Stress Relief - Part 3 of 3

Looking for a simple, healthy way to help get through the day? Try breathing! Being conscious of your breath is a wonderful and effective way to reduce stress, maintain focus, and feel energized. Exhaling fully is one breathing exercise worth practicing – it can promote deeper breathing, better health and a more relaxed state of mind.

Give it a try: Simply take a big, deep breath, let it out slowly, and then squeeze out a little more. Try inhaling as much as you can, slowly, and then exhale all the way.

Doing this regularly will help build up the muscles between your ribs, and your exhalations will soon become deeper and longer. Start by performing this exhalation exercise consciously, and before long it will become a healthy, unconscious habit.

~ Live Well ~
Trinity Fitness

Stress Relief - Part 2 of 3

Take time to treat yourself and get a monthly massage. Not only is a massage a healthy thing to do, but it has the added bonus of helping you feel luxurious. Professional massage is wonderfully relaxing and has numerous health benefits. Many forms of bodywork can help manage stress levels, reduce blood pressure and heart rate, ease muscles and stiff joints, lower the levels of stress hormones, and enhance immune function. Plus they are available at all price ranges. Check your local health food store for short-duration neck and shoulder massages (perfect on your lunch break), try out student massages at local massage schools, or book packages of massages to save money. You owe it to yourself!

~ Live Well ~
Trinity Fitness

Stress Relief Part 1 of 3

Four Ways to Reconnect with Yourself

When it begins to feel like you’re world is spinning out of control and time constraints, a packed schedule and too many commitments become the norm, it is very easy to become overwhelmed and stressed out. To stay balanced, relaxed and calm, it's necessary every so often to regroup, decompress and focus on yourself.

If you find that the demands on your time are overwhelming, don't be afraid to politely say "no" when someone asks you to do something.

• Don’t feel guilty. No one person can do it all, so learn your limits and be satisfied with them.
  
• Be a little selfish once in a while by scheduling "me time" - it will help keep you in touch with yourself.
  
• Try to minimize the commitments you make. Slow down and ask yourself what’s truly important to be done each day.
  
• Take time to enjoy the little things. Read a book, take up a hobby, work in the garden or treat yourself to a massage.

This beautiful life you’ve been given is not a dress rehearsal, so please take time to relax and enjoy it.

~ Live Well ~
Trinity Fitness

Pre-Workout Warm Up

Several physiological and practical reasons exist for warming up prior to engaging in vigorous aerobic exercise. Among the most commonly cited reasons are the following:

• Increases body temperature ~ The elevation in body temperature produced by warming up reduces the potential for skeletal muscle injuries and connective injuries, since cold muscle and tendons have been shown to be more susceptible to injury.
• Increases blood flow to the exercising muscles ~ The greater level of blood reaching the muscles involved in the activity aids in the delivery of the fuels (e.g., glucose and free fatty acids) required for energy production.
• Increases blood flow to the heart ~ A greater level of blood delivered to the heart reduces the potential for exercise-induced cardiac abnormalities (e.g., electrocardiographic disturbances), reducing the potential for myocardial ischemia.
• Decreases the viscosity of the muscle ~ Reduced muscle viscosity increases the suppleness of the muscle, thereby enhancing the mechanical efficiency and power of the exercising muscles.
• Causes an early onset of sweating ~ The earlier onset of sweating promotes evaporative heat loss and, as a result, decreases the amount of heat stored by the body. This will help to prevent an individual's body temperature from rising to dangerously high levels during (more strenuous) exercise.
• Enhances the speed of transmission of nerve impulses ~ As nerve impulses are conducted at a faster rate, neuromuscular coordination tends to improve, resulting in better performance of certain motor tasks.
• Increases the blood saturation of muscles and connective tissues ~ A higher level of blood reaching the muscles, tendons, and ligaments involved in the activity increases the elasticity of these tissues, resulting in a safer, more effective performance of stretching exercises.
• Prepares the cardiovascular system for the upcoming physical activity ~ Warming up helps to ensure that the cardiovascular system (heart and blood vessels) is given time to adjust to the body's increased demands for blood and oxygen.
• Prepares the muscular system for the upcoming physical activity ~ Warming up provides a transition from rest to strenuous exercise, and may reduce the likelihood that excessive muscular soreness will be a concomitant result of strenuous activity.

~ Live Well ~
Trinity Fitness