Stress is your body’s response to changes in your life. Because life involves constant change (ranging from changing locations from home to work each morning, to adapting to major life changes like marriage, divorce, or death of a loved one), there is no avoiding stress. Stress can trigger the body’s response to perceived threat or danger, the Fight-or-Flight response. During this reaction, certain hormones like adrenalin and cortisol are released, speeding the heart rate, slowing digestion, shunting blood flow to major muscle groups, and changing various other autonomic nervous functions, giving the body a burst of energy and strength. Originally named for its ability to enable us to physically fight or run away when faced with danger, it’s now activated in situations where neither response is appropriate, like in traffic or during a stressful day at work. When the perceived threat is gone, systems are designed to return to normal function via the relaxation response, but in our times of chronic stress, this often doesn’t happen enough, causing damage to the body.

What can you do about stress?

Have a Massage: You might think of a massage only as a luxury in exotic spas and upscale health clubs but it’s not just a luxury – it’s part of a balanced, healthy lifestyle, along with a healthful diet and regular exercise. The benefits of massage are cumulative and are enhanced by receiving on a regular basis, such as weekly, or monthly – as often as the schedule and budget allow

Exercise regularly: By now, you should know that exercise does your body good. But did you also know that virtually any form of exercise can decrease the production of stress hormones and counteract your body’s natural stress response? It’s true. The same regular exercise routine that helps prevent disease and builds muscle can also help you better manage stress.

Putting balance back in your life: Have you ever wondered why you feel so great during vacation? While you may think it’s because you are not at work, how about this other explanation? You are having a great time with people you care about in a nice place, you enjoy good food, you sleep well and you exercise or simply relax.

It is still a puzzle to me when I find out my new stressed out clients and patients reveal to me they have not been exercising or relaxing at all. The most common excuse is “I don’t have time to exercise or come for a massage!” Even more amazing, many start cutting down on their training or their massages because their pressure at work has increased. Interestingly, though, adding workouts and or Massage Therapy treatments to a work-packed schedule is one of the easiest strategies to work less, produce more, make more money and help with the following:

• Reduce tiredness and improve vitality
• Ease stiff jointsI
• Improve circulation to help injuries heal
• Lower physical stress and tension, which can lead to problems such as headaches, backache, neck and shoulder discomfort and eyestrain.
• Balance mental and emotional strain
• Lower your blood pressure
• Slow your heart rate
• Reduce insomnia and improve the quality of sleep
• Decrease depression and anxiety, improving your mood overall.
• Boost your immune system

Many people feel that striking a good balance between their work responsibilities and their personal lives is an essential factor in living a whole and healthy life with less stress. There is no one simple cookie cutter solution to the life balance challenge, your solution will be uniquely yours. Don’t compare yourself with others. Assess your own sense of well being and adjust your actions according to your own needs. Only you know what makes you stressed and how much you can handle, and what helps eliminate it from your daily life.

Take impeccable care of yourself… your body, mind and soul. Eat well, drink plenty of water, get enough sleep, exercise, relax, and spend time in the spiritual realm.

Abdominal and back exercise can be added to your daily routine to maintain strong muscles and reduce the likelihood of back pain. A high percentage of back pain complaints are due to soft tissue injury or back muscle strain. Strengthening the abdominal muscles and back muscles by ab exercise (stomach exercise) and lower back exercise may help prevent back pain.

The bones of the spine provide the supporting frame for the back. Connected to this frame is an intricate system of muscles and ligaments that increase the strength and stability of the spine, arms and legs.

The abdominal muscles and back muscles are key components of this muscular network providing the strength to keep the body upright and for movement. When these muscles are in poor condition, additional stress is applied to the spine as it supports the body and back injury or back pain is more likely.

Types of muscles

The muscles that support the spine are grouped in three categories:

Extensors—back and gluteal muscles; used to straighten the back (stand), lift and extend and abduct the hip.

Flexors—abdominal and iliopsoas muscles; used to bend and support the spine from the front, they also control the arch of the lumbar (lower) spine and flex and adduct the hip (move the thigh in toward the body).

Obliques or Rotators—paraspinal (side) muscles; used to stabilize the spine when upright, they rotate the spine and help maintain proper posture and spinal curvature.

Some of these muscles are exercised in everyday life.The gluteals, for example, are used each time we walk or climb a step. The back muscles and abdominals do not get adequate exercise from the typical person’s daily activities. In addition, the back muscles show a natural tendency to weaken with age unless they are specifically exercised.

Benefits of strong abs and back muscles

Weak and/or overly tight supporting muscles can have painful spasms and suffer injuries themselves. They can also lead to problems with bone structure of the spine due to poor posture from the weak muscles. Strong stomach muscles and back muscles attained through abdominal exercise and back exercise:

• Reduce the likelihood of back pain episodes
• Provide protection against injury by responding efficiently to stresses.
• Help to avoid back surgery in some cases
• Facilitate healing after a back injury or spine surgery

Some general guidelines for the exercises include:

• Do not stop exercising just because you feel “healed;” add back and abdominal exercises to your daily routine.
• Complete a combination of flexion and extension exercises to balance the trunk muscles To balance the trunk muscles.