Natural Stress Relief - Look Younger - Feel Healthier

Natural stress relief should be a major part of staying healthy and looking younger. That is because there is more to slowing the aging process than just eating right and staying active.

If you ignore your stress levels, you will be sabotaging your other efforts at maintaining health. This is one thing that is evident in many Eastern philosophies and lifestyles.

People in those cultures have long recognized the strong connection between the mind and body. Consequently, they pursue a life that encourages a healthy relationship between the two entities.

It is not uncommon for example, to find in parks around China, people practicing Tai Chi daily as a form of relaxation. This is one reason why they live healthier and longer lives than people in the West.

But even if you have no interest in Eastern philosophies, you'd be glad to know that there is a medical explanation for how stress affects health and aging.

Stress=Added Years

To have a greater appreciation for natural stress relief you need to understand why we have stress in the first place and how it makes you older.

Our stress response is actually part of our primitive fight or flight response – a rush of energy to be used in case of emergency.

Unfortunately, our modern world full of beeping cell phones and ignorant drivers have made stress a 24/7 phenomenon. The result? A flush of stress hormones like cortisol which increase cell turnover and cell damage. In other words, premature aging.

Stop. Breathe. Get Younger

Fortunately, researchers investigating the connection and age aren’t satisfied with diagnosing the problem – they’re looking for useful natural stress relief techniques.

Here are some practical and clinically proven relaxation techniques:

Yoga: Today’s lifestyle has thrown our balance out of whack – making us feel over anxious about life. But by practicing yoga, a relaxation method  has been used for centuries as a way to relieve stress and restore balance

A study published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry found that yoga was effective at helping people with chronic anxiety relax - no medications required. Best of all, you can do yoga at home with a simple DVD

Meditation: You may chalk up meditation as a “new age” fad, but the practice of pausing, reflecting, and breathing is far from it. University of Massachusetts researchers found that meditating for just 20 minutes per day relieved clinically high levels of stress.

To practice this at home, all you need is a quiet room free of interruptions. Get in a comfortable position, and gradually slow your breathing. Continue to lie and breathe for about 20 minutes. You’ll end up, relaxed, refreshed, and most important of all, younger.

Visualization: Visualization allows you to flex those dormant creativity muscles. Visualization has been shown in dozens of clinical research studies to help reduce stress and increase confidence.

For this exercise, you simply close your eyes, relax, and visualize a relaxing and serene environment, like a beach. The more vividly you imagine yourself in this location using smell, touch, and sound, the more profound the effect will be.

Supplementation: Apart from using stress relief techniques, you can take safe herbs or dietary supplements to help you cope with life challenges. Excellent choices are herbal stress reduction remedies and omega 3 fish oil.

Take a multi pronged approach to natural stress relief  by eating right, exercising and engaging in relaxation techniques.

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