​Are you stressed the fresh out? Me too! Even if you’re not stressed out right now, I am sure you have experienced it at some point in the past. For me it can show up in different ways, but when I am MEGA stressed my neck feels the burn… and not in a good way.

The American Psychological Association explains that our muscle tense up with stress because our body goes into protection mode. This reaction is to avoid injury or pain. The problem is many of us experience CHRONIC STRESS which puts us in a constant state of guarded muscles. OUCH. This can cause headaches, neck, and shoulder pain. Phew I am normal! 

How can we stop this perpetual stress cycle? Obviously run away from all our troubles and triggers. Just kidding. Here are some things that help me.  

1. Just breath - Our brain tricks our body alot (hello making muscle tense for thoughts in our brain…. no bear in sight). Tap into your parasympathetic system “rest and digest system” by focusing on your breath and slowing it down. There are tones of guided breathing exercise on the web. Like this one here. 
2. Sleep- I don’t know about you, but if I don’t get enough sleep, I am a monster. On days I am well rested I can handle all the worlds problems, on days I don’t I am a puddle. Sleeping does require discipline and I am sure you have heard all the tips and trick (stop screen time 1 hr before bed, have a bedtime, blue light glasses etc) so wont go into that. BUT I want to talk about something else.  Have you noticed how society had kind of glorified “early risers” like the only people who can be successful wake up at 5 am? I don’t really think 5 am is optimal for EVERY HUMAN. So, if you find at night your totally energized and can take on all the things, cool. Just aim to get those 8 hrs of slumber. Don’t try to be something your not.
3. Reduce Stimulants- Try to avoid situations that are triggering or have a plan how to effectively deal. If your job is anxiety provoking, try pinpointing the issue and plan how to effectively address it.  Your avoidance of an uncomfortable conversation can literally become a pain in the neck. Stimulants can also be substances like coffee. I would NEVER tell anyone to quit coffee (aka life blood) but if you find after 2 cups you get the shakes and super paranoid you might just want to stick to one and then find a yummy low caffeine tea for the rest of the day! Decaf coffee works too. Note: this planning isn’t the best to do in moments when your mega stressed. I would make this plan when I am calm cool and collected so I can be logical NOT emotional.
4. Exercise- Of course exercise is part of this list! Exercise will mostly likely READ: ALWAYS be on my lists because I love it and it’s medicine.  So, exercise mimics stress with increased breathing rate and increase blood pressure. And to be honest it is stress. Cardio and resistance training puts stress on the body and makes your muscles stronger. The benefit of exercise the Mayo Clinic reports is that your body releases endorphins that help combat stress. Bonus it can help you sleep to. Specific types of Yoga or Thai Chi can tap into your breathing rhythm and be very relaxing.

Okay so real talk, these areas are things I am working on, minus the exercise that is my area of expertise. So lets go through some breathing and stretching together to reduce our stress.
Introducing the 15 minutes for…. Series. In this YouTube series I will bring you through videos for healthier living from rehabilitation to general health practice. Always exercise based, Always 15 mins.
This week is 15 minutes for Stress.
So lets do it!
 

​Welcome to 2022. Isn’t there something magical about January? The possibilities seem endless, and you have the whole year in front of you to become the person you always wanted to be. I know the jury is out on new years resolutions, but I am in the camp of LET’S DO IT!
I totally can see why people are anti new years resolution… because it’s usually surrounded around making yourself a better human, which typically means you need to lose weight, or wear more sunscreen, get sleep more blah blah blah. And then the shame spiral starts. Let’s reframe our thinking. What in life isn’t working for you? What do you want to change, no shame… just gain!
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I think another reason why people hate new years resolutions is it just feels like they are being set up to fail. Being successful takes planning, and just saying I am going to get 8 hours of sleep every night isn’t going to get you there. Planning is key. So here is what I am doing to make my 2022 goals a reality.
Step 1: Write down the goals. Here are some mine.

• Drink more water (I do this one every year and fail miserably. Does coffee count as water?)
• Read 12 books
• Pay off debt

Step 2: Plan away.
A very common way to plan is to use the “SMART” goals. This is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely.  Using a specific goal, lets break this down. Let’s go for the Visa bill.
We start with I will pay off debt
Make it Specific - I am going to reduce the balance on my visa bill
Make it measurable – I am going to pay off $5000 by the end of the year
Make it Attainable – I will prioritize paying off debt to buying new things
Make it Realistic – I can afford $200 biweekly to pay down debt, but still pay other bills and live my life!
Make it Timely - I will complete this goal by the end of the year and check in quarterly to adjust my goal if needed.
There! The plan is made. If you have a planner, I will write in the dates to check in with your goals. This year I am using Passion Planner for an agenda and am loving it so far. On top of your normal agenda stuff, it also has goal setting strategies we just reviewed embedded right in the planner. The best part is they have tons of digital prints on their website for FREE!! I love when companies offer things for free! Here is the link . I am not affiliated with Passion Planner; I just think it’s a great tool if you’re an agenda lovin’ human like me.
Alright so before your get your pen and paper to write down all the amazing things you’re going to achieve this year lets move a little bit.
This workout is going to focus on a lot of large movements to build your confidence. I watched a ted talk how body language can shape who you are, and by making yourself “big” you can make yourself feel more confident in situations like interviews or public speaking, so let’s get to it!

The Workout
Posture Adjustment
Deep Breaths, Arms out
Shoulder Mobilization
Hip openers, Hip swings  
Goddess Pose Sequence – Reach up, Twist, Side Bend, forward fold, bent elbows, Squat
Wrist Mobility
30 sec jumping jacks, 30 sec star jumps.
Repeat Goddess Pose Sequence but hold “squat”

​Cya in the next one!