Don't let stress, pain & IBS be your reason for not moving your body - Make it your reason

With the fast paced, chemical infused, super tech age of today, stress related illness, anxiety, muscle & joint pain, inflammation, irritabel bowel syndrome & other digestive disorders are increasing in numbers.

At the times when we are experiencing stress, a digestive flare up, when we feel overwhelmed with the amount of things we need to do, when we feel our hearts palpatating, when we cant think straight, when we feel tension in our necks & particularly when we feel bloated, crampy & uncomfortable we need to learn to STOP, BREATHE & MOVE.

We have become so conditioned to these 'symptoms' of stress that we simply soldier on with the tasks at hand, ignoring the signals of our strugglign bodies, putting everything & everone else first & it is then when things hit the bottom or when s..t finally hits the fan, we fall accutely ill, we tend to fall in a heap, berate ourselves with negative self talk 'why did i do this to myself' or 'why did i say yes' & then lounge on the couch scrolling through instagram, as we turn to our favoutite tub of ice-cream & feel sorry for ourselves...& so the vicious cycle of stress & symptoms continues....sound familiar?

You can change this. You have complete control to re-program that hardwire of yours that tells you to tolerate the stress & put up with the aches & pains by simply stepping off the merry-go round & doing something for yourself & that first step in re-programing is to stop, take a few monents out each day & get moving.

It is at these times in particular that we need to get up, get outside & move. I know, this is usually the last thing we feel like doing at the time, particualr when our diary is so jam packed & we are feeling the weight of the world on our shoulders but I guarantee the moment you step outside of yourself, breathe in the fresh air, take a walk, practice push up's in the park or simply spend 10 minutes practicing your favourite yoga poses - your world will feel less stressful, your problems will not seem as big & even if it for just a few moments, you aches, pains & symptoms will reduce.

The more we continue to move & be active, the more we make a habbit of stopping daily to move regulalry & take a few moments of time out, the stronger you will become emotionally & physically & your nervous system will learn to swicth off more quickly from that deadline pending, kids screaming stress related 'fight or flight mode'

Sometimes, a good run pounding the pavement with your ipod blaring is just what is needed to clear your mind & de-stress & at other times when your experiencing discomfort , aches & pain or your ibs is in full swing, some easy breathing with some gentle restorative yoga to 'encourage' things along, reduce cramping & bloating may be just what the Dr.ordered.

The physical benefits of increasing bone health, increasing heart health, improving the immune system & chronic disease prevention have long been established & discussed.

Physical activity can also assist to reduce stress, reduce fatigue, improve alertness, improve concentration, increase mood (due to the endorphins that are released), increase self esteem & enhance overall cognitive function.

Like wise, when we are stressed, nerve function can become impaired & the flow on effect from this can cause a gammit of stress related illness including overactice bowel & ibs so making a regular date to be kind to yourself, to be active & take time out for you can assist with calming the nervous sytem both short & long term & help balance out your hormones & reduce the amount of flare up's you experience.

Other wellness activities such as meditation, accupuncture, massage & deep breathing can increase endorphins also so make sure you schedule in some 'you' time alongside of your regular physical activity & reap the benefits of a reduced stress lifestyle.

Ther next time you are feeling overwhelmed or uncomfortable, allocate 10 minutes of time to be physically active , stop, breathe & get moving & I am certain you will be pleasantly suprised at how much better you feel emptionally & physically.

xo