Trainer » stress

3 ways stress can improve your perfomance

admin — Fri, 04 Mar 2016 14:00:12 +0000

Although we constantly hear about the harmful effects of stress on our bodies, it is important to remember that stress is still important for our daily existence. Therefore, whilst we daily try to control our stress levels, it is important to remember that control is not the same as eradication and that all our measures should be aimed at bringing stress down to a “moderate” level. Meaning, a level at which it is sufficient to improve our performance without being enough to harm our mind, body and loved ones.Some of the ways stress at the right level is able improve our performance is by;

1. Increasing our Alertness

Stress hormones activate the “fight and flee” response.Naturally when a man or even an animal feels as though they are in danger and this response is activated, their ability to pick out the different smells, sounds and movement increases.Meaning, the brain in an attempt to protect from any harm becomes more attuned to the various changes around you.Experts have shown that this mechanism whilst occurring in moderate levels of stress is beneficial to our performance physically and mentally because we are able to pick out things we previously are oblivious t, when stress is totally absent.

2. Boost your Memory

One hindrance to exceptional performance in most people is forgetfulness. Stress in moderate amounts makes the brain react to whatever perceived “danger” it is facing by stimulating the production of the stress hormones. These stress hormones, in an attempt to help the brain deal with this“perceived danger” triggers retrieval of memories, especially memories of how the individual dealt with similar cases. Retrieval of useful memories will help us perform better both mentally and physically on a daily basis.

3. Increasing Resilience

Dealing with moderate stress over short periods of time, would help your brain build resilience against further stress. Although chronic and severe stress has the ability to totally destroy your mind’s defences, stress in the right levels and for short periods of time are actually protective against further stress. By reminding you of how you have overcome similar situations or even worse situations, for a short period of time, stress gives you the boost you need to overcome current stressful situations. In addition, when stress lasts for short periods of time, you have the opportunity to actually have victories.These victories over time also help you continue even when it feels as though it is too much.

Conclusion

The beneficial effects of stress are only present when stress is in moderate amounts for also a short period of time. Therefore, in dealing with stress caution need always be exercised

WhatsApp number: +971565830067 (Just send us code 10081 and we will get back to you ASAP)
Contact Us: Click here to send us your details or fill in the form below.

You can get in touch with us 24/7 and one of our experts will not only give you a free consultation but also help you pick out an appropriate male or female personal trainer to meet your needs. One-on-one personal training lessons are available in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman and RAK.
______________________________________________________________

4 Ways to Help Your Spouse Deal With Stress

Valentine Oliver — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 02:15:11 +0000

Stress is not healthy for any relationship and if not properly tackled, can bring further problems into that relationship. However, if you are looking for an excuse for separation, then you are free to stop there. If that’s not the case, the next step you should consider is to work towards helping your partner manage the stress.

There are many ways you can help your partner deal better with stress and some of them include:-

1. Dealing With Your Feelings

Regardless of your understanding about why your partner did and said all those things that upset or hurt you, you wouldn’t be able to truly help them if you’re still carrying those negative feelings around. Therefore, this is the first and probably the most important way you can help your partner deal with stress; let go of all the anger, the hurt and the irritation you feel towards them. Remember that all they did was mostly a reaction (a probably immature one) to all the stress they feel and so don’t take all they do personally.

When you have truly forgiven them, you are now able to go out of your way to help them. Not only would that be beneficial to your relationship but it will prevent you from falling into stress, depression, anxiety, etc.

2. Make The Home a Haven

Irrespective of your role in the relationship, you have the ability to make your home a haven for your spouse. Put effort into making it the one place they feel safe, where they know they will be free from all stress. As human beings, we naturally try to spend the most time in the place where we feel safest. When you make your home the place where your spouse feels safe and free from stress, you would be situated in the best position to help them. This would in turn encourage their sub-consciousness to move you from the “enemy’s side” to the “teammate side”.

3. Take Care For Them

Caring for your partner doesn’t just mean meeting their needs. It involves offering to help in any way you can, comforting them when you feel they need it and keeping posted on their days and even “acting as a sounding board” for them. The fact that your partner is under stress is actually an opportunity for you to show them the type of love they won’t get elsewhere.

4. Keep Them Involved

Being supportive whilst they are under stress doesn’t mean you should exclude them from decisions and/or activities in your relationship and family. Yes, you don’t want to add to the stress but, they need to continue being connected to those who love them the most, more than they need silence and distance. When you want to decide what’s for dinner, or what vacation spot to go on remember to ask them and remember to take them along.

Conclusion

Your partner being under stress can put a strain on your life and your relationship and you have the ability to change that.

Please realize that when you reach the point wherein you dread going home or seeing your partner it might be better for you to try counselling first.

