It seems to me, the stressors in our lives are affecting just about everything in our lives. If you’re like me, when you are stressed you put the gym on hold, or have a lack-luster workout. All that water retention combined with a bad workout really does not do wonders for the scale.

Now, having stress is bad enough, but now knowing that it can hurt weight loss may put you into a tailspin, but don’t worry.

Here are a few tips that I use to help de-stress my life.

• Make lists-  Make a to-do list. Weekly, daily, whatever. Write down what you have to do for the day. Why? WE FORGET THINGS. I found that when I put my schedule down on paper, not only is it out of my mind, I can easily see exactly what needs to be done and time accordingly. Far too often we try to keep everything inside our heads. It just causes more stress
• Fuel the fire-  Turn a bad day at work into a great workout. Use some pent up anger at your boss for fuel. When I’m angry, I do interval sprints. I seem to run faster for longer and by the end of them not only did I get a great workout, but I’m not mad anymore.
• Get it out-  Let your stress go. Yell, scream, hit a heavy bag, punch a pillow. Whatever works for you, just let your stress air out. You will feel calmer and can look at your list and start working.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Stress Hurts Weight Loss: 3 Ways to Avoid It

This guest blog comes from Rebecca Scritchfield, MA, RD, ACSM HFS, a Washington, D.C. based dietitian and weight management expert. Together with Bernie Salazar, at-home winner of The Biggest Loser, she co-created “The Nurture Principles” – Five mantras to help people change their lives and find wellness within.

It’s no secret. We are all stressed out, whether it’s lack of personal time, work pressures, or life issues like the economy. There is no shortage of things to wig us out these days. While a little stress can be a good thing, too much can put your life out of balance. Work seems unmanageable, you can’t remember the last time you cooked a meal for your family, and your dumbbells are better utilized as paperweights to keep your stack of mail in place because you’re not even thinking about a workout. (Whew. That’s exhausting!)

So how do you get back some control? First you need to realize that everything is connected. You actually feel stress in your body in several ways – lumpy throat, sore neck and shoulders, and speeding heart rate. Excessive stress pushes cortisol through your veins, which is connected to cravings for high fat or high sugar comfort foods as well as decreased muscle tissue and suppressed thyroid function. When you’re stressed out, exercise can help relax you by unleashing endorphins, which increase pleasure and have a calming effect on the body. But your brain tells you that you need to spend extra time working or cleaning the house so you ditch the idea of a workout in favor of other “more important” tasks that you actually can’t do efficiently because you need a break!

The good news is you can break this crazy cycle. But you have to stop. You have to “get lost” to get over your stress. No matter how time-crunched you feel, you have at least a minute or two. Rather than double-check your Blackberry or Tweet your 20, why don’t you just take in a big breath of air and let it all out. Close your eyes. Think of a place and time that brings you comfort and happiness. Remember your most relaxing day. Keep breathing deep and slow and let your mind wander. You will instantly start to feel a nurturing release. Your mind and body have a chance to realign. Maybe it will be enough to help you deal with the rest of the day. Try it. What have you got to lose – except your mind!

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Get Lost and Get over it: How to Manage Stress and Improve your Health

A recent study from Duke University Medical Center suggested that when women with breast cancer engaged in yoga postures, meditation and breathing exercises for two months, they experienced less pain and fatigue and were significantly more relaxed.

Although this study was small, just 13 women who have advanced breast cancer,  it does provide the first, tentative evidence for yoga’s potential benefits in this vulnerable population of women with limited life expectancy, says lead author of the study,  Dr. James W. Carson.

Creating harmony and a sense of peace for those coping with cancer is a trying and very difficult process. While mind-body practices like yoga and tai-chi, which have been around for thousands of years, are believed to reduce stress and impart many other health benefits, validating their efficacy in rigorous scientifically-controlled studies is not easy. But this study, albeit small, does provide us with important evidence that illustrates yoga’s powerful effects in helping us react to situations, as serious as they may be, with acceptance and equanimity.

Other studies on breast cancer patients shows that yoga might assist with improving sleep, improving physical strength, boosting energy and enhancing the overall quality of life.

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Yoga Eases Pain of Breast Cancer

Mindfulness is an important technique to learn for relaxation. It basically requires focused attention to a single subject  and trying to fully experience that subject. Eating with mindfulness can help you practice relaxation, be more aware of what you are eating, and enjoy your food more thoroughly. Eating with mindfulness will require you to look at your food, smell your food, taste your food, feel the texture of your food in your mouth, and even listen for any sounds made by eating your food.

