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Managing your stress is imperative to maintaining good health. It has been shown that individuals with high stress levels have a high incidence of heart disease. We’ve all heard stories of people who have had heart attacks due to high levels of stress.
When you’re nervous, you feel like you have ‘butterflies’ in your stomach. When you lose a friend, it actually feels like your heart is ‘heavy’… and we often say that a ‘weight has been lifted off our shoulders’ when a problem is settled.
So, what are these ‘butterflies’ and imaginary ‘weights’ that pull your heart and shoulders down?
The answer, of course, is stress. The weight and butterflies are just physiological responses to the stress. In reality, your body releases stress chemicals into your body and over prolonged periods, it can take a severe toll on your health and age you beyond your years.
Getting control of your stress is of paramount importance to having a healthy body, mind and heart. In this article, you’ll learn 7 tips that will help you to do this.
Be Proactive
You MUST be proactive when it comes to de-stressing. Do not assume that stress will go away on its own. This is the biggest mistake people make. They live like robots and repeat the same monotonous routine daily.
Go to work, get stressed, come home, eat, sleep, wake up stressed… go to work… and as you can see, it never ends. Do not procrastinate your breaks.
Take time to laugh and have fun. Do not feel guilty. We live in a hectic and chaotic society that’s focused on material pursuits and success, while sacrificing peace of mind and health in the process.
At the end of the day, what really matters is that you are happy. Happiness is found in living and not in the chase. Focus on the little pleasures in life. Watch a comedy. Go for a movie. Swim in the beach. Ride a rollercoaster.
Do what it takes to give you a mental break from the stresses that weigh you down. When it seems like nothing you do will make you happy, that’s when you MUST do something. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, just do something that engages your mind and body so that you get that mental break.
Sleep Well
Get at least 7 hours of sleep a day. The Dalai Lama, once said that sleep is the best meditation. Get good sleep daily.
Journaling
Keeping a journal is an excellent way to relieve stress. Putting your thoughts and emotions on paper can be cathartic. It’ll help to clear your mind too. Later on, when you’ve moved past the problem, you can look back and read your journal and you’ll realize that stressing out was pointless.
Focus on the Now
Don’t worry what troubles tomorrow will bring. Just focus on dealing with today. Many stressed out people create imaginary situations and problems in their mind, and in most cases, these never come to pass.
Focus on today and let tomorrow take care of itself. Today has enough problems of its own. Don’t trouble your heart with unnecessary worries.
Don’t Judge
This is one of the hardest things to do, and yet, it’s one of the best things that you can learn to do. Do not judge people, situations, circumstances, etc. Live in this world, but not of it.
If you look at your colleague and he has a better car, you may feel stressed out that your existence is pathetic and poor. You’ve judge yourself unnecessarily. Keep your spirits up, and work towards your goals. Don’t put yourself down by judging and comparing.
This applies to your spouse, kids, job, material possessions, etc. Every single time you judge or compare, you’ll probably end up dissatisfied. Accept your life for what it is, and strive to do better. Your heart will thank you for it.
Exercise
Exercise daily and take up physical activities that you love. Exercise is more than just a great stress reliever. It has a tremendous impact on your body and mind too. Your stamina gets better. Your muscles and bones get stronger. Your mind becomes clearer.
There are so many benefits of exercise that you just cannot afford to not do it. The “I have no time” excuse doesn’t carry any weight here. Exercise is just too important to ignore. People who have no time for it, often end up not having much time on earth either.
Motivate Yourself Regularly
Keep your spirits up by motivating yourself regularly. Motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar once said, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.”
He’s absolutely right. There are thousands of motivational videos on YouTube, and they’re all free for you. Experts like Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Les Brown and many more have tons of advice on how you can live life in a more fulfilling way.
All you need to do is watch them. These speeches will reduce your stress, raise your energy levels and give you the hope and strength to take life on and be a winner.
Observe these 7 tips and do whatever it takes to reduce your stress. One of the keys to having a healthy heart is to not sweat the small stuff. Get rid of as much stress as you can. Your heart will thank you for it.
If you would like to receive a free resource sheet to support your quest for better heart health, click the button below to receive your gift.
I’m excited to talk about this topic today because not only do I truly believe that you have the power to reverse heart disease and lower high blood pressure to improve your health, but the science also agrees! You can adopt healthy lifestyle practices that improve your health and enrich your life, which can in turn improve the lives of those close to you. You have the power to break the cycle of these chronic diseases so that you can leave a legacy of health to your loved ones.
As you may already know, I use lifestyle medicine as the first line of treatment, before medications, to treat lifestyle-related chronic diseases. Lifestyle-related chronic diseases include diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and some cancers, just to name a few. Lifestyle practices, such as eating a whole-food plant-based diet and regular physical activity, can help you improve blood pressure and reverse heart disease. In certain cases, these approaches may even outperform pharmaceutical therapy. But I always tell my patients that conventional medications may be appropriate at this time to prevent catastrophic illness, but over time, you can work to make the necessary lifestyle changes to possibly reduce and/or eliminate medications. Please remember to always consult your physician for your particular needs and circumstances prior to making any decisions whatsoever.
