolation. A burden shared is lighter than one carried alone. It is imperative to our heath and well-being that we make dealing with stress a priority. When stressed, decompress – it is helpful to withdraw from the situation, evaluate your feeling from a distance and gain perspective. Try to breathe deeply, take a walk, re-focus and attempt to think of something else. This too will pass.

Stress Really Affects Your Health

Date: December 29, 2009
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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Stress is something that everybody endures on a fairly regular basis, but when it starts to impact negatively on your body and mind, it means you are not only stressed you are distressed.
Alot of people don’t realise that stress is not only something we cope with but also a state of being that negatively impacts the body. In fact, stress has a bigger impact on our bodies than most of us care to acknowledge.
Here are some facts about Stress and the affects on your body.
When you look at these facts it is hard to deny that we all need to learn how to manage our stress more effectively. Some of these facts include: * 75-90% of all doctor visits are stress-related
* 43% of all adults have health problems related to stress
* Stress is known to cost American businesses more than $300 billion each year
* 82% of workers are at least a little stressed in the workplace
Seven Ways Your Body is Affected By Stress
There are two kinds of stress. The “good” stress is called eustress but we generally only hear about the “bad” stress known as chronic stress or distress.
Chronic stress creeps up on you and gradually affects your health. At first, you may not even notice the symptoms of chronic stress at all! And if this stress is not managed, the symptoms will get worse and its effects may even be irreversible.
Seven ways in which stress may manifest itself in your body are:
1. Anxiety. Those who are stressed are likely to deal with uncontrollable levels of anxiety. Anxiety and depression often go hand in hand, and this can cause many different changes in the physiological functioning of the body.
2. Depression. When you are stressed out, it is very common for people to become depressed. There are only so many chemicals in the brain to help a person deal with stress, and when they are used up, they’re used up. This can lead to a person becoming profoundly depressed in what seems like a relatively short period of time.
3. Diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest growing epidemics in the world and both mental and physical stress can cause rapid fluctuations in blood sugar levels. The long-term effects associated with this include heart disease, blindness, liver problems, kidney disease, and more.
4. Heart disease. Stress is very closely linked to heart attacks and death associated with cardiovascular disease. When stress is not managed, the body breaks down quickly and the heart is often profoundly impacted.
5. Obesity. We often cope with stress by consuming unhealthy, fattening foods. Plus, stress prohibits the control of necessary chemicals that are needed to break down fat, which can lead to obesity.
6. Sexual dysfunction. Stress is one of the most common reasons associated with impotence in men and lost libido in women.
7. Hair loss. We often tease our friends and family when they begin to lose hair, but this can be a symptom of unmanaged stress. If your hair is falling out prematurely don’t blame genetics, look closely at how you are dealing with the stress in your life and see if there are things you can do to control it more effectively.
As you can see, stress can affect your health in many ways. This is by no means an all-inclusive list of how stress affects your body and health. You may also suffer from hyperthyroidism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, tooth and gum disease, ulcers, and even cancer. Stress is serious stuff! This is all the more reason to start actively managing your stress today.
Little things add up! Even if your stress seems overwhelming, start trying to change things by adapting small strategies to combat your stress. Every little positive thing you do can lead to a big change!
Dont let sress affect your health and get onto it now!

Getting More Out Of Life With Life Coaching

Date: December 29, 2009
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Uncategorized
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Are you a goal setter? Are you a self starter? Do you feel geared for success? In life we find that coaches are present wherever there is high performance. From business men and woman to actors and actresses, and even athletes, they all rely on coaching. As you read this article, you will discover how life coaching can transform your life for the better.
The question is why do performance people keep performing ever better? We see Olympic athletes have coaches, and we see business people in the world’s largest corporations have life coaches.
Could continued success be down to having a life coach? It seems obvious, and it could be making an imprint that a life coach really could make a difference. But, how exactly could a life coach help you?
If you are like me, you are a goal setter. You set goals, and work about achieving them. You succeed, and now it is time for new goals. It seems like a basic process, and I guess it is. However, in practice it can seem a little more difficult.
We can say a day happens in 24 hours. But, life is not so simple. When you are stuck in the middle of achieving a goal, and problems present themselves, it can be hard to find direction, and achieve the success you seek.
Sometimes the goal takes longer than we anticipated. Luckily a life coach can really be our greatest asset at these times. These people not only have a strong personal experience of situations, they also have the added advantage of having a broader knowledge of situations, through coaching other people.
This third point view can be invaluable in practice, and can result in bigger breakthroughs. The time to achievement can be reduced also, and success can be felt sooner. As the life coach offers there advice, it offers a different point of view.
As you progress you will find that you can achieve so much more. And as life coaching deals with not only a certain area, but as a coach in life, they can generally help you with several areas of your life.
This is a big bonus; though many life coaches will specialize in a certain field. And here is where you will need to look at your needs before looking to find a life coach. There are many life coaches, and you want to get the best life coach for your needs.
Researching several life coaches is the best option, and considering that many will offer some free information or a free consultation, you can easily find the best life coach that will help you not only achieve more of that latent potential, but also achieve your best.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Therapy – What You Don’t Know About OCD

