Can Stress Sabotage your Diet and Exercise Routines? - Wellness Coach

The simple answer to this question is YES. What exactly is stress? When someone says they are stressed out, we all can immediately identify; but to put what it is into words is much harder. One good definition of stress is when you feel that demands made on you are bigger than your ability to deal and/or handle them.

If you have watched the news, read the newspapers or listened to the radio you can't help but know that there are real issues that we are being presented with, and these issues can tend to stress us out. The main things that create stress are work, money and family issues and all of these affect us on a daily basis. None of us are exempt from these stress issues today, they are all current and in our life.

When stress hits us and we aren't prepared for it, or it comes from all areas and we need to find comfort, many times we reach for the wrong things to make us feel better. One is what we call comfort food, and when we do that there goes the good eating habits. The other is that stress tends to make us feel tired and worn out, and you just don't feel like going to the gym; and there goes the exercise program.

Right now the economic picture seems be a challenge what with home foreclosures, higher gasoline and food prices, unemployment and along with that job security disappearing; these are all conditions that create definite stress in our life.

When these things hit us that is when drinking, increased cigarette smoking, eating sweets and fatty foods seems to take over and this creates more stress and the vicious circle begins. It is important to know ways and things to do to keep these feelings of stress down. One thing is to be sure to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Don't keep sweets and snack foods in the house, get nuts and seeds and crispy vegetables to snack on.

There are things you can do to easy stress and most of them are easy and very affordable. Laugh and do something fun everyday; find a wellness coach to talk to and help you map out a plan; learn time management; be sure and exercise, yoga is very good for stress; turn the TV off one hour before you go to bed, this will calm you and you will sleep better; eat healthy, organic foods and limit your alcohol intake; take breaks at work and plan fun activities for the weekend; develop a meditation practice on a daily basis.

Thought for the Day: "When we learn to manage our emotions long enough to stop and shift our attention to the quieter message of the heart, we can gain a wider perspective on any situation, often savings ourselves from hurt, frustration and pain." -Doc Childre and Howard Martin-