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Relax! - a correct diet combined with exercising reduces stress - includes related article on simple way to reduce stress

Vegetarian Times , Nov, 1998 by Rachel McMahon

And don`t say you don`t have time. Stress reduction is as fundamental as eating right and exercising.

Rachel McMahon could be a poster child for stress. A typical American mom, the 42-year-old Pittsburgh native juggles a demanding full-time job as a social worker, running a household and raising her two sons, aged 9 and 13, with her husband, who also clocks long hours. Because she eats pretty well and works out regularly, Rachel usually manages to keep all the balls in the air. But last month her widowed mother broke her hip on the same day that an overseas friend arrived for a long holiday visit. The result? Rachel`s immune system crashed and she spent the next two weeks in bed with a terrible flu.

Weakened immunity is just one of the negative effects of stress, says Herbert Benson, M.D., an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, president of Boston`s Mind/Body Institute and author of Timeless Healing (Simon & Schuster, 1996). While there is such a thing as good stress--as college students, athletes and emergency room technicians can attest--more typically stress is harmful. It can be acute (a brief but intense response to a specific trauma) or chronic.

Either way, it takes a toll on your physical and mental health, explains Ali Domar, Ph.D., an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard University and co-author of Healing Mind, Healthy Woman (Dell, 1997). Hundreds of studies confirm that out-of-control stress leads to increased risk of heart disease, colds and flu, migraine, PMS, back pain, fatigue and insomnia, says Domar. It also makes the pursuit of happiness darn near impossible.

Chronic stress keeps you in a constant state of agitation, known as the fight-or-flight syndrome, the collection of physiological changes the body undergoes in a threatening situation. The brain releases stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, into the bloodstream, explains Robert M. Sapolsky, Ph.D., a biologist at Stanford University and author of Why Zebras Don`t Get Ulcers (W.H. Freeman, 1998). These hormones send signals to the rest of the body, gearing it up for battle. Your heart rate and blood pressure increase so that the heart can pump more blood to your legs and arms. Your muscles tense, your breathing quickens, and your brain goes on hyper-alert. And because they`re nonessential in a crisis, your digestive and immune systems practically shut down.

One thing that chronic stress does is keep our blood pressure elevated, in some people, that increase forces fat from the bloodstream into the arteries, causing them to clog, explains Benson. And the repeated release of adrenaline and other stress hormones raises your baseline anxiety level, making it harder to cope with daily annoyances.

But chronic stress can`t be eliminated overnight. That requires a sustained regime of exercise, an equanimity-producing diet and regular use of psychological techniques. "But just as our hearts are hardwired to pump rapidly in response to stress," says Benson, "if given the proper cues, our bodies can also produce the opposite effect--a state of deep rest known as the relaxation response." This response, in which the brain emits the slower waves that are associated with pleasure, has been demonstrated in countless studies to counteract the deleterious effects of stress.

There are many simple methods for inducing the relaxation response, and they don`t require hours of meditation a day. By spending just 10 minutes a day repeating and focusing on a simple word or phrase, you begin to slow the breath, decrease your heart rate and blood pressure, dissolve muscle tension, boost your immune system and, over time, reduce your risk for many serious diseases.

THE RELAXATION RESPONSE

You can bring about this state of deep relaxation through meditation, prayer, deep-belly breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, visualization, biofeedback, jogging, swimming, t`ai chi, qigong, even knitting. In fact, any activity you love--gardening, cooking, listening to music or playing with animals--can decrease stress and increase tranquility.

If you choose to do a meditative type of relaxation, Benson suggests picking a word, phrase or prayer to focus on. Sit quietly with your eyes closed; breathe slowly and naturally, filling your belly with air as you inhale, then slowly repeating the chosen word or prayer as you exhale. If thoughts distract you, don`t criticize yourself but gently dismiss them. Continue focusing for 10 to 20 minutes. After you`re done, sit in silence for a minute or two and enjoy the sensation of calm and peace. Do this exercise daily. (Of course, if you`re jogging, you should keep your eyes open. Instead of repeating a word, simply say "left" and "right" as your feet hit the ground.)

MOOD FOODS

"Chronic stress is not just harmful to the heart, it depletes the body`s essential supply of magnesium, the nutrient most important for handling stress and contributing to sound sleep; relaxed, healthy muscles; and staying calm," says Leo Galland, M.D., a internist in New York City and author of Power Healing (Random House, 1997). The fight-or-flight syndrome causes magnesium to pour out of the cells, which makes you more vulnerable to anxiety`s negative effects. What`s more, the substances we often reach for when we`re tense--caffeine, sugar, high-fat foods and alcohol--leech even more magnesium from the body. Leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, on the other hand, are full of the nutrient. Load up on these foods if you`re under a lot of stress. And it`s not a bad idea to consider taking a magnesium supplement.

