More Stressors Than You Realize
There are many things that can cause you to feel stressed. Some are more obvious, others are not. It can get a little tricky because stress is generally associated with mental events such as deadlines at work or rushing to take the kids to little league practice. In fact, stress comes in two flavors, mental and physical. Being able to recognize and manage your stressors allows you to live a healthier and happier life. Don't let yourself get stressed out on the job...then feel the increased strain and pressure both mentally and physically... and finally resort to overeating, drinking or taking drugs to ease the pain and help yourself feel better.

The 4 Most Common Physical Stressors
Physical events that create stress in your body are much less talked about or understood than their mental cousins. Managing physical stressors is as important as mental stressors because they negatively affect your body's healthy functions. Physical stressors severely impair your health and can prevent your body from warding off illness, digesting food properly or repairing damaged cell. The nice part about the physical stressors is you can easily modify them. Once modified physical stressors begin to improve rather than detract from your health. So what are some of the more common physical stressors?

1)  Proper Hydration (Water Intake)
Without enough water your muscles have a difficult time working, the cartilage in your joints doesn't get enough lubrication and your digestive system works inefficiently. Water is also crucial to normal, healthy blood pressure and a strong and balanced immune system. To function effectively, besides other liquids, your body needs just plain water with nothing added to it. Juices, tea, coffee, Crystal Lite, diet and regular soda and a host of other bottled drinks do not meet the need. As a rough estimate, try to drink 50% of your body weight in water in ounces every day.   

2)  Sedentary Lifestyle
Your body was designed to move. Without the right amount of activity, blood pools in the legs and doesn't pump back to the heart efficiently; muscles get weak and knees and backs start to get achy and bones lose calcium causing an increased risk of osteoporosis fractures. Activity can be as simple as walking or dancing. You don't have to be a tri-athlete, track star or bungee jumper to get effective activity. All it takes to be healthy is a little regular movement. If you like the gym, go have fun and workout; go to the park and kick a soccer ball or walk on the trails. Always try to be active with someone else; it will be a lot more fun.

3)  Irregular Eating Patterns
Skipping meals or eating with an irregular schedule is another physical stressor. The brain does its best given a regular supply of glucose. Glucose is a sugar that is created by the digestion of the food you eat. Skipping breakfast is a common habit that places great stress on your body. Think about it this way. You have dinner at say 6 pm and then skip breakfast and don't eat till 12 noon. That is 18 hours without any food in your body making it very difficult for your brain to work correctly. Start with a good breakfast and make sure to eat healthy portions every 4 hours. 

4)  Eating Too Much Food
Portion control is very important in reducing stress on your body. Eating more food than your body needs, called gastric overload, places great stress on your digestive system. It takes large amounts of energy to digest the food, store the excess calories and eliminate the waste products generated. It is a lot of work for your body to undertake this process every single day. Learn what a healthy portion looks like for you and then stick with it. Don't go back for seconds.

Food Not a Good Stress Solution
You already know this but food, along with alcohol and drugs are used to unsuccessfully manage stress. There is no question that food will help you feel better short-term. It stimulates serotonin production in the brain making you feel better. The difficulty with food is that it takes ever increasing quantities to get the same "feel good." Excess food intake leads to obesity which becomes its own stressor. It is better to find other activities that can help you increase serotonin levels, feel better and keep your waistline in check. Fun activities, games, walking, hobbies, music and art are all good substitutes for food.