1. Stress & Your Progress Presenter: Jessica Schultz jessicaschultz2@aurora.o rg

2. What is Stress is a natural part of life. It is a response to changes -good or bad- in your life. It is the body’s method of responding to a challenge, or stressor stimulus. Stressor stimulus can stimulate various systems in our body to have a physiological effect that can impact a person’s well being.

3. High Cholesterol- The body can produce more cholesterol under stress. Smoking-Many people smoke more under stress. Smoking is the #1 risk factor for heart disease. High Blood Pressure-Stress can cause high blood pressure, or make it worse. Managing Stress can help lower blood pressure. Overweight-Stress can result in eating more and choosing unhealthy foods. This can lead to extra weight and higher cholesterol. Diabetes-Stress can increase blood sugar or result in eating foods that increase blood sugar levels. Lack of Exercise-Stress makes it hard to maintain an exercise pattern, however, exercise is one of the best ways to reduce stress. Too much stress may help promote heart disease…

4. Physiological Impact of Stress signals to our bodies to release Stress hormones. One type of hormone released is: Adrenaline & Noradrenaline- Alerts our bodies of danger, causing flight or fight response within us. This increases anxiety, fear and our thoughts to race. Some other impacts are: Blood Pressure to increase and Blood Clots to form in our bodies to prevent injury and excessive bleeding. “TAKE A BREATH” Our breathing changes, and our lungs are strained, causing us to take short or shallow breathes which leads to hyperventilation. “DON’T SWEAT IT” Stress puts excess demand on our body’s systems, this causes heat within us. To prevent damage from overheating, our body perspires/sweats to keep us cool. WHERE DO YOU CARRY YOUR STRESS? Muscle Soreness, comes from the increase in blood flow to our muscles, which give them a burst of energy. This burst of energy, if the muscle is not properly trained to handled the strain of energy burst (like in weight lifting), our muscles become exhausted and susceptible for injury-causing pain.

5. Physiological Impact of Stress releases another type of hormone called- Cortisol. Increases the amount of sugar in our bloodstream to provide more energy, this can cause serious health concerns for people who are not able to adequately equipped to process the increase in sugar in the bodies. Accumulated fat around our mid-section. Digestion to slow down or stop completely to conserve energy for necessary systems that will deal with the threat onto our bodies. The body won’t properly digest food, which prevents the uptake of nutrients, may cause weight gain, and increases stomach acidity. Our immune systems to be suppressed, and our bodies don’t care about fighting off diseases or keeping us from getting sick. When we are upset the phrase “That Makes Me Sick” is used. Decrease the amount of anti-aging growth hormones, thus causing us to age faster. A suppression of our reproductive organs

6. What Causes YOU …

7. We can’t avoid all the things that trigger our stress, but we can control: How we perceive the intensity of a stress trigger and How we respond to the stress triggers and signals In a stress filled world it becomes easy to focus on the negative things in life. There is an expression, coined by Ilan Shamir, which states “A thousand things went right”. This suggest that if you train your mind to look for the positive things in life, you will start attracting more positive things. Let’s take a moment to think of 10 things that went right today…. 1)2)3) 4)5)6) 7)8)9) 10)

8. How Do YOU Respond to…

9. Reducing Stress through Physical Activity Exercise and other physical activity produce endorphins— chemicals in the brain that act as natural painkillers—and also improve the ability to sleep, which in turn reduces stress. Regular participation in aerobic exercise has been shown to decrease overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilize mood, improve sleep, and improve self-esteem. Even five minutes of aerobic exercise can stimulate anti-anxiety effects. Physical Activity isn’t just limited to exercise…try breathing exercises or stretching to reduce the impacts of stress.

10. Self-Awareness Check in through out your day to ensure you are feeling positive, happy and you have energy to make healthy choices. If you are not, it is time to do one of your stress relieving exercises.

11. Progress Review Changes you are most proud of : _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ Changes I will continue to work on: _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________

12. Changes you are most proud of : Stay aware of benefits Recognize your successes Keep visible signs of your progress When to track your: Food Exercise Weight Prevent boredom by adding variety to your routine Set new goals and rewards for yourself Create friendly competition Develop a strong Support System

13. What’s my … List at least one strategy you will use to keep you motivated in the future: ______________________________ Who will support you with your success? How will they help you?______________________________