Date: December 28, 2009
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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Obsessive compulsive disorder therapy is sought out by millions of sufferers of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; however, they wait a while before they actually look for help. How long did you wait before you started looking online for information on it? I was the same way. Most of us at least had it for over a year before we did anything about it. You first go through the stage where you don’t know what’s going on and no one else around you knows what it is so you just think nothing of it and try to let it pass all the while perpetuating it with your actions. One thing that you should know about your brain is that you teach it in the same way that you teach a child. We all know that our children do what we do and not what we say most of the time. In the same way, our brains actually watch what we do and it will continue to do those things. You can tell yourself all day long not to do rituals but if you do them, then that is what your brain sees and that is what your brain learns. If you truly want to teach your brain a new way to do things, you actually have to do the things you want your brain to do first to train your brain to do those things.I know that the above paragraph got a little hairy but let’s deconstruct it and break it down a bit so we all can enjoy the knowledge contained in it. Now we know that obsessive compulsive disorder therapy, at least to be effective needs to teach the individual sufferer how to teach their brain. Think about when you were in elementary school or kindergarten and the teacher would teach you the letters of the alphabet. Do you remember that special paper they used with the big lines that would show you how to write each individual letter and then you would have to write the letter over and over again? Then your teacher would put a sticker on it and you went home and gave it to your mommy and daddy to put on the fridge because you knew that is what was missing from their fridge. You see that we learned to write by repeating writing the letter over and over again. We learned to talk by trying to speak the same words over and over again until you learned them.In the same way, effective obsessive compulsive disorder therapy will teach the person correct actions, have them repeat these actions until they are mastered. This person will then learn a new habit by showing their own brain what they want it to do under certain circumstances. Just like learning how to drive, once you learn how to drive, you don’t have to think about it anymore, it just becomes automatic! If you achieve this same effect with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, then you will become like me, OCD free. It’s not really rocket science, but it is tedious, but oh so worth it! Enjoy the cutting edge OCD information I have for you below!To get cutting edge techniques to beat OCD permanently click here: “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Therapy” Derek Soto is an ex-sufferer of OCD who teaches people how to overcome their OCD for good in a very short time using little known techniques which are usually ignored by the medical field altogether.Derek Soto also mentors people on a wide range of subjects including how to control your thinking naturally, how to defeat anxiety, phobias and how to change your thought processes so that you will be happier and live a more fulfilling life, period.

