Battle against stress

Do you ever feel like being chased by a tiger? We live in a fast paced world, in which we are often left time-crunched, overwhelmed and stressed. Our society got caught in a chaotic spiral of a new addiction, chasing money, power and success. At what price though?

Here is what constantly elevated cortisol levels due to chronic stress do to your body:

• binge eating behaviours
• sleep disorders
• mood swings
• impaired memory
• high blood pressure
• accumulation of visceral fat
• muscle atrophy
• hair loss 
• mineral deficiency
• suppressed immune system

Stress doesn't always have to be bad. It is an indicator that you care about something, not a cause for panic. In small doses, it can motivate you to give your best under pressure. Although if you suffer from the symptoms listed above, you may have to think about consciously changing certain habits in order to improve the way you cope with stress.

• Adjust your mindset, focus on what you can control instead of trying to reduce stress.
• Learn how to relax. Try yoga, meditation or breathing techniques, even for just a few minutes per day.
• Engage in moderate intensity activities to lower your cortisol level and to lift your mood, such as jogging, swimming or cycling, preferably outdoors.
• Up your omega 3 fatty acids intake to improve cognitive function, mood and to reduce inflammation.
• Replenish your body with minerals. Take magnesium before going to bed as it nourishes the nervous system and improves sleep quality.
• Get some "love hormone" oxytocin. 
• Reduce your carb intake. Try to eliminate sugar, flour and white rice from your diet, as they tend to cause an additional elevation of the cortisol level.
• Try to reduce your exposure to blue light from smart phone, TV or computer and don't use these devices two hours before going to bed. Blue light negatively affects the levels of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, causing you to take longer to fall asleep and to have less REM sleep.

In times of stress, I personally enjoy listening to a guided meditation before I go to sleep. This helps me to calm down and to relax my mind as well as my body. 

We all cope with stress differently. I hope these informations were helpful to you! Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what works best for you.

Crunches? No thanks.

Most of us want a strong and nicely shaped core. Many people still think that doing thousands of crunches and sit ups is the fastest way to a six pack. Forget it, spot reducing fat is impossible. Here are a few things you need to do instead:

• Change your eating habits by lowering your caloric intake, adding more fruits, veggies and protein to your diet.
• Try to laugh as often as you can to increase your dopamine production in order to avoid overeating. Researchers in Japan found that laughing can even lower blood glucose levels by altering gene expression. 
• Make sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep per night and go to bed before midnight. While you sleep, growth hormone is released in your body. Sleep deprivation inhibits the release of this fat burning hormone slowing down your metabolism.
• Exercise at least 2-3 times per week. The best way to burn fat is to do high intensity interval training such as tabata workout, sprints or hypertrophy training.

I personally don´t do crunches or sit ups, since these exercises reinforce the development of bad posture and the disruption of the natural spinal curve creating tension and restriction in the hips. Instead I enjoy doing variation of plank keeping the spine in neutral position.

Plank variation with rotation.

My favourite superfood

Beauty comes from the inside, literally. This year, I'm celebrating a 10 year anniversary with my favourite superfood chlorella vulgaris. This blue-green algae is a superstar among natural supplements and I personally love it because it is packed with all nutrients my body needs. Chlorella is rich with amino acids, chlorophyll, beta-carotene, vitamins and minerals, so to me it is a great addition to an already healthy diet. A regular consumption of this fresh water algae supports healthy hormonal function, promotes cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Chlorella also detoxifies the body from heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury, uranium and reduces oxidative stress caused from poor dietary habits, stress or pollution.

Here are some benefits of chlorella:

• full of Vitamin A, C, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12
• contains Iron, Magnesium, Calcium, Zinc, Iodine and Phosphorus
• detoxifies heavy metals, radiation and chemotherapy
• supports a healthy immune system
• reduces cholesterol and fasting blood glucose levels
• regulates hormones, helps with metabolism and improves circulation
• slows down aging process and fights cancer by enhancing the action of T-cells

I like to take chlorella in a form of tablets (about 3 grams per day) in the morning on an empty stomach and wait about 20-30 minutes before I eat something, in order to allow all nutrients to be absorbed. If you decide to start supplementing this superfood as well, make sure you buy organic chlorella with a broken cell wall as otherwise this algae is virtually indigestible.

Fit mouse and mobility

You're reading my first blog post! I am really excited about sharing my personal experiences and knowledge regarding health, fitness and nutrition. Since there is a ton of topics I'd like to cover, I decided to write about something I am currently preoccupied with. Have you ever looked up the definition of mobility? Well it's simply the ability to move freely and easily. Because of my history of numerous injuries while I was playing basketball (sprained ankles, torn ACL, meniscus, etc), over the years I lost a lot of mobility in my lower body. To be honest, I am not able to perform a full squat without lifting my heels off the ground. I should ad, that I train my legs 3 times per week doing lunges, squats, hip thrusts und dead lifts. These complex exercises require you to have a 100% clean form in order to prevent any type of injury or developing muscular disbalances. In my case, I need to improve the mobility of my ankles and my hip. Tools I personally favour are foam roller and a lacrosse ball. I try to find time at least 2-3 times per week to perform fascial release of my plantar fascia, my calf muscles, IT band and my hip flexor, followed by a few hip opening stretches. Yoga offers a great number of poses, which are also helpful in regaining lost mobility. It is important to mention, that joint mobility decreases with age and we are obviously not getting younger, are we? Arthritis (unless caused by injury), stiff and painful joints are mostly the result of lost mobility. Fascial release techniques performed on a regular basis may help you to move freely and easily again as well.

Warrior II is a great hip opening yoga pose.