Most people struggle to define what wellness is. They either say, “not being sick” or “being well.” The same is true of meditation or stress. You can’t touch those things or see them. People understand the concepts without being able to put them into precise words or create a mental picture. That elusiveness of definition isn’t the only connection. Not only are there other links between them, but every year scientists are learning more connections.
Meditation helps you deal with stress and stress affects your wellness.
Stress can cause blood pressure to climb. It affects your immune system, digestion, and hormone production. Meditation helps you relax and decrease stress. That reduces the hormones stress creates that cause changes in the body. It reduces the hormone cortisol. High amounts of cortisol can lead to the accumulation of belly fat. Belly fat can lead to metabolic disease, heart disease, and other conditions.
Meditation can help several health issues.
You can lower blood pressure with meditation, reduce symptoms of gastrointestinal issues, and ease chronic pain. These are just a few things that bring the body closer to wellness. You may not see changes immediately, but the more you practice the better your results will be. It helps you become more aware of your inner self. New evidence shows meditation changes the brain. It makes some areas larger and others smaller. The areas it enlarges are those that help you learn, while the areas it diminishes are those that increase anxiety. Many health organizations, like the American Heart Association, scientists, and doctors recommend meditation for its healing powers.
Meditation is simple, but you have to take the time to do it.
How simple is meditation? Sit down in a quiet area where you’ll be uninterrupted. Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Focus on your breaths taken in and out. Those simple acts begin the relaxation response. It sounds simple, but the effects of meditation are extremely powerful. It slows the heart rate, reduces blood pressure, and changes the brain’s electrical activity.
- We live in a stressful world. You can’t eliminate stress, but you can change how it affects the body through meditation. It has similar effects to exercise for stress relief. Some people experience getting “lost” in their workout, which is a form of meditation.
- Just like exercise, meditation helps relieve depression and anxiety. Studies show both exercise and meditation were as effective as some medications when dealing with depression.
- Meditation may work because it affects the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system controls breathing and heart rate. It also controls blood pressure.
- Meditation can slow the effects of aging on cognitive functions, reduce inflammation that leads to serious diseases, improve your immune system, aid sleep, and reduce the symptoms of menopause.
For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness