Relax a Little

Did you know that you could be suffering from brain poisoning right now? Dr. Majid Fotuhi, a neurologist who wrote "The Memory Cure", speaks about what stress can be doing to your brain:

Stress increases levels of cortisol. Cortisol is the worst poison for your brain. People who have high anxiety and stress all the time have a smaller hippocampus....Size matters: people who have a bigger hippocampus do not develop Alzheimer's Disease even if they have Alzheimer's in their brain.

This is a big deal. Not only does cortisol affect your weight and so many other systems in your body, it affects the brain in a major way. Brain health is a key part of living long: living to 100 is not all its cracked up to be if your brain is not healthy. As we look at what makes people in the Blue Zones live longer, it is not surprising that you won't see a bunch of stressed out individuals worrying all day long. Why? Because they have ways to manage the stress that comes their way.

Dan Buettner, author of "The Blue Zones", gives these tips for managing stress:

Reduce the Noise
Be early--plan 15 minutes ahead of schedule
Meditate
Find a stress-reducing strategy that works for you and make it your routine

My Stress-Reducing Strategies:

Take a nap. I have always been a napper, and it is a great way for me to stop and slow down. Other things that work for me are going for a walk, reading the Bible, and having some tea.

Try to fight the "go-go-go!" mentality and find ways to reduce your stress. Your body will reward you for it!

Noah always calms down during a walk, and it helps reduce my stress as well.
Photo courtesy of eclecticism photography.