Mind`s eye: visualization training is enhanced with computer technology - includes related article

American Fitness , July-August, 1993 by Cy Tymony

Experts and enthusiasts claim mental imagery improves sports performance. Now that the automation generation has brought personal computers into homes, computer animation takes mental imagery to another level.

In any athletic event, visualizing yourself performing perfectly becomes an edge to reach peak performance. Visualization creates neural patterns in your brain. These patterns tell each muscle how and when to move, and with how much power. Numerous studies have confirmed vividly experienced imagery can affect brain waves, blood flow, heart rate and skin temperature. Imagining movement activates those sames areas of the brain which direct the muscles producing the movement. In other words, mental rehearsal of an action puts the mind through a neural workout not unlike the real thing.

Well known athletes, including Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Joan Benoit-Samuelson and Gabriela Sabatini, use mental imagery and attest to its results. "The difference between a good athletic performance and an outstanding one has little to do with physical skills," says Gayle Godwin, UCLA women`s tennis coach. "A player`s attitude is most important in competition, and the closer to the top you get, the more important it becomes. Everyone`s game is good at that level, so it`s psychological factors that make most of the difference."

Mental imagery can also help people prepare for possible pitfalls. Psychologists suggest people develop an "image bank" of various scenarios they can call on to help relax, get motivated or build confidence.

Visualization Training

A visualization starts at the beginning of a routine or workout. You must know what results you are aiming for. It helps to write it down as you go along. Picture the whole routine of your workout in as much detail as possible. Visualize the area, the weather or the atmosphere of the room, the temperature, the sounds, the smells--everything. Imagine yourself warming up, stretching, talking to friends, concentrating--everything you do when you are about to compete or work out. If you notice you`re nervous, remember the affirmations, "I am strong and ready" and "I am relaxed and prepared." Say them to yourself.

Imagine yourself beginning to compete or beginning your routine. Notice everything you do and see it perfectly just the way you want it to be done. If you make a mistake while visualizing your performance, go back, slow down the image in your mind, and do it over again correctly. Experience yourself achieving your goal.

The Mental Model

You must create a mental model to focus on--a full figure, or a specific action, for example an arm swinging a tennis racket or leg kicking a soccer ball. Intently and repeatedly study the specific actions. Focus on the body position, speed acceleration, power, endurance, etc. Replay the mental movie many times. Close your eyes and use your mind`s eye. Run the movie in your mind just prior to performing the activity. Feel the energy in your muscles, and then put yourself into the actions recorded in your mental movie.

"The marvelous thing about visualization is it makes use of the exceptional power of the human visual cortex," says Eric Pepke, researcher in the Supercomputer Computations Research Institute of Florida State University.

Computerized Imagery

A personal computer can extend mental imagery from the dark reaches of the mind and explore them on a computer screen. Olympic trainers have used computer animation graphics for years. Now these high-tech tools are available and affordable to the amateur athlete and coach. New, low-priced animation software allows personal computer (PC) users to create sports animation "training movies."

With PC animation programs, sports training isn`t limited to an athlete`s exhaustion level, weather conditions or court availability. An athlete trainer, performance artist or choreographer can rehearse a series of movements on a computer screen any time. Athletes can practice their technique mentally while their body relaxes.

With computer-animated graphics one can reduce a visual move to its essence, clarifying it in the learner`s mind. Body parts can be enlarged and rotated ot isolate and identify movements. Unlike photography, movies or live-action video which require you to point a camera at something, animation allows you to create what seems an impossible physical feat.

After using computer animation to enact sports movements, you can learn to develop "photographic recall and reflex ability"--the power to closely watch and retain minute details and reproduce them in the mind. You can use this powerful visual recall technique to record intricate movements from a sporting event into a computer animation program for further memorizing.

Choosing An Animation Program

When you`re ready to bring your PC into the visualization process, shop for an animation program at a computer dealer so you can try out its functions in the store. Be sure to check for easy-to-use art tools and the special function of "tweening." Tweening creates smooth, realistic motion. Tweening, or polymorphic between-frame fill-in, is a function that lets the computer produce all the frames that make a complex animation.

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