Five Foolproof Solutions to Stress Less and Feel Your Best. April is National Stress Awareness Month and research shows up to 90% of medical visits are for stress related problems. Looking for ways to de-stress when daily life is full of it? Learn how with the help of a Life Time Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer offering tips on diet, exercise and mindfulness.
Here are five tips to consider:
- Eat Right to Feel Right: Evidence shows there’s a connection between emotions such as stress, and digestive function. In fact, chronic stress often causes us to crave foods, especially those high in carbohydrates or salt, which makes our brain associate these foods with comfort so we continue to go back to those during times of stress. When our bodies are in a healthy state, our digestive system regulates blood glucose and helps maintain proper motility and absorption of nutrients. You can also take nutritional supplements to help control the rise of stress hormones in the body – Relora Plus and L-Theanine are effective at reducing hormonal effects and can help relax the mind. Life Time also offers a Stress & Resilience Test, which measures stress hormones, cortisol, four times per day via an in-home saliva kit. This test sees how your hormone levels compare to optimal functioning ranges, and if they are off balance, it works to restore function via diet, exercise, lifestyle, and supplementation.
- Move to Remove: Yes, exercise is good for our bodies, supports a healthy metabolism and overall health. But movement is also a valuable solution for removing stress. Get up from your desk and get the circulation in your body flowing again and calm your mind. In addition, sometimes stress hits us as fatigue, while other times it can feel like agitation. Tackle both by fueling that stress for a better workout.
- De-clutter and De-stress: During a stressful time, it might help to simply take a break and do a quick clean up of your workspace or living space. Doing so, allows our brains to shut off many of the daily stressors but gives us the opportunity to be productive and gain a sense of accomplishment. And, we just feel better in less clutter.
4: Meditate vs. Medicate: Meditation, or even simple relaxation breathing, has been shown to lower your body’s dominant stress hormone, cortisol and can reduce the need for some medications. A Yoga class can do wonders for getting in tune with one’s body and incorporating calming techniques to use at stressful times. There are also many meditation tools available online or on smart phone applications that are fabulous for stressful moments. Pop your headphones in listen to a meditation application when you’re feeling overwhelmed and unusually stressed at work.
- Tune Out to Tune In: Being constantly connected is leading to increased stress for many of us. When you have something that must be done—or something you really want to be tuned in to like your child’s baseball game or simply being more present at home—tune out other distractions to focus in.
