Reasons Not to get Stressed

Posted at April 15, 2009

Stress Management

Stress has got to be the number 1 ager there is! It not only has serious consequences to our health, it can also seriously effect the quality of life. Until recently, people would have ridiculed the idea that a mental problem could have such an impact on the physical level. However, more and more scientific evidence is showing that the mind and body are more closely linked than originally thought. Our habits, lifestyle and environment all have an impact. But what really happens when we get stressed?

A stressful event can cause a number of things to happen. The adrenal glands pump adrenaline into the body and both heart rate and blood pressure increase. Our primitive response to stress (fight or flight) ensures fat and sugar enter the bloodstream in readiness for action.In modern man this is a big problem. Our response to stress will often far exceed that required of the situation having severe consequences for our long term health.

The fat deposited in the bloodstream is very often not fully burned off leaving behind plaque in the arteries. Also, there is added strain on the heart because the fat has a negative effect on blood flow. This can lead to hypertension and risk of a stroke. Exercise is great for alleviating the effects of stress because the fat and sugar are used up by the muscles allowing the blood to flow more freely.

By keeping an eye on what we eat and drink we can do a lot to alleviate stress.The difficulty is stressed people often turn to the wrong types of food. eating when stressed can send our blood-glucose levels all over the place making our problems worse by directly effecting the brain. What we eat and drink has a direct effect on stress which in turn determines what we eat and drink.The loop is closed and can be very hard to break. One reason why so called ‘diets’ don’t work.

What is actually needed is a stress management program that restores the balance of life. And this means a lot more than dealing with the mind alone. Anyone serious about anti aging techniques should never underestimate the value of stress management.

Reducing Calorie Intake

There is little question that reducing one’s calorie intake has a positive impact on longevity.Not just any calorie restriction based diet but one based on complex carbohydrates.Reducing calories but sticking to simple carbohydrates would surely shorten life expectancy.The body requires nutrition and this is not found in refined sugar, flour and fat so common to the western diet.

Lab experiments have shown that mice on reduced calorie diets (containing vital nutrients) live much longer than mice on a normal diet The calorie restricted mice maintained their youthful appearance and stayed active for much longer.

In trials at Washington University adults with an average age of 55 kept their blood pressure as low as a 20 year old. Studies have also shown that calorie restriction reduces the bad cholesterol (LDL) while boosting the good cholesterol (HDL), lowers inflammation and reduces body mass index. Further, a reduction in insulin levels can both help prevent diebetes and improve memory. In other words calorie restriction coupled with a balance of vital nutrients is key to the fight against aging.

But why does a calorie restriction diet work?

By limiting dietary energy intake the body goes into survival mode by lowering metabolic rate. Damage to cellular structure is lessened because less free radicals are produced.If you also consider that such a diet should only be conducted by maintaining a vital balance of nutrients (based on complex carbohydrates) there is the added bonus of plenty of anti-oxidants. Most complex carbohydrates are plant foods which are also rich in anti-oxidants. These anti-oxidants help keep the free radicals in check preventing any further cellular damage.

The key to calorie restriction is of course maintaining the right balance of nutrients by sticking to a mainly plant food diet. There have been many studies showing that a diet rich in plant foods will keep the diseases (cancer, heart disease, diebetes, alzheimers etc) associated with affluent societies at bay. There is also plenty of evidence that people who mainly eat plant foods maintain their youthful looks for much longer. A close study of nutrition will reveal the power of plant foods to promote good looking skin, hair and nails. In our quest for life extension nutrition should always override our wish to consume fewer calories.

Living in the Moment

Probably the best indirect anti ager of all is the ability to live in the present. It has so much positive impact on everything else we do that it should be everyones priority! Leaving the past behind and letting the future take care of itself allows no room for the negative emotions that are so damaging to our health. In fact, living in the moment is the antidote for all negative emotions.

When we live ‘now’ there is only awareness and room for dealing with the current situation. We don’t dwell on the consequences of our actions because we can’t know what the future holds. This doesn’t mean it’s alright to do anything we please as being aware in the current moment will always reveal the right thing to do. When someone chooses the wrong direction it is invariably due to the power time has over us and how the mind has been conditioned to think and react. And of course, for someone wrapped up in mental time the mind determines what to do based on past experience and the possibility of future gain. There is a total disregard for what is really going on in this moment and so the same behavioural patterns are repeated over and over again. Our mind constantly slips in and out of the past and future appearing as if normal. The reality is, it is far from normal. Is there anything but the current moment?

It doesn’t take much to realise that all negative emotions are ultimately generated by the mind. The ability to know the current moment is to understand that love, beauty and peace are all there is. Only action based on these realities keeps people from aging prematurely. By escaping the illusion of mental time we escape the self generated aging process.

Forget about the past by practising forgiveness and being grateful for what you have now. Don’t try to master future events – it will lead to frustration and more stress. Accept the current moment and do what you have to do. The more you live in the present the less you will age because time will have lost its grip on your life.

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