WhatsApp number: +971565830067 (Just send us code 9948 and we will get back to you ASAP)

______________________________________________________________

5 Ways to Tell Your Partner is Under Stress

admin — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 02:15:10 +0000

Stress affects not only the person who is under stress but also the people around that person. This is because it has the ability to affect how a person relates with those closest them. Stress is normally not easily noticed until it has resulted in gross damages to both physical and mental health and even to relationships and people that we care about. This is why it is sometimes up to those closest to the ones experiencing stress to catch its symptoms before it is too late.
Some ways to know that your partner’s “Stress-Alarm” is ringing include:

1. Angry Outbursts

The possible explanations for those increasingly numerous anger bursts are not only that your partner has stopped loving you or has suddenly developed a short fuse or that you have become more annoying. Those frequent outbursts could be an unconscious reaction to stress. Stress reduces our tolerance for things we once coped with until we find ourselves feeling the need to shout out in anger at everything. This happens because the mind is attempting to reduce its stress load via shouting.

2. Apathy

Stress sometimes tends to blunt our responses to things that matter. This is because whilst trying to relieve itself of the overwhelming feeling of stress, our mind begins to shelf everything apart from the stressing factor and its attempt to relieve that stress. It therefore begins to see every other thing as unimportant. This is the reason why when people are under stress, they unconsciously care less about things that affect those around them.

3. Forgetfulness

By shelving everything that doesn’t pertain to stress or its relief, many things that would have formerly been easily remembered by your partner get forgotten. Meaning your partner would most likely be forgetting to take out the trash or to buy what you asked for or even where he/she placed his/her keys effortlessly.

4. Loss of Sexual desire

Stress also tends to affect our sexual desire and even our sexual performance. In times of stress, sexual intercourse mostly becomes unimportant so desire can decline and later, the ability to perform sexually could also decline. Of course having this happen could add unto the stress your partner already feels.

5. Loss of Motivation

Stress has a way of making a person feel overwhelmed. One reaction to this overwhelming feeling includes losing the desire to get involved in any other activity. When your partner begins to lose motivation for things he/she once found enjoyment in, this might be a sign that he/she is under stress.

Conclusion
Catching stress in your partner early helps you know how best to react to these changes and thus reduce the effect of the stress on your relationship. It also ultimately helps you realize the need to help your partner deal with the stress.

WhatsApp number: +971565830067 (Just send us code 9807 and we will get back to you ASAP)
Contact Us: Click here to send us your details or fill in the form below.

5 Easily Missed Symptoms of Stress

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2016 03:30:37 +0000

Stress in life is both beneficial and harmful. The differences between beneficial and harmful stress are to be symptoms that are easily noticeable yet associated with other things. Stress as a whole affects all aspects of your life including; your behaviour, your emotion and your health. When stress crosses the beneficial-harmful line certain changes occur in these aspects of your life and these are what we refer to as symptoms of stress.
Knowing what to look for makes it easier to know if what you perceive as stressful is helping or harming your body and if you are technically “under stress”
5 easily missed symptoms of Stress include:-

1. Headaches

One of the most common symptoms of stress is headache. Especially constant or reoccurring ones. Stress-induced headaches usually appear once you think of the stressing factor or move into the stress-inducing environments. Helpful stress should not induce frequent or reoccurring headaches when they start doing so it’s time to take action.

2. Frequent Colds

Frequent colds and other things such as shingles or even diarrhoea usually point towards a declining immune system. The immune system only begins to decline when stress is overwhelming the body. Therefore, whilst you keep visiting the physician for the relief of that cold or sore throat, be sure to take measures towards effectively managing the stress that led to that.

3. Avoiding Others

Think deeply about the last time you didn’t want to be around people. What was the true reason? If you have done that you probably might have a reply like “I just wanted to be alone for a little bit” or “some people can be so overwhelming” or perhaps something else along that line. Man is a social being and as a rule would feel the need to interact with others. However, in times when the brain feels you are being overwhelmed in any way it sends signals that make you feel the need to be isolated. Finding ways to escape others is a symptom of being “under stress”.

4. Pessimism

Human beings are different. We all have different traits and different personalities. However, regardless of how melancholy you are on a normal basis, stress in its harmful levels would lead to a downward spiral of even your thoughts and beliefs. Do you find yourself believing the worst of everything even more so than usual? This might be an indication that you are under stress.

5. Easy irritability

When stress begins to overwhelm the body, you begin to unconsciously find ways to relieve yourself of it. One of the easiest ways to relieve yourself of emotional stress is crying or even shouting. This is why when you are “under stress”, the mind itself tries to provide relief by reducing your tolerance threshold so that you indirectly have opportunities for you to find some relief.

Conclusion
Remember that these symptoms may also be pointing to other physical and mental health conditions. Stress can be relieved by removing the stressing factor from your life, certain mental exercises, relaxation techniques, physical exercises or even taking a break. If these measures yield no relief please be sure to seek the counsel of a physician.

WhatsApp number: +971565830067 (Just send us code 9804 we will get back to you ASAP)
Contact Us: Click here to send us your details or fill in the form below.

