Dealing with Stress

This week I decided to run through some of the tests we did at week 1. The results were great, showing a significant improvement in blood pressure, resting heart rate and fat percentage. We also looked at how Melanie's heart behaves during exercise. This is done with a special monitor which uses satellite technology to track the speed and distance you run, as well as your heart rate throughout the whole workout.

Stress is basically the body's way of stepping up a gear (the fight or flight response). It triggers the sympathetic nervous system, which raises the heart rate, tenses the muscles and releases hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. This helps us to run from danger, or get that extra bit of strength to fight off an attacker. However, the side effects are that normal body functions in the digestive, urinary, reproductive and immune systems are put on hold.

Therefore, stress can be extremely damaging – one study has suggested that 75% of illness seen at GP surgeries is stress related. It has been linked to a variety of conditions problems including high blood pressure, asthma, nervous breakdown, colds, fatigue, migraines, constipation, muscular tension, stroke, heart attack, ulcers, depression, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies and diabetes.

Therefore, the way we deal with stress is vital to our well being. I encourage a three-pronged approach. Firstly try to see what factors in your life are causing the stress and in what way they can be changed. Secondly, relaxation techniques will help deal with the stress - even a simple 30 second breathing exercise can turn off the stress response by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Finally, use exercise as an outlet for all the extra hormones and muscle tension that have built up, allowing your body to return to a balanced state.

Next week we will look at back pain and what you can do to help it.

Melanie's Diary Week six:

It is great when you get into an exercise regime and really start feeling and seeing results. I am now six weeks in and I am noticing changes in myself - the strength in my lower stomach seems to have improved, my lung capacity seems to be improving and I generally feel better about myself. I really was not sure what to expect when we retook the tests that I had taken in week one. Deep down I was not sure if there would be a remarkable difference but I was thrilled when Ed read back the results and explained the changes. We have also spent a lot of time discussing stress and how it affects the body. I have never really been someone who gets stressed. Most things simply pass over me but I was amazed to hear how stress can affect the body. In one of our sessions I did not feel 100 per cent and I really noticed how it affected my exercising. But with plenty of sleep and good food I came back ready for more.