Woosah...........

WOOOOSAHHH!!!!!!

So after a day of reflecting, I realized a big piece of the puzzle that I am missing....and the winner is STRESS REDUCTION!  

It's very obvious to me now that I need to reduce my stress to be successful.  I can't blame work stress or family stress for my derailings because let's be real...such is life.  There will always be one stressful event or another.  Not to mention, I have a stressful job and am constantly asking for more responsibility which equates to charting more unknown territory and....you guessed it...more stress.  So what do I do?  Give up on my career dreams to reduce my stress and feel bored at work?  No way.  I need to take a lesson from one of my coworkers (& Martin Lawrence) and say Woooooosahhhhhhh. 
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTGdAGPDBpo

I need to figure out how to reduce my stress during hectic periods of my life and move forward in the right direction.  I just read an article above the affects of high cortisol levels called How to Beat your Stress Hormone.  I kept reading about the effects of high cortisol levels and saying "That's me!!!!"

The last time I can think when I felt peaceful on a daily basis was in 2010.....yes 2011.  I bought my dress for my friend's wedding 6 months in advance 2 sizes too small.   Yes, I know....sounds like I'm setting myself up for a terrible outcome.  But guess what....it worked!  I put my goals on the wall with a very high tech scrap paper with a sharpie and kept watching all of my measurements shrink.  

How did I do it?  It was a period of time where I finally understood Nike's slogan "Just Do It".  I stopped thinking about being tired or hungry or any other excuse and just went to the gym at 4:45.  I just went to bikram after work 5 days a week.  I just did it.  My own worst enemy is myself.  

So an article I read on cortisol mentions typical workouts raise your fight or flight response which elevates your cortisol.  It also mentions that bikram yoga is one of the few workouts that raises your heart rate but also lowers your coritsol due to the breathing and meditation.  That was enough to motivate me to go to my Tuesday morning 6:00am 60 minute express bikram class.  Little did I know that they changed the schedule and it was actually a 90 minute class.  I am so grateful for my mistake.  Although I was late for work (OOOPS), I feel great!!!  Everytime I go to a bikram class I leave feeling amazing.  So why don't I keep up my routine?  Well, I will this time.  I'm going to be going twice a week so I don't get burned out.

Here are the highlights from the Prevention.com article on how to lower your coritsol:

To Cut Cortisol 20%...Say "Om"

To Cut Cortisol Elevation 66%...Make a great iPod mix

To Cut Cortisol 50%...Hit the sack early—or take a nap 

To Cut Cortisol 47%...Sip some black tea 

To Cut Cortisol 39%...Hang out with a funny friend 

To Cut Cortisol 31%...Schedule a massage 

To Cut Cortisol 25%...Do Something Spiritual 

To Cut Cortisol 12-16%...Chew a Piece of Gum

(http://www.prevention.com/mind-body/emotional-health/how-lower-cortisol-manage-stress)

As most of my friends know, I am no stranger to stressing myself out beyond a healthy level.  Years and years of mismanaging my stress have probably taken a toll on body and mind.  Time to take charge and make some changes.