Stress

We all have stress. Many events that happen to you and around you -- and many things that you do yourself -- put stress on your body. You can experience stress from your environment, your body, and your thoughts. Consider the following:

• Forty-three percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.
• Seventy-five percent to 90% of all doctor's office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.
• Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared stress a hazard of the workplace. Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually.
• The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50%, often due to chronic, untreated stress reactions.

 Exercising is an amazing stress reliever. Virtually any form of exercise, from aerobics to weightlifting, can act as a stress reliever. If you're not an athlete or even if you're downright out of shape, you can still make a little exercise go a long way toward stress management. I find that when I run, my mind literally goes somewhere out in the ozone and I forget about any issues or problems and just enjoy running or weight training. Even a simple 15 minute walk can help relieve stress. Understandably, a trip to Aruba would be a GREAT stress reliever but exercise is something that we can do on a daily basis...in between trips to Aruba :-)