Stress: the Silent Killer

Date: December 28, 2009
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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Stress is an overlooked reason people have health problems. Reducing stress is guaranteed to give you a healthier life and can prevent future health problems!
Stress!!!
Most of us feel some kind of stress every day.
The dictionary defines stress as physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension. Everyday 87% of the population lives under this type of stress. We worry about money, children, jobs, our spouse or significant other and hundreds of other things on a daily basis.
Just driving to the corner store can cause tension as you dodge that crazy driver or see the price of gas at the pump.
Some people are very aware of the strain and tension in their life, but many of us live with stress that we don’t see or are unwilling to admit we have. We just go about our daily life thinking this is the way it is supposed to be, the norm.
We build our lives and behaviors around stress. Even children and especially teens have stress. They worry about their friends, their weight, if they are wearing the right clothes or if they have a zit (acne).
More Medical Problems are caused by Stress than anything else!
Learning the right way to relax and reduce tension can help your body work better and create a healthier life. Your body’s natural processes are affected by stress. Stress can be a killer and reducing your stress should be a top priority in your life.
Stress can cause:
1. Your Body to Age: – Which means all your cells and organs are getting old before their time. When your stomach ages, food sits in it longer and can start to spoil before its even digested. This can lead to colon problems. Your skin and heart can also be affected by stress.
2. Sugar to Build Up: – When humans were hunters and gatherers, they had stress when they were being stalked by a predator. The body understood this stress and released sugars for instant energy so we could flee or fight. Now, when the stress causes the sugars to release, we don’t use them for energy. They go unused and the body stores them as fat instead.
3. Your Blood to Thicken: – Thicker blood allows it to carry more oxygen to help with our fight or flight as previously mentioned. Again we don’t use this feature as nature originally intended and now thicker blood only starts the process of building up plaque on the walls of our arteries.
4. Increased Number of Diseases: – Stress depresses the immune system. Colds and viruses are more common in stressed people. Viruses can cause some cancers, thus keeping a strong healthy immune system is a must. Stress has also been linked to Parkinson’s disease.
99% of all Disease is caused by Stress!
When your body senses stress, it automatically gets you ready to run or fight. This is just part of your biological makeup.
First, the natural response causes the stomach and colon to shut down. – Extra blood is needed by the body and it takes it from the stomach and colon. – With no blood, these organs age faster. – Food that was being digested now just sits there and starts to rot. You end up with rotten food in your colon. As you can imagine, eating rotten food can make you sick, so can having it sitting in your body. – 90% of your immune system is battling disease in the colon. Ask any doctor who does autopsies about people’s colons. It’s not a pretty picture.
Second, your metabolism changes. – The body needs energy and it needs protein. – It goes to the muscles to get it. – If you don’t replace the protein and all the amino acids and enzymes, you lose muscle. – You lose body shape when you lose muscle. – The body replaces the muscle with FAT!
I have just described a majority of the human population.
We are stressed out and because of the stress we are battling colds, the flu, allergies, you name it because of our reduced immune system. So What Can I Do to avoid this downward spiral?
Dealing with stress is something we can manage. There are several steps that can reduce stress and when that becomes too difficult, there are things we can do to counteract the negative effects stress has on our bodies.
First and foremost, the best way to alleviate the problems associated with stress is to get rid of the stress in our lives.
Some things you can do include learning relaxation techniques and ridding yourself of stressful habits. Everyone is different and deals with everyday situations in different ways, but we can all learn to reduce the stress in our life. Second, because it is impossible to get rid of all stress, we need to give our bodies the things it needs to be healthy and overcome the ill effects that stress creates.
These can include:
1. Provide you body with the nutrients it needs. While this sounds simple enough, when you body is under stress , the stomach shuts down so even if you are eating a good diet, your body isn’t getting what it needs.
Supplementation is the answer. However, not all supplements are created equal. Make sure your supplements can be used by the body when it is under stress. This means they get the nutrients to your cells where they are needed and not just take them on a nice ride through your digestive tract.
2. Boost your immune system.
Stress makes our bodies more susceptible to disease. It lowers the overall immunity and creates a situation where a majority of the immune system is battling disease in the colon.
3. Get more protein.
Most people don’t get enough protein. Stress causes the body to need more of it and so your body raids the muscles to get what it needs. When there is nothing to replace the muscle protein it gets replaced with fat. We slowly lose our shape and definition as we lose muscle.
Adding more meat to our diet is not the best solution. Today, almost all commercial meat is contaminated in some way. The beef, pork and chicken you buy from the supermarket is pumped full of antibiotics.
A better solution is soy protein. This is a plant protein that has all the amino acids a human body needs.
I read a great article once about everything I ever needed to know I learned in Kindergarten. It said something like “Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.” It’s amazing, if we think back to when we were young and now as adults followed some of those same rules how much better our lives could be. I can hear my Mom saying “Eat your vegetables and Take your vitamins”.
We can all learn a thing or two about life and living if we sit back and watch little kids.
So relax, listen to your body and learn how to reduce the stress and its effects on your health. This could be the most important action you can take towards living a longer, healthier and more enjoyable life.
THINK ABOUT IT!