Beyond
Walking

By Ronda Gates, MS

Ronda Gates, MS, is a pharmacy grad who traded her white coat for a pair of athletic shoes and never looked back. Her health promotion business, LIFESTYLES, provides motivational speaking, program development, and fitness assessment services to support people making a lifestyle change. She has developed health promotion programs for many organizations nationwide.
Visit www.rondagates.com for a complimentary subscription to Ronda’s weekly email newsletter.

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.

— Henry David
Thoreau

Stress Busters

A recent bout of influenza, which put me out of commission for almost a week, led me to revisit my perspective on stress-induced illness. My knockout blow followed training for a lengthy cycling adventure, combined with making the spring rounds of health conferences that took me to the East coast and back several times. Simultaneously, I attempted to negotiate a major community remodeling project, painted my home, and tried to “keep up” with the daily tasks a small business demands. I’ve lectured on self-induced stress-related illness for years (and know much about the body’s response to stress). So I thought I was ahead of the curve when it came to taking care of myself. However, as I look back, I recall responding to queries of “How are you doing?” with “I’m a bit overwhelmed.”

The tensions and chemical changes caused by stress can throw any of our organ systems off kilter, drain energy, and lower resistance to all manner of unfriendly bugs. In fact, recent research suggests that anywhere from 60 to 90% of illness is stress-related.

In small doses, stress can be a good thing. It can give you the push you need, motivating you to do your best and stay focused and alert. Stress keeps you on your toes during a presentation at work or drives you to study for your midterm when you’d rather be watching TV. Additional 2003 research from Northwestern University found that brief exposure to environmental or physiological stress produces long-term benefits. This type of stress unleashes a number of special protective proteins (i.e., molecular chaperones) that respond to stress in a cell and promote longevity. But when the going gets too tough and life’s demands exceed your ability to cope, stress becomes a threat to both your physical and emotional well-being.

As I slowly recovered from the flu, I was reminded of some useful stress-busting tips. As our sunny season triggers participation in more walking events, try these ideas to keep yourself healthy.

Take care of your body. In exchange for being the most reliable, long-lasting vehicle you will ever own, your body asks you to get adequate rest, provide it with good fuel, and maintain enough physical activity to keep everything in good working condition.

Identify your personal stress triggers and symptoms. Become more aware of the times that you are likely to experience stress and the signs that you are under stress. Check in with yourself regularly so you can take action to prevent or reduce stress-related problems before they become serious.

Practice relaxation techniques regularly. A variety of exercises can help relax mind and body. Consider the range from simple deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation to yoga, creative visualization, exercise, and other tried-and-true active stress management strategies.

Keep things in perspective. Have you ever noticed a change in perspective after experiencing a personal crisis, such as an illness or injury, or the death of a loved one? These are the kinds of events that often lead people to reconsider what is most important in life and focus on the positive rather than the negative. Fortunately, a personal crisis isn’t necessary to change your perspective. When you’re feeling stressed, consider whether it’s the situation or whether it’s the lens through which you view the situation.

Make your schedule match your priorities. Time, or lack of time, can be a major source of stress. If you are consistently finding yourself short on time to do the things that are important to you, consider ways you can make your schedule work for, rather than against, you.

Remember your social and emotional needs. Acceptance, security, accomplishment, self-expression, a sense of purpose, intimacy, and love of self are just a few of the social and/or emotional needs we all share. Neglect them and you guarantee stress.

Be assertive. Don’t be afraid to let your needs and wants be known. Persistently neglecting your own needs in order to make others happy can lead to poor physical and emotional health and put a strain on relationships.

Distract yourself from stressful thoughts. Distraction, unless it lapses into avoidance, can provide a brief respite from illness-inducing stress. Distractions come in many forms. Consider watching a funny movie, listening to music, reading a book, playing a game, or walking with a friend.

My bout with influenza was physically, mentally, and emotionally painful, but like most learning (or re-learning) experiences, it ultimately provided the opportunity I needed to “take notice” and recommit to living in a more balanced way. Use my experience to take an objective look at your lifestyle so you don’t lose a week of good living to an illness.