The ABCs to Better Stress Management

S-T-R-E-S-S

H-E-A-L-T-H

Two six-letter words that have everything to do with each other. The relationship between stress and our health tops conversations at doctors’ offices, in magazine articles, is probably a leading online search, and is something that all of us worry about but have the most trouble managing. Why? Both stress and health are dynamic, and as such they are NOT items on a list that you can achieve and then check off and move on. Because they are so interrelated, an essential part of improving your health begins with learning how to manage your stress better.

Stress has mental and physical components and thus it impacts both your mental and your physical health. Stress occurs for really great reasons—you increase your fitness intensity to train for an event, you receive good news, you get a promotion—but also, as you are well aware, stress is the byproduct of negative stuff: too much work and too little down time, relationship challenges, illness and worry.

Acceptance. Accept stress as a daily reality and something to which you need to pay attention. Why? Ignoring stress can actually lead to higher stress. People ignore stress out of fear and because they feel ill equipped to manage stress, so acknowledging its presence and potential impact can create a sense of doom. But fear not: stress occurs naturally in the body all the time and the body is equipped to address stress when it has the right tools.

Bring on balance to manage stress. When left unchecked, stress throws off the body’s balance and lays the foundation for poor energy, illness and disease. And yet internal balance is the key to beating stress. Nutritionally, balance refers to several things:

1. balance of nutrients—carbs, protein, fats (download the FREE nutrition plan here www.ashleykoffrd.com/nutritionplan)—at each eating occasion;
2. balance of good bacteria (i.e., probiotics) and bad bacteria;
3. balance of alkalinizing and acidic nutrients to achieve a healthy pH in the digestive tract (so if you love coffee or sugar, you need to learn to love greens, lemons/limes, and magnesium-rich foods);
4. balance in your activities—go all out to burn calories, build muscles and release endorphins, but also choose activities to help the body recover and relax.

Create calm daily. Even when we don’t feel stressed, our cells may be stressing and as a result our energy levels and overall health suffer. Thanks to extensive food processing, dietary preferences (Paleo, South Beach, Atkins, Dukan and so on), mineral-depleted soil from overuse, healthcare recommendations and more, most of us don’t get enough of the calm nutrient, magnesium, to trigger our bodies to switch back to a calmer state, at least during sleep if not at other points throughout the day. Magnesium is essential for helping the body to relax—cell by cell—and today most of us are NOT getting sufficient magnesium for the above reasons. Not all magnesium supplements are created equal; the body absorbs some better than others. Try Natural Vitality’s readily absorbed Natural Calm daily for a few weeks to feel the difference that true calm can create in your overall health.

So stress isn’t something to fear—it’s a reality and something that can and needs to be managed, daily. What other ways do you manage your stress? We’d like to know; tweet us @naturalvitality, @ashleykoff.