Five Things About Your Job That Could be Stressing you out

Victor Oyegun — Thu, 03 Dec 2015 12:36:43 +0000

One smart move for dealing with stress is being able to identify the various factors that may be contributing to your stress levels, and unsurprisingly, work has been fingered as one of the prime sources of stress. Perhaps you once thought of your work as being your dream job but now dread getting up in the morning and going to work because you feel so stressed out just thinking about work.

Understanding the ways your job might be stressing you out is something you need to do to help you get back to loving what you do and being as productive as you can be. Read on to see the top four ways your job might be making you feel stressed out:

1. Fear of being fired

The thought of being laid off from your job is undeniably a significant factor that can greatly increase your stress levels. To get around this, you should have a frank and open talk with your supervisor to see how they view your work performance. Be sure to actually work on improving yourself and following through on any feedback you get, as this will help build your confidence.

A lot of people also suffer form what is known as “impostor syndrome”, where fully qualified individuals think of themselves as being unqualified for jobs and see their colleagues as being superior to themselves. Studies have actually shown that the majority of people who feel this way, are actually well qualified to the work they do. So don’t waste your time and stress your mind and body, by scrutinizing yourself mercilessly. Relax and focus on doing what you love to do.

2. Constant harassment by superiors

Harassment from superiors is a very common work related source of stress. A lot of people feel their hearts skip at the mere sight of their boss simply because they have come to expect to be berated at for any or no reason at all. Just the thought of how embarrassed they make u feel in public might be causing you to stress-out all the time.

If this is the case for you, then you need to either file a complaint with HR, or find somewhere else to work as your boss’s attitude and behavior might be causing you to feel stressed out, with serious implications for your health.

3. High workloads

When you signed up for the job, you probably expected a heavy workload, and perhaps you’re even fine with that; but whether you realize it or not, an excessively heavy workload will put your mind and body under quite a lot of stress. Perform a candid evaluation of your workload and if you think it might be a little unreasonable, then you should have a talk with your boss about making work more manageable for you.

4. Discontent with salary

Studies have shown that vast numbers of employees feel underpaid for the work they do and are consequently demotivated. Being demotivated at work could be a major contributor to stress and if you are feeling demotivated because of your salary at work, then you will need to either re-negotiate your salary with your boss, find a better paying job, or simply adjust your own salary expectations.

5. Poor physical working environment

Working environment can play a very big role in the amount of stress we feel at work. An unkempt looking office has the potential to distract and unsettle the mind for a lot of people, and a rowdy atmosphere may have a similar effect. Working under such conditions might very well be causing you to feel stressed out.

In conclusion…

Stress could easily have a number of seriously deleterious effects on your health and you should take care to avoid piling on stress, particularly from your job. You can use the tips we’ve shown you here to evaluate your working environment for stress.

WhatsApp number: +971565830067 (Just send us code 4885 and we will get back to you ASAP)
Contact Us: Click here to send us your details or fill in the form below.

[contact-form-7]

Health & Stress : Why We Eat What We Eat?

Christina Helen Brown — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 13:39:34 +0000

While the foods you choose to eat when under stress might give you a momentary reprieve, they will increase the levels of the stress hormone cortisol directly.

What is cortisol?

Cortisol is a hormone produced mainly in the adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys. We also produce it in our individual fat cells and the liver. We’ve come to know it as the “stress” hormone, because chronic stress keeps cortisol levels high and lead to many negative effects. Elevated cortisol relates to chronic stress – the feeling that life’s demands are greater than your ability to meet them.

There are some foods that a person should eat in order to reduce their stress levels. There are also foods that should be avoided. The biggest ones to avoid are foods with high sugar and caffeine, these are often referred to as the dynamic duo of trouble as the caffeine will make you jumpy and jittery and the consumption of sugar will make you crash. Avoid energy drinks and sweetened coffees such as vanilla lattes, instead drink a cup of hot cocoa made with pure organic cocoa and no sugar or have a tall glass of warm skimmed milk. These foods will help fight stress and induce a calming feeling.

Avoid sugar completely

It seems natural to turn to a sweet treat when stressed however it increases the levels of cortisol. The blood sugar and insulin spikes increase the stress on the body. This can lead to sugar crashes and an increased appetite. If you are after a sweet snack indulge in an ounce of very dark chocolate. The cocoa contains flavonoids, which have relaxing properties, and phenethylamine, a mood enhancing chemical.

Processed Foods

Why avoid processed foods you might ask? Well, processed foods because they are high in sodium, fat and artificial additives that have no nutritional value at all. These processed foods can actually increase the stress levels. If you are after a snack, do not grab the nearest packet of crisps. Rather indulge in a handful of walnuts or sunflower seeds. The walnuts are known for lowering blood pressure in those whose hearts work overtime, sunflower seeds are a great source of folate which increases the dopamine levels in the brain.

Food affects many aspects of our daily lives and our bodies.

It is important for us to choose what we put in our bodies in order to get the maximum out of our bodies. Remember that processed sweetened food can make you feel better for a very short time but the adverse effects on the body last much longer. Stock up on nuts, carrots, apples and easy to reach healthy snack foods for the office or when you are out and about.