You must remove all distractions and may have to even eat alone; the only thing you should be looking at is your plate and utensils. The only thing you should be hearing is your utensils on the plate and yourself chewing your food. Tune into every detail of the experience of the presentation, cutting your food into bites, tasting and feeling the food in your mouth, and the experience of your stomach filling. What do you smell? What do you see? How does the food feel on your tongue? What is its temperature? How much air space is left in your mouth while you are chewing? How many times are you chewing? Are you savoring your food? If you are entirely appreciating the food that you are eating, you will not feel the need to eat more than necessary.

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Eating With Mindfulness

Getting a good night’s sleep is important for relaxation, renewal, and stress management, but it is often difficult to sleep in a strange bed or new location. You are more likely to sleep when you have been active throughout the day than when you lay around not expending energy. Despite popular belief indulging in rich, heavy meals and alcohol do not contribute to good sleep.

On a a recent trip to DC to visit my cousin, I got to not only spend time with a loved one but also wear her out walking around the city and museums, as well as accept her challenge to bike from Alexandria, VA to Mt. Vernon. I felt so great about myself and my life (traveling is always a blessing) that I had to call my mom after we’d returned the bikes! Not only will you sleep better, but your body will be renewed and strengthened, you will be more involved with where you are visiting, and you will get closer to the sites.

Here are a few suggestions for an active vacation:

• Take a bike tour
• See every painting or exhibit in a museum
• Run or walk on the beach (the sand can increase difficulty)
• Experience the local night life and go dancing
• Hike the trails
• Climb a waterfall or “rock hop” (as a child, we traversed mountain rivers by hopping from rock to rock)
• Pack your tennis shoes and save cab fare
• Take the stairs, not the elevator, in the hotel
• Do not use the moving sidewalks in the airport or plan a short layover so you have to run gate to gate carrying your luggage
• Walk the escalators in the metro or subway (you’ll look less like a tourist)

What other ideas do you have?

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Take an Active Vacation and Be Renewed

Yoga is used as a relaxation technique because it focuses the mind and slows down the body. Simply learning to control your own breathing can allow you to feel more in control of yourself. PTSD can leave a person with constant anxiety. Those that feel they must be prepared at all times to prevent future trauma often have difficulty controlling their thoughts and focusing on the present moment. A coping skill for dealing with certain types of trauma can be disconnection from one’s own body. Although protective in certain situations, it is not generally very functional. Perhaps more than other forms of exercise, yoga encourages body awareness and connection. All of these aspects of yoga can be very healing.

PTSD is a complex disorder. Trauma can be damaging to one’s entire being and life. Trauma alters one’s perception of the world, as well as one’s perception of one’s own self. It is important to obtain the consultation of professional advice and assistance when dealing with PTSD. It often takes time and investment to treat which can be frustrating for those seeking to regain control of their lives. I will be encouraging my clients working through PTSD to try yoga in addition to our treatment, and I hope that they will also experience a speedier reduction in symptoms.

via Yoga Journal

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Treating Trauma with Yoga

Most of us have a daily routine that includes various responsibilities. Perhaps your weekend feels like free time, but many use that extra time to catch up on errands, housework, and rest. Sometimes it can feel like you are stuck in an endless cycle of the day-in-day-out, repeating this week what you did last week.

What percentage of your day includes things you need to do versus things that you want to do? Responsibility is a positive thing, a stressor that encourages growth in many cases; however, we need to recover from responsibility and take time to relax every day. This renews us to act positively again the next day without burning out. Recovery can come from relaxation techniques, rest, or doing something enjoyable. Unfortunately, too many people forget to schedule personal renewal time and even social events start to feel like an obligation. When it starts to feel like daily life, responsibilities, and stressors are piling on top of you, do you feel the need to escape?

I have found that physical activity is the best form of daily renewal. When I am able to grab my iPod and run away from everything a few times each week, the world looks a little brighter, I’m happier, and more productive. There is a liberation in running that allows me to escape into my own world for a while, avoiding the distractions of the phone calls, emails, and laundry. As my body is activated, my mind is released to relax and renew. I arrive home physically taxed and feeling fabulous. Mentally, I am back on track and ready to tackle tasks and to-dos yet again. Recently, the frigid weather has prevented me from running outside, and I have found myself looking for ways to escape to a warmer climate, away from my every day life. Perhaps, it’s time to join a gym and run away a little every day… or I’m leaving on a jet plane!

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Sometimes You Just Need to Run Away