I Need Science

Never thought I would say those words.  However, I always want to keep learning and staying ahead of the trend for fitness and wellness for everyone at Energy.  I have a thirst to understand everything and share everything I learn to help others; from exercise, parenting, relationships, you name it, and now I am fascinated with how our brain works; especially when stress and exactly what being "mindful" and "present" actually does for our brain and in turn our bodies.

I am so excited to share with you what I have learned AND what I am learning about what we hear about is "good for us" - the  “Mind Body Connection.”

I am so lucky to learn about research from Dr. Julie England, my stepson, Sam, who is psychologist at University of California Berkeley and from Dr. Ronald D. Siegel who teaches about mindfulness and psychotherapy. 

So here I go …..

I thought mindfulness practice meant sitting on the floor, legs crossed, breathing and trying not to be distracted. It’s so much more than that and it’s so cool.

Mindfulness means:  awareness of present experience with acceptance.  Learning this practice (which is not a "one-size-fits all") takes time and I believe can really help us when we really understanding how our brain actually works. 

Neurologists are learning that mindfulness practice changes brain structure and function in very meaningful ways and more and more mental health professionals are incorporating many forms o mindfulness into their therapy.

Studies indicate that it can be effective in alleviating a wide-range of difficulties, including anxiety, depressing, stress, medical problems, addictions, eating disorders, interpersonal problems and even the challenges of aging.

Our brain is fascinating!

Mindfulness practices keep important parts of our brain from withering with age. They also activate brain circuits associated with being happy, energized, and enthusiastically engaged in life.  They even lengthen telomeres, the ends of chromosomes that get worn down with stress, resulting in cell death associate with aging!

We all know that stress begins in the brain!  Here’s what actually happens.

When you are stressed, the amygdada sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus.  This area of the brain  is like a command center, communicating with the rest of the body through the nervous system so that the person has the energy to fight or flee.

After your amygdala sends a distress signal, the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system by sending signals through nerves to the adrenal glands.

These glands respond by pumping a hormone called epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) into the bloodstream. As epinephrine circulates through the body, this usually occurs:  your heart beats faster than normal and pushes blood to the muscles, heart, and other vital organs. Pulse rate and blood pressure go up; rapid breathing occurs, lungs open wide and extra oxygen is sent to the brain.

Then a hormone travels to the adrenal glands, prompting these glands to release cortisol.  The body stays revved up and when the threat passes, cortisol levels fall. The parasympathetic nervous system — the “brake” —then dampens the stress response.

Many people are unable to find a way to put the brakes on stress; this used to be me! 

Think of chronic low-level stress like a motor that is idling too high for too long. After a while, this has an effect on the body that contributes to the health problems associated with chronic stress.

Persistent epinephrine surges can damage blood vessels and arteries, increasing blood pressure and raising risk of heart attacks or strokes.

Elevated cortisol levels create physiological changes that help to replenish the body’s energy stores that are depleted during the stress response. But they inadvertently contribute to the buildup of fat tissue and to weight gain. For example, cortisol increases appetite, so that people will want to eat more to obtain extra energy. It also increases storage of unused nutrients as fat.

Now that I understand how the brain is so involved when we are stressed and how it clearly affects your health and your life,  we all need to learn and practice helping our brain "cool down". 


To be continued!  Feel free to comment or ask questions.


Debra