how to stay on a diet when stressed



right before i do any kind of public speakingmy hands start shaking uncontrollably and i feel like my heart is exploding. thanksadrenaline. how do i stop this? adrenaline is one of the most famous hormonesin the animal kingdom and it's our response to a "stressor." stressors can be anything;a sudden scare, playing sports, skydiving, or even performing in a play, or talking toa crush.

how to stay on a diet when stressed, after it's secreted by the adrenal glands,adrenaline kicks your body into high gear, increasing blood circulation, breathing andmetabolism rates; and gets the muscles ready for action. all this activity can have somestrange side-effects on your body, especially if you don't end up running for your lifeor fighting a rival for your next meal. adrenaline

is why your hands shake when you're nervous(your muscles are all aquiver with excess energy), and the blood pumping in your ears?that's adrenaline’s fault too. adrenaline is also called epinephrine andit can make us do some amazing things. for example, when epinephrine dumps into the body,it causes us to turn carbs into glucose, the body's fuel source, and our skeletal musclesactually get stronger. it's almost like we're naturally overclocking our muscles; lettingthem run hotter with this boost of energy for a short time. they think this is how hystericalstrength works -- that's when people lift cars to save their kids and stuff. it's notrecognized by science, but we can see the level of potential strength in our muscleswhen we're hit by a massive electric shock.

because it's not the shock that throws usacross the room, but our own muscle contractions. we can throw ourselves across a room in aninstant, we're that strong, and adrenaline can hack into that power. epinephrine is synthesized and released underorders of the hypothalamus. the hypothalamus is a control region of the brain responsiblefor homeostasis -- or the general equilibrium of our body. it regulates circadian rhythms,body temperature, hunger and thirst as well as the balance between stress and relaxation,among other things. when humans feel stressors and thus are flooded with epinephrine, wehave an instinct to run, cry or yell, and all are valid. tears contain stress hormonesand crying releases them from the body. yelling

fills the lungs and activates the amygdala,the part of our brain that manages fear responses, and ultimately releases feel-good brain chemicals,and rigorous activity works the adrenaline out of our system. but there is another way! new york city police are trained to combatthe effects of adrenaline on the job, as are members of the military, and other high-riskprofessionals; they all use a fairly simple body hack -- breathing. most of the time breathingis controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, the same system that controls the fight-or-flightresponse, heartbeat, digestion and so on... it's automatic, and not consciously controlled.breathing, however, can be consciously controlled, as you are probably doing right now becauseyou're thinking about it. this a bridge between

the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervoussystems. think of your body as an engine, the sympatheticsystem is the gas. go go go fight or flight. the parasympathetic system is the brake. calm.calm. caaaalllmmmm… during times of high-stress (and high adrenaline) the body shuts downdigestion, and muscle shaking can affect fine muscle movements, or mess up your big speechor monologue during the school play. so when this happens, you can forcibly engage thecalming parasympathetic system by forcing yourself to breathe. tactical or "combat"breathing (according to the military) involves breathing in for a four count, holding forfour, breathing out for four. that's it. if you do that a few times, the vagus nerve,the 10th cranial nerve that connects your

brain to your torso, will activate, slowingyour heartbeat, stimulating digestion, and throttling down blood pressure and so on.with training, professionals can use this to force their bodies to stay calm and onlyfeel the effects of adrenaline when needed, rather than becoming a victim of those effects. so next time you’re super nervous try breathing,and let me know what you think over on twitter.

it might seem kinda new-agey, but it's practicedby people like the airmen of the u.s. air force. who we'd like to thank for sponsoringthis episode of dnews. every day american airmen go above and beyond to break barriersboth professionally and personally. the united states air force is powered by airmen, fueledby innovation.