Reducing Stress
In the past, the general wisdom was that it took years of meditation practise to achieve a more positive state of mind, but research from the University of Oregon found that just 20 minutes of meditation over five days can produce markedly lower levels of anxiety, depression, anger, and tiredness.
The Pritikin Centre in Florida is a great exponent of reducing stress and often holds practical and engaging workshops that will help you minimise everyday stress and cope with difficult situations.
Working from the Oregon study were the subjects, 40 undergraduate students, utilised integrative meditation, incorporating several key techniques, including progressive body relaxation, deep breathing, and guided imagery, all skills that are taught in the Mind-Body Health curriculum at the Prtikin Longevity Centre.
This combination of skills "may amplify the training effect over the use of only one of these components," and may "open the door" for continued research in simple, quick-acting and highly trainable tools for stress management, concluded lead investigator Dr. Yi-Yuan Tang and team.
Reaching nutrition and fitness goals is always going to be easier when you have the ability to reduce stress and cope with disturbing feelings such as anger and anxiety. Negative, irrational thoughts and unpleasant states of mind often cause emotional overeating and other barriers to healthy living so why not give it a try!
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