Feeling stressed? Movement may be the key to reduce your stress levels. Our modern lifestyles are stressful by their very nature. Physically we tend to sit for long periods of time, often in poor posture. We tend to eat things that we are not designed to eat (processed foods, sugar, caffeine, alcohol etc). And we have lots of emotional stresses in our work and home lives.
Movement, particularly movement of the spine, has been shown to be one of the key ingredients for turning off the stress response in your body. When you move, it fires off nerve endings in your body and spine that send messages to your brain. These promote the release of seratonin and dopamine, the "feel good" chemicals in your body, that help to switch off the stress response.
So incorporate lots of movement into your daily routine to help alleviate stress. All of the usual recommendations apply here - take the stairs instead of the lift, walk across the office to chat to a colleague rather than flicking them an email. In fact you should not sit in the same position for longer than 20 minutes. So even if all you do is a lap around the chair and sit back down again, just keep moving. You may feel that you are too busy and that you don't have the time. But I guarantee you that the improved productivity, both physically and mentally, that you will notice as a result of the decreased stress will more than make up for the time spent moving.
Dr Brett Hill's top 5 tips for adding movement to your daily life
Do the "Straighten Up Australia" exercises every day (www.straightenupaustralia.com.au)
- Take the stairs instead of the lift
- Park at the back of the car park and walk
- Get up at least every 20 minutes at work
- Get a personal trainer (try the guys at the energy clinic in Unley www.energyclinic.net)
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