Live longer? How can a simple exercise of rotating a couple balls make you live longer? The answer is knowing how to manage the culprit called “stress”.
Stress is the Root of Aging Faster
We all know too much stress is harmful to us. When your body is stressed out, we behave differently and the body changes.
- Coping with stress leads to eating more which in turns makes us overweight
- Stress causes arteries to harden leading to atherosclerosis
- Stress causes wrinkles and gray hair which make you look older
- Chronic stress affects sleeping, anxiety, anger, irritability, and a host of other behaviors which are not good for the health
- Stress lowers the immune system and can even cause the immune system to attack itself
- Stress creates free radicals in our bodies that damage our cells
Not a complete list, but enough to see any of these can lead to a shorter life. People spend billions of dollars on things to control the symptoms of stress like weight, blood pressure, and sleep. However, those issues will always exist without managing the cause.
Exercising with Baoding Balls can Reduce Stress
Ask any doctor and they will all say to exercise to help control stress. But our busy lives doesn’t always have the time. Or you may be a person which strenuous activity is just not possible. The ease of use is one positive feature of using baoding balls. You can use baoding balls almost anywhere and it doesn’t have to be exhausting. Exercise while you watch TV, read, sit at a desk, or wait in traffic. If you enjoy walks for exercise, they can compliment your routine. They are quite easygoing can can add a bit of stress relief to your day.
Baoding Balls Work Well with Relaxation Techniques
We can’t avoid all stressors in our life, but we can combat it. Harvard Medical School wrote that one way to combat stress responses with with relaxation responses. These techniques recommended by Harvard can work well while using baoding balls.
- Deep breathing. This technique where you take long, deep, and slow breaths from the belly is simple and effective to relax your self from distracting thoughts. Easy to pair with baoding ball meditation.
- Body scanning. While you focus on your breathing, focus on a part of your body and mentally relax any tension. Baoding balls can help you focus on tension in your upper body and also be used to massage other areas.
- Guided imagery and mindfulness meditation. Focus your mind on relaxing images and places. Bring your attention to the present with mindful meditation not focusing on past and future concerns. Using baoding balls with chimes can help meditation by giving you something to focus on.
- Yoga, Tai Chi and Qigong. Going beyond rhythmic breathing, these relaxation forms involve body movement. Baoding balls are especially popular with tai chi and qigong.
- Repetitive prayer. Repeating a short prayer or phrase while you focus on your breathing. Or you can focus on the rhythm of the baoding balls which might be easier.
Reduce Stress and Add Years to Your Life
Life is short and we don’t need stress making it shorter, so why not give baoding balls a try? Clear your thoughts, and free your head of the the stress triggers. That’s why we call them Chinese Stress Balls.