The Type of Bar You Use to Blow Off Steam Can Make a Huge Difference in Your Health
But let’s not forget that there are many different kinds of bars to choose from when you want to blow off steam. The quality of the bar you select may make a world of difference for how your body responds to stress hormones. Let’s take a look.
The Beer/Liquor/Wine Bar
The Candy Bar
The most common, yet most underestimated go to bar for stress is our desire for sugar. The hormone stimulating effects of sugar are as powerful as many medications. We are evolutionarily wired to pursue sugar in times of stress, because stress usually means we are using a great deal of energy to escape a dangerous situation.
However, most of the things that stress us out these days are actually things that use very little energy. We get stressed most often while sitting at a desk trying to get a deadline, or seated in traffic that might make us late for an important meeting.
Suddenly, we start pounding all of these sources for sugar, and our metabolism and fat storing abilities get overwhelmed. The Candy Bar may be our greatest enemy when it comes to stress management.
The Bar-bell
My favorite bar to go to is the Bar-bell. Now it’s my own personal favorite source of stress relief, but I have the distinct advantage of loving gym time. Many times, it’s the best part of my day. However, is it manageable for people that don’t like going to the gym?
We all know that exercise has tremendous benefits, and you don’t need another blog to tell you what those benefits are. What you do need to know is how to set your life up to do exercise when all you want to do is drink, eat, or watch TV.
- It doesn’t have to be the gym
- Your exercise doesn’t have to be directed exercise. It just needs to be something that gets you moving. It could be the gym. It could be gardening. It could be dancing. It could be playing with your dog. Pick something and do it for 20 minutes and get your heart rate going.
- It doesn’t have to be long
- Your exercise doesn’t have to be long. There are many times after a stressful day where I’m there for 10 minutes and I’m done. But if you’re going to make it short, then make sure you’re working hard when you’re doing it.
- Treat yourself after you’re done
You took the time to bust your butt after a hard day. You should celebrate with a small reward to make your accomplishment feel better. Movements like Carb Backloading provide some anecdotal evidence that getting some sugar in after HARD exercise doesn’t have the same negative impact as eating sugar at other times.For me, it means I get to have my favorite chocolate smoothie or a post workout cookie. The truth is, that it makes me feel like I earned my sugary treat rather than used it as an escape.
I don’t know if this kind of advice will help you, but this is what I do for myself to develop consistency with my exercise routine. Leave a comment and let me know what your thoughts are.
Did you like this article? Feel free to share it with the people you care about and see if a Complimentary Consultation is the next step to regain their health. Dr. Chung is a practicing Structural Chiropractor in the West Palm Beach area. He has been published in peer reviewed scientific journals and is a sought after speaker in health and wellness. Follow his blog at http://chiropractorwellington.com/category/keystone-chiropractic-blog/ or find him on twitter at @drjonathanchung
