A Mover el Bote

By Louis Rico

April 24, 2014

I hope this article finds you in better health than ever before. Even the smallest amount of progress is still progress. I would love to hear how you have incorporated fun ways to mover el bote. In the first part of this article found in the March/April edition we reviewed two terms: culprit and disease. We also reviewed the expression environmental factors. In this article I will review different types of environmental factors and ways to combat the effects of them or eliminate them all together.

Previously we talked about the attitude we take when we discuss disease. Again some of us may ponder whether disease is something that happens to us regardless of what we do or don’t do. It is my calling to encourage community awareness of environmental factors around us and how identifying them we can learn to make positive changes in our lives, families and community.

Environmental factors can be just about anything. It can be the light or TV you leave on in your bedroom while you sleep. It could be your job or even the drink or cigarette you take up in your hand on a daily basis. So you might ask what is wrong with leaving a night light on in the bedroom. Some people need a little noise at night to get to sleep. And don’t get me wrong, a dedicated worker is admirable but too much can cause stress. My husband Louis Rico, is an avid reader. You will hear more about him as we discuss other topics such as love, relationship, health and marriage. Recently he read a book by Mark Sisson titled Primal Blueprint. The gist of the book emphasizes achieving a good balance in all aspects of your life. Some aspects discussed were: work, nutrition, exercise and fitness. The book even covered such things as the importance of play and quality of sleep.

Controlling environmental factors does not require a doctor’s visit or expensive bottle of meds. You can change negative factors in your life by simply turning off your cell phone at night. The annoying dinging every time you get a tweet could cause an increase in a thing call cortisol.  And here lies the definition of the article. What is cortisol?  Cortisol is a hormone released by the body. It is an important hormone in that it activates the fight-or-flight mechanism which will allow you to act during an emergency situation.

Unfortunately, cortisol has gotten a bad rap. In an article by Psychology Today – “Cortisol: Why “The Stress Hormone” Is Public Enemy No. 1.” It stated that high levels of cortisol increases the risk of such things as depression and could even shorten your life span. Don’t be fooled, cortisol is not the culprit. The chronic stress that increases the release of cortisol is the true enemy. Examine your life. What causes the most stress? Is it the unrealistic expectations of career goals? Is it the lack of quality sleep? Enjoy life and keep a good balance of work and play. Play time is not just for kids. Go out and take a dance class or kickboxing class…Y Muevale!

Sisson, Mark. Primal Blueprint. Primal Nutrition, Inc. Malibu, CA (2009). Print

Cortisol: Why “The Stress Hormone” Is Public Enemy No. 1 (January 22, 2013) Retrieved April, 24, 2014, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201301/cortisol-why-the-stress-hormone-is-public-enemy-no-1