“A healthy mind in a healthy body”: but what does this expression that everyone knows mean?
Quite simply, the mind and body are one . Like an inseparable couple, if one is bad, the other is bad too. But if they take care of each other, you will see life in roses.
Everyone has experienced at least one stressful situation in their life: public speaking, a breakup, a disagreement, whatever. What happens then? You feel like your heart is beating, your breathing is speeding up, you are sweating. Your body senses what's going on in your head, and it's not at its best. A little bit is okay. But if stress comes to your door more often than your postman, be vigilant! This could have serious consequences for your health . Better to be close to your enemies. This is why we suggest you better understand stress to better combat it with our 2 great stress relievers: sport and food supplements.
I. Stress: identity card of our enemy n°1
When you face a situation that you find stressful, your body reacts. This psychological and/or physical reaction is called stress . This is a natural defense mechanism that will allow the body to adapt to an external event . This is a completely useful and normal survival instinct. But be careful, like all good things, you should not overdo it! If it repeats or intensifies, it can quickly become problematic.
Free and equal in law yes, but not all equal in the face of stress!
Stress results from the imbalance between the individual's perception of an external constraint and the resources available to him to cope with it . Depending on each person's age, experience and personality, reactions to a specific situation can be different. So, public speaking can be stressful for a shy child but will not be stressful for an extroverted business leader.
What are so-called “stressful” situations?
Stressful situations can be of several types:
What happens to our body when we are stressed?
A little history ! In 1935, Hans Selye studied the body's reaction to a stressful context. He divides the mechanism into 3 phases and calls it “ General adaptation syndrome ”.
Phase 1: The alarm phase , the body prepares for fight or flight.
You are faced with a situation that you evaluate as stressful. Your body reacts immediately: your adrenal medulla gland will produce catecholamines and in particular adrenaline .
Kesako? This is a hormone which will increase the quantity of energy and the supply of oxygen to the organs which will be used. This is accompanied by a gradual drop in blood sugar levels . Your heart beats faster, your breathing accelerates, your blood pressure and alertness are increased, your body temperature increases and you have a “lump” in your throat or stomach. You are dealing with the symptoms of acute stress .
Phase 2: The resistance phase , the body prepares to resist the persistent stressful event.
Unfortunately for you, the aggression continues, you expend energy and your blood sugar drops. Your body becomes exhausted. But do not panic ! Your adrenal gland comes to the rescue and secretes glucocorticoids . These activating hormones will also increase blood sugar levels to provide new energy to the muscles, heart and brain. You are protected from exhaustion. This secretion self-regulates: as soon as the situation improves, secretion decreases.
Phase 3: The exhaustion phase, the body lets itself be overwhelmed.
The situation continues and intensifies. Your adrenal cortex no longer regulates itself. As a result, your body finds itself flooded with activating hormones. This depletes your psychological and biological reserves . You may then find yourself confronted with certain worrying pathologies.
What are the different symptoms of stress?
Stress symptoms can be classified into several types:
What are the pathological consequences of chronic stress?
When the stressful situation continues, the symptoms of stress can worsen and impair health. We then observe the following pathologies: metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limbs and back, depression and anxiety leading to suicidal tendencies, worsening of hormonal and fertility disorders as well as certain pregnancy pathologies .
But we too often forget that stress can be involved in many work or commuting accidents!
II. Sport: a weapon of defense against stress
“ Mens sane in corpore sane ” said good old Paul Coubertin.
Have you ever seen a jogger running on a Sunday evening at 10 p.m. in the rain? While you were quietly going out in the car to take your take-out order from a famous fast-food restaurant? Haven't you said to yourself: why is he doing this to himself? Does he really like it?
The answer is yes. Sport is known and recognized for its beneficial effects on morale, stress reduction, motivation and self-confidence. This can be explained by the secretion of different hormones during and after sport:
- Dopamine and serotonin . These hormones of alertness , happiness and pleasure allow you to be more productive, less tired and to reduce possible pain , enough to enjoy your sports sessions!
- Endorphin . This neurotransmitter, also called the pleasure or happiness hormone, has a structure very close to that of morphine. It is responsible for the feeling of well-being and euphoria after sport and even has a pain-relieving effect . This explains why athletes crave more and become addicted .
- Adrenaline and norepinephrine . These hormones are produced in response to stress to increase energy production. Rather than using them to enter a state of stress, the body diverts them and uses them to provide energy for sports practice. Sport is therefore the anti-stress solution par excellence .
Sport also strengthens the respiratory and circulatory systems and vital organs such as the heart.
Yes, but there you are, you are the person in the car who watches the Sunday jogger. You are that person that the sofa calls to watch a good film under the blanket. But you would like to get rid of this stress. What if you tried yoga ?
This discipline of the body and mind allows you to cultivate your moral and physical strength for optimal well-being.
III. Food supplements and stress
Do you know that if you are stressed , you have difficulty assimilating your food supplements ?
Indeed, your nervous system and your digestive tract have a close relationship.
90% of what we assimilate comes from orders given by the nervous system to the digestive tract. There are two nervous systems that will act differently on the digestive system : the parasympathetic system and the orthosympathetic system. The first will accelerate the secretion of digestive enzymes while the second will slow down digestive activity.
In a stressful situation, an imbalance is created between these two systems in favor of the orthosympathetic system, slowing down digestion and therefore assimilation.
Plant-based food supplements are an excellent way to relax and therefore optimize digestion , assimilation and bioavailability of nutrients.
For example, the saffron contained in our Life & Balance product has the power to inhibit the reuptake of serotonin (happiness hormone). As a result, our body benefits from an increased amount of serotonin and relaxes . Thus, all the other active ingredients of Life & Balance are much better assimilated! Or those of any other treatment that you take in combination!
Likewise, in our Work & Play energizer, L-theanine is more than renowned for its anti-stress properties.
No one is spared from stress, but there is a solution to everything! First, recognize that you are stressed by correctly identifying your symptoms and don't hesitate to discuss them with your doctor. Then, practice regular physical activity and don't hesitate to practice relaxation, breathing or meditation exercises! Finally , take a look at our site for Life & Balance or Work & Play:
https://www.reborn.paris/products/life-balance
https://www.reborn.paris/products/work-play
I am told over the headset that gummies have anti-stress effects!