Your physiology MATTERS! It affects all the rest...

“THE EVIDENCE FOR STANDING UP LIKE A BOSS Do you remember the song "when the going gets tough, the tough get going"? I was listening to it the other day and was thinking about our automatic vs conscious responses to stress. When there is a stress (be it physical, chemical or emotional), our first response is mainly sympathetic. That is to say, our stress response starts to ratchet up. From a purely physical perspective, we will become more flexed, or hunched over. Your head goes forward, your upper back rounds, your low back flattens. You start to physically resemble the fetal position. This has real time implications on respiration, tidal volume, heart rate, and blood pressure, and hormonal responses like cortisol and catecholamine output. However, if we can become AWARE of this response, and consciously EXTEND our bodies (sit up straight, or better, get out of the chair and walk, stand tall, stretch, etc) we can begin to send positional signals to our brain that we are strong, not afraid, and ready...this can, in part, dampen this sympathetic dominance. Extension is a class of movements that are largely parasympathetic- meaning they combat the oft unconscious tendency to flex when we are under stress. You’ve probably heard the expression you can’t control your stress, but you can control how you respond to it. One of the ways you can respond appropriately is to extend. Think about how sedentary we already are (sitting at work, sitting on the couch, driving)...and think of how good you feel when you finish a yoga class, go for a walk (where you are upright and using your erectors), or just stretch. So, today, stand up tall.  View stress as a tool you sharpen your reserve, make you stronger, and not have the deleterious effects on your health.” Source: drstephanieestima.comhttps://www.drstephanieestima.com/  See also, on my site:  The Physiology Of Power - Posture, Body, Energy.