Lower Your Stress Level

 Lower Your Stress

Life expectancy can be undermined by stress in two ways. The first way is through the direct effects of stress on your body over the long term.

Stress triggers the release of a hormone called cortisol which helps you respond to threats by raising your heart and respiration rate. Long-term elevations can be harmful, leading to anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

There is also evidence that prolonged stress can "age" cells on a molecular scale. Studies have shown that increased cortisol levels promote cell breakdown and the production of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules that damage cellular DNA, causing cells to age and malfunction prematurely. This, in turn, gives rise to many different types of cancer.

To better manage stress over the long term, try mind-body therapies like:

Mindfulness meditation

Gentle Yoga

Tai chi

Deep breathing exercises

Progressive muscle relaxation

Biofeedback

Guided imagery

Turn off Your TV

By cutting back on television watching, you may improve your health and increase your life expectancy as well.

Here are ​a few reasons why:

Watching TV excessively makes you inactive and more likely to gain weight.

Sitting for prolonged hours can lead to chronic back and neck pain.

TV can be stressful, mainly if you are a news junkie.

TV prevents quality social interaction and can contribute to anxiety and depression.

All of these things can have a negative impact on your health as well as your longevity.

Can TV Shorten Your Life?

According to the ongoing Australian Diabetes, Obesity, and Lifestyle Study, people who spend an average of six hours per day watching TV can expect to live 4.8 years less than those who watch no TV. On average, every single hour of TV viewed after age 25 reduces the viewer's life expectancy by 21.8 minutes.

I watched a documentary yesterday about Blue Zones Around the world. These are places where a big percentage of people are living longer than the average. In other words, more centurians than normal. I was amazed at the similarity in these Blue zones around the world. You need to remember that the people interviewed were born in the 1920's. Singing and dancing are a part of their lives. These are very healthy people. One man in a blue zone in Costa Rica was a cattle ranched. It was a small ranch with about 2 dozen cattle. This man rode horseback every day. He was 100 but he looked like he was 70. He chopped wood and grew his vegetables. 

Another lady in Okinawa was playing music and singing at 109. What I saw that was similar was that these people grow much of their own food, spend time in their gardens every day, and cook their own meals. They live with or close to their family and rest in the afternoon. These people are thin and eat small amounts of food, but very healthy. Except for napping, these people work all day doing something. Most of these people live their lives the same way they have done for decades, passing on their traditions to children and grandchildren. 

Our lives are so stressful that we look for any opportunity to sit and relax, but that's not the way we should live. The younger generation in this country and many other developed countries are rejecting this 9 to 5, 5 days a week work schedule that controls our lives and has been for decades. The younger generation doesn't want to conform. Can you blame them? Why do you think so many people didn't return to work after COVID-19. Most of those who didn't return were tired of the 40-hour grind and everything that it represents. 

All these people want is a simpler life with less stress. Less stress will make for a happier life and more time with the family or your spouse. Companies will reap the benefits by having a happier employee who is more productive. 

It's just my opinion that companies need to learn how to work with employees differently. Money is not really the end game for most employees. People want to work but want to be able to balance work and family. The average worker knows they need to make money to live, pay their bills, and send their kids to school, but they don't want to sell their soul to do it.

Follow me on X or Twitter @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.