Dr. George L. Dixon - "Talking Fitness"

DON'T FIGHT STRESS

Stressed out? Don't let your frantic desire to be "FIT" increase your stress levels. Does that sound strange? It isn't! Just ask the family of the "must run" person who drives their family and co-workers crazy when they can't run or do their daily hard exercise. It is a sort of addiction and the lack of it causes awful stress in that obligatory exerciser.

Headaches, hypertension, irregular heartbeat, insomnia, appetite changes, fatigue, irritability, and poor concentration may all be related to stress.

Constant stress produces as a perfectly normal reaction in our bodies, chemicals which prepare us for "fight or flight". That is we are constantly ready to slug it our or run like hell. The ancient threats of being eaten have been replaced by more subtle dangers, but our body has only the very old reactions available to it. The constant chemical overload produces changes which can produce the symptoms listed above.

Usually you can control only YOU and your reaction to the threat. Exercise and activity are the natural relievers of the stress chemicals. After all, they are there to protect you physically. Action is the best thing by far that you can do to lower your bodies reaction. Your brain can often better solve the problems with the better blood flow that activity provides.

Don't forget that some stress is a normal part of life progress.

Family worries and job dissatisfaction can play a large role in aggravating physical symptoms in neck, shoulder, arms and your lower back.

SMILE, and say something nice to someone at least once each day.

More help is available in "Exercise a la Carte", here, at your bookstore or call 800-624-4952.