Is Dietary Supplementation Right For You?
There is a common saying, “You can’t outrun a bad diet.” This is especially true when it comes to heart health. Diet is sooooo very important… Did you know that your diet could be the key to a healthy heart? It’s true – what you eat (and don’t eat) can have a big impact on your cardiovascular health. So, if you’re looking to keep your heart in tip-top shape, make sure you pay attention to what you put on your plate.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to eat a healthy diet in this day and age. It is very important to note that we are not eating the same foods we ate years ago because the soils have been depleted of critical nutrients through current industrial farming practices. And because the soil is not as good as it used to be, the food supply (grown from the depleted soil) is not as good as it used to be. For example, you are not getting the same levels of magnesium as you would have gotten 30 or even 50 years ago.
Second, much of the food has been genetically altered, which can impact the inherent and unique nutritional composition that each food possess. For example, ancient einkorn wheat has less gluten, more protein, more Vitamin A, and more beta carotene, than modern genetically modified wheat.
Third, the toxic load in the environment today is much higher than 100 years ago. We can see this with global warming, toxic landfills, polluted oceans and waterways, etc. Toxicity levels interfere with nutrient assimilation and absorption not just into the foods, but into our bodies as well.
For some people, vitamin and mineral supplements offer important health benefits. Supplements are designed to fight deficiencies found in our diet and complement the food we eat regularly. Supplements are basically “helping hands” to our daily food.
If you need extra help in getting the nutrients you need, and/or are unable to eat better, the supplements in my Healthy Heart Bundle may provide the extra boost you need.
These are my favorite Heart Health Supplements to use! This Healthy Heart Bundle will ensure you have the intake of the important vitamins, minerals, and probiotics to decrease inflammation and boost your innate wellness day and night. Taken together, it’s a solid plan for increasing your body’s natural resiliency while you lose weight and improve your heart health, naturally.
For best results make sure you use my heart health supplements with dietary changes including a whole food plant-based diet, regular exercise (at least 2-3x per week), regular sleep (8 hours per night), and intermittent fasting (at least 1-3x per week).
Tools to Improve Heart Health
Blood Pressure Monitoring
It’s very important to monitor your blood pressure. I often recommend an automatic upper arm blood pressure cuff, but a wrist blood pressure monitor is also acceptable.
Weight Monitoring
Since weight management is very important in blood pressure control, I recommend that you be mindful of your weight and its fluctuations, and that you monitor your weight AT LEAST on a weekly basis. I recommend a scale that includes a body composition monitor.
Taking Charge Of Your Heart Health
Heart health is a big topic. It’s in the news, on our minds, and for good reason; heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. But what if there was something you could do proactively to help protect your heart from future problems? Enter the CardiaX test—a revolutionary new way to take charge of your heart health!
What is CardiaX?
CardiaX is a comprehensive genetic testing panel that looks at mutations associated with common cardiovascular risks. It can be used to determine if there are any genetic factors at play in your heart health, and it can also identify potential areas of risk that may require further action. With this knowledge, you can make informed choices about your health today with the aim of improving long-term heart health outcomes.
Who Might Benefit from CardiaX?
If you have been diagnosed with or are at risk for atherosclerosis, abnormal cholesterol production, hypertension, stroke risk, and risk for heart attack then you may benefit from this test. Additionally, anyone who wants to know more about their genetic predispositions for common cardiovascular risks may also want to consider taking this test as well.
What Can I Do With My Results?
Your results will give you an indication of whether or not there are any potential genetic markers playing a role in your risk for developing certain conditions related to heart health. From there, you can work with your healthcare provider to develop a plan that takes into account these findings and helps you develop strategies for managing them going forward. In addition to lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise modification, selecting medications that are tailored specifically to your genetics could be beneficial as well.
In A Nutshell…
The CardiaX test is an exciting new way to take charge of your heart health by learning more about how genetics might be playing a role in certain cardiovascular risks. With this knowledge in hand, patients can make decisions informed by their own unique genetic profile that will help reduce their overall risk for developing certain conditions associated with heart disease. This type of proactive approach is key when it comes to protecting ourselves against this all-too-common affliction—so don’t wait another minute! Take control of your future and get started with the CardiaX test today!
Remember, healthy lifestyle behaviors–like eating a whole-foods plant-based diet that is low in sodium, being physically active, and stress management are the best ways to prevent and control high blood pressure. Please talk with your doctor about any complementary health approaches, including supplements, you use.
Dr. Nicolle Martin
Dr. Nicolle is double board-certified in Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine. As one of the nation’s most acclaimed primary care and public health physicians, she is a nationally recognized author, speaker, researcher, consultant and media personality. She is the Founder and Chief Medical Advisor of DrNicolleMD.com, where she discusses actionable ideas and real-world strategies to help people take control of their health using integrative therapies and lifestyle change.
Dr. Nicolle also shares her knowledge via her popular social media accounts “Maximize Health” to help people pursue a healthier life. Her motto is simple: Minimize Medications, Maximize Health. With her credentials and warm “bedside manner,” it’s no wonder that the doctor is renowned as “America’s Favorite Family Physician.”
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Last updated on May 2nd, 2023 at 06:42 am
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