The Good, the Bad and the Too Much Stress

Life is full of stress and that’s not such a bad thing. In fact, that jittery excitement we get when going for a job interview or that scared but powerful feeling when we narrowly avoid getting into a car accident, is actually good for us.

Sudden, acute stress causes our hearts to beat faster, our senses to sharpen and readies our bodies for action. It causes our body to release a burst of hormones known as the flight or fight response that help us perform physical and mental tasks more efficiently. For that moment we all become the Six Million Dollar Man: better…stronger…faster. This type of stress can actually improve heart function.

The problem occurs when we are exposed to constant, chronic stress. Stress that lingers for weeks, months or longer, such as family tension, job pressures and the like. This type of stress results in elevated hormone levels and can then result in high blood pressure, depression and ultimately heart disease.

Recognizing the Signs of Stress Overload

So how do you know if you’re overstressed? The answer is, if you have to ask, you’re not. But knowing you are overstressed and understanding the toll the stress is taking on your body is completely different. Do any of these sound familiar? Do too many of them? Then it’s time to take action!

Managing your Stress  

Managing your stress is a lot like managing your weight. It takes constant and
consistent effort. Some tips for keeping your stress levels in check include:

Set realistic expectations

Realize that you can’t do everything and that sometimes you just have to say no. And that’s ok. You don’t have to refuse everything, just be selective about the tasks you take on. Set yourself up for success, not failure (and more stress).

Prioritize

Some projects are just too overwhelming to consider whole. So instead, prioritize and break it down into smaller, more doable tasks. Each time you accomplish a task, acknowledge your success before you move on to tackle the next.

Relax

Sure, it’s often easier said than done. Being able to truly relax, for a truly overstressed person can be quite daunting. Meditation and breathing exercises may work for some people. Perhaps taking a hot bath or going for a long walk are what relaxes you. Experiment to see what works for you and then make a concerted effort to include these activities into your life. 

Volunteer

Volunteering and doing for others is a great way to get your mind off your own problems. It allows you to temporarily forget about your stresses and can even promote a sense of gratitude so that the things that were stressing you out may seem less important. 

Get enough sleep

When we are stressed out, our sleep is often affected. Our mind is racing and the prospect of getting a good, restful night’s sleep seems out of reach. But this is when we need adequate sleep most. Sleep is our body’s way of regrouping and recharging. Being stressed and tired can be a lethal combination. 

Be active

The idea of fitting in exercise may totally stress you out, especially if you already feel overwhelmed. But just like getting enough sleep, getting enough exercise is crucial to your ability to fight stress. 
 

Breathe

And when all else fails…just breathe. 

Hunger vs. Craving

We brought MyPlate to life with an interactive game and an engaging lesson in nutrition. We used our imaginations