"Ready to Love Your Stress?"

Stress is something we all have to deal with, and, for most of us, it is not a pleasant experience. But what if I told you it could be?

Ask anyone to help you because you are stressing out, and almost every time, she or he will tell you to, "take a deep breath and try to relax." However, research shows, that may not be the best way to deal with it.

I recently read an inspiring article by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. in IDEA Fitness Journal for ACE Certified Professionals titled "Ready to Love Your Stress?". In the article, she outlines 3 strategies for dealing with stress that consists of harnessing its energy, rather than trying to dissipate it. Kelly says, "In my work as a psychologist and fitness professional, I've found that expanding our repertoire of strategies for dealing with stress is enormously helpful. When we can't calm down, we can harness the energy of stress to fuel peak performance. When we're stuck in a difficult situation, we can choose to learn from the experience. And when we feel hopeless or overwhelmed, we can connect to something bigger than ourselves."

Kelly cites a Harvard Business School study comparing two very different ways of dealing with stress: Two groups of participants facing two different stressful situations were instructed to, either, try to calm down, or embrace their nerves and tell themselves they were not anxious, but, rather, they were excited. Who do you think fared better?

According to the study, trying to calm down didn't reduce the participants' anxiety. It just highlighted the gap between how people felt and how they thought they should feel. By contrast, those who tried to channel their anxiety into excitement felt more confident and, most importantly, they dealt with their situation better.

Stress Strategy #1: Harness the Energy of Stress

When your heart is racing and your palms are sweaty, tell yourself, "Hey, I'm excited! Let's do this!" Turn it into a positive.

Stress Strategy #2: Choose a Growth Mindset

When you're in a rocky situation, don't look at it as a negative. Look at it as a learning experience that you will gain something from.

Stress Strategy #3: Make it About Something Bigger Than Yourself

Think about how you can use the experience to help the people you care about. Providing support in a stressful situation lowers our stress even more than receiving support does. Knowing that you are able to make valuable contributions to those that you care about and your community gives you an incredible sense of importance and belonging and is one of the most rewarding experiences that one can have.

McGonigal, Kelly, PhD. "Ready to Love Your Stress?" IDEA Fitness Journal Feb. 2017: 72-75. Print.

"Clean Eating" Diet Doing More Harm Than Good

I read an article today that I just had to blog about. I can't find it, now, so I must apologize for not providing the link.

The point of the article was that there has been an increase in cases of people with weak bones and early signs of osteoporosis due to nutritional deficiencies. Many of these people reported following a "clean eating" diet.

Even more alarming is the fact that these diets have become fashionable among young people, who are even more susceptible to the effects of nutritional deficiencies because their bodies are still developing.

These diets can be very attractive because they appear to be healthy, and they, often, do, partially, provide good advice. The problem arises when they call for the near, or complete, removal of certain types of food. In this particular case, the missing element was dairy.

Dairy is, often, labeled as a food to avoid because many people have an intolerance or sensitivity to lactose. Others avoid dairy, simply, because it is a food that is processed.

"Clean eating" diets, usually, consist of only eating non-processed "clean" foods. They say, "don't eat dairy, don't eat non-organic fruits and vegetables, and don't eat processed grains. It is not uncommon for these diets to, also, promote veganism or vegetarianism, which further restricts nutrient sources ".

Now, this is actually good advice, for the most part, but they don't instruct you on what to eat in order to replace the missing VITAL nutrients that we get from those foods. Again, these nutrients are VITAL. If you don't consume them, your body will not be able to function properly and you will get sick (or worse).

So, the point is folks, if you want to attempt to eat in such a way, you absolutely must consult and licensed nutrition professional. There's a reason a license is required for these professions. This is serious stuff! These professionals spend countless hours studying and researching; years of preparation and education go under their belts before they are permitted to practice.

As important as fruits and vegetables are in the human diet, we cannot live off of organic fruits and vegetables alone. Thanks to modern science, if you choose to eat a "clean" diet, there are alternatives and supplements that are available to replace any missing nutrients from your diet, and adding them to what you consume is not optional.

"Is Sitting Truly the New Smoking?"

Here's a link to a great post about the negative effects of too much time spent sitting on our health. It contains links to some studies on the subject, and it has some great suggestions on ways to increase our activity level and reduce our time spent sitting; simple steps that we can all use and implement. Enjoy!

"Is Sitting Truly the New Smoking?"

Breakfast Done Right!

Good Morning!

Today, I'd like to share with you a simple, nutrient-rich meal that clocks in at only 344 calories, with 49g of carbs, 10g of fat, and 16g of protein. However, don't let those numbers fool you. This is a large meal that is very filling!
This, folks, is why it is so important for you to eat REAL food. One of the many problems with processed, pre-packaged food is that it is so full of sugar and fat that you wind up consuming massive amounts of calories while eating tiny portion sizes and remaining hungry. Go for the fresh stuff; your body will thank you for it!

Sweet Potato: 3.18 oz

Green Bell (Sweet) Pepper: 4.16 oz

Eggs: 3.39 oz

Banana: 4.16 oz

Total Calories:  344

Total Carbs:     49g

Total Fat:         10g

Total Protein:   16g

Fiber:              9g

Vitamin A:       361% (based on a 2000 cal. diet)

Vitamin C:       204% (based on a 2000 cal. diet)

Have fun with these ingredients! I just pan-fried everything using a zero-calorie non-stick spray. But, sweet potatoes are delicious boiled and baked, too! Sprinkle them with a little cinnamon for even more flavor. Another tasty way to combine these ingredients is in scrambled eggs, or an omelet. Let your culinary imagination run wild!

You can always add flavor by using fresh crushed black pepper, salt, etc. It's even ok to add in a little butter and sugar. You have to enjoy the food your eating, or you will never be able to stick to a healthy routine. Just make sure that you control your portions (use those measuring spoons, cups, and kitchen scale!) and account for your total daily intake, making sure you are within your allowable range.

10 Cozy Casseroles Under 350 Calories

Who doesn't love a good casserole, right! Especially in the fall when the evenings are cooler, and those cravings for good ol' comfort foods start to kick in.

Here's a link to 10 tasty casseroles that not only taste great, they're light on the calories, too!

10 Cozy Casseroles Under 350 Calories