Stress

A couple of my colleagues passed this article along to me. It's relevant to many in this day and age.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/work-life-balance/how-stress-affects-the-human-body/article1765389/?cmpid=rss1

What can you do about it? 2 simple things that you can control are exercise and nutrition.

Exercise has been shown to have a positive influence on stress. Be aware, however, that exercise is a form of stress and therefore requires a period of recovery. Exercise in excess may lead to increased levels of cortisol as well. It's especially relevant to athletes who participate in long distance events due to their high volume of training. So be sure to alternate periods of rest with periods of high volume (Same goes for work for that matter). Same concept of Yin and Yang. Excess of one depletes the other. On a related note I read an interesting research article in the British Medical Journal: Acupuncture in Medicine about 6 months ago that showed that medical acupuncture helps restore immune system function that is depleted following intense exercise.

Healthy eating is also a great way to control stress. Many people try to control stress with eating. Insulin and stress are tied together so it only makes sense. Stress is fight or flight and the body loves its sugar in periods of stress so of course it needs to refuel after stress. As such eat meals to control insulin. Include healthy fats (fish oil, olive oil, avocado, nuts), protein and vegetables with each meal. Add fish oil (EPA, DHA) to your daily food intake. Have a search on medline. It's good stuff! Fiber also helps control insulin levels so get some of that by eating more vegetables and/or a fiber supplement (ground flax seed is cheap).