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Movement
Pets Reduce Stress, Help Owners Lose Weight, Look Younger
Here is what we know.
Cortisol a stress hormone designed to get us out of danger. It is produced by our adrenal glands, and it is supposed to help us flee danger. It raises our blood sugar, which our body needs to fight or run and increases blood pressure. That is good if you are being chased or there is a real emergency. But it’s not so great when it kicks in because we have consistent stress in our life, like kids, work deadlines and bills to pay. Chronic high cortisol levels raise our blood sugar so that we become at-risk for Type 2 Diabetes, makes us crave sugar, and creates that belly pouch, which makes our bodies look older than we are or want to be!
So what does that have to do with pets? Glad you asked.
Owning a pet has been shown to reduce stress levels, improve healthy habits and decrease anxiety and depression. Petting your dog or cat increases oxytocin, the calming hormone while minimizing cortisol levels. That means feeling better and looking better because of less belly fat! How Practical and Beautiful is that? But wait, there’s more!
Owning a dog has been shown to improve our exercise habits and help pet owners lose weight (Kushner et al., 2012). Walking your dog, even if only for 30 minutes per day, can help you get to the Practical Beautiful Lifestyle recommendation of 10k steps per day. Owning a cat has been shown to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and lessen the risk of cardiovascular diseases (Qureshi et al., 2009).
Beauty and health is an inside job. Looking and feeling beautiful, sexy, and vibrant starts on the inside. Nutrition, movement, and meditation are foundational to living a Practical Beautiful Life!
References
Qureshi, A. I., Memon, M. Z., Vazquez, G., & Suri, M. F. (2009, January). Cat ownership and the Risk of Fatal Cardiovascular Diseases. Results from the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Study Mortality Follow-up Study. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3317329/
Kushner, R. F., Blatner, D. J., Jewell, D. E., & Rudloff, K. (2012, September 06). The PPET Study: People and Pets Exercising Together. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1038/oby.2006.203/full
The Magic of 10k Steps
A big part of living a Practical Beautiful Life and biohacking the aging process is MOVEMENT. The adage, “Use it or Lose It,” is true. Feeling and looking sexy and beautiful is an inside job. The healthier we are, the more our inner beauty comes through. AND not just in a theoretical or soulful kind of way. Movement and exercise have been shown to improve the condition of our skin and make us look younger, even if we start later in life! So get moving!
One of the simplest and most effective ways to increase our beauty from the inside out is walking! I started walking on a daily basis 5 years ago while I tending to a broken heart. Walking was part of my self-care plan to heal. Much to my surprise, my body, heart, and skin improved.
How is this for miracle prescription? Walking has been shown to reduce and maintain weight loss, strengthen bones, tone muscles, improve our emotional state and can cut the risk of stroke by as much as 20%. It also can be used as part of an effort to reduce blood pressure and significantly decrease the risk of Type-2 diabetes. Exercise has also been shown to improve the condition of our skin and make us look younger, even if we start moving and exercising later in life! So get moving!
Walking 10,000 steps is an excellent, low-impact way to bring movement into your life. Use the 10,000 steps to listen to a good book or podcast. Or, as your walking, repeat a mantra to support and nourish your soul. You can break it up into small segments throughout the day. I like to walk 5k steps in the morning, or at lunch, and then add additional steps throughout the day. I stop working every hour or so to take 10 minutes to do things around the house and home office. When I go to the store or to a meeting, I park a good distance away to add steps. I make it a point not to multitask trips that require me to walk. I make multiple trips outside to put food-related garbage in the outside bin (Compost bin in CA) instead of throwing it in the kitchen garbage. It all adds up. Walk with the kids or dogs. Meet up with a friend or your partner to talk and walk. If you’re in a really hot or cold climate, walk at the mall.
Yoga, dance, and interval strength training are also great forms of movement. Take time to be in your body and notice what it is to be the beautiful gorgeous you.
References
Mayer-Davis EJ, D’Agostino Jr R, Karter AJ. et al. Intensity and amount of physical activity in relation to insulin sensitivity: the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study. JAMA.1998;279:669-674.
Dunn AL, Marcus BH, Kampert JB, Garcia ME, Kohl III HW, Blair SN. Comparison of lifestyle and structured interventions to increase physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness: a randomized trial. JAMA.1999;281:327-334.
Andersen RE, Wadden TA, Bartlett SJ, Zemel B, Verde TJ, Franckowiak SC. Effects of lifestyle activity vs structured aerobic exercise in obese women: a randomized trial. JAMA.1999;281:335-340.