It's October, and you know what that means? The holidays are near and with them the copious amounts of food, parties, gift-giving, spending money, travel, and over-indulging in general. Sure, the holidays are fun, but the endless whirl of events can be dizzying and stressful. And stress — even if it's "fun stress" is no fun for your body. According to the Mayo Clinic, as stress increases, the body's cortisol and adrenaline levels increase, and if contiually elevated, can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, anxiety and/or depression, poor digestion, insomnia or other sleep-related symptoms, trouble concentrating, and weight gain (2013).

Exercise is one way to relieve these symptoms. Deep breathing, mindful meditation, and bonding with others are also proven ways to reduce stress. In fact, people who do all of these may be the happiest of all of us. There is one exercise practice which combines all of the above to produce a calmer, happier, more physically capable person: yoga. Yoga combines the power of deep, controlled breathing with a series of graceful, athletic poses to increase physical strength and enhance flexibility as well as mental clarity and focus. Regular practitioners of yoga report lower anxiety levels and a better sense of spiritual connection between self and others in addition to the physical benefits, which combined can serve to combat the nasty effects of stress, chaos, and overscheduling that plague many of us this time of year.

As a result, Positively Fit Lake Highlands has opened up four new power yoga classes per week at our Lake Highlands studio. Students of all levels and abilities are invited to join the 45-50 minute classes, which are a blend of power yoga and fast paced Vinyasa flow moves; they begin this Friday, October 4, and run Mondays and Fridays at 6:15 a.m., and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. Please visit www.positivelyfitlakehighlands.com for more information or contact mallory@positivelyfitlakehighlands.com to register. 

Citation: The Mayo Clinic. (11 July 2013). Chronic Stress Puts Your Health at Risk.
Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR00001.