DAY 7: THE COST OF STRESS “Stress is a response to daily pressures or a threatening situation.” When we experience stressful situations are bodies were created to release adrenaline and cortisol which makes our heart beat faster, muscles tighten, and we get an instant boost of energy. This is a healthy response when it is short term The problem is that for many people stress is part of their daily life. They constantly worry and feel on edge. Long term stress wreaks havoc on our bodies and can lead to struggles with depression, anxiety, weight gain, fatigue and insomnia (just to name a few). Most fitness plans focus on exercise or nutrition but rarely talk about how to manage stress. The truth is, if you have long term stress you will never experience optimal health. Managing stress needs to be part of everyones wellness plan. As we know, especially with all that is going on in our world today, we can't always remove the stressful situations from our lives. Many of the things that cause us stress are out of our control. I really believe the only way we can push away stress is if we allow God to pull us closer to Him. We need to get to know His heart so that we can trust Him with all parts of our life. We need to lean on God for strength and know that peace can only come through Him. My prayer is that the messages I share during the workouts and cooking shows help you to know God personally so that you can experience peace even when life gets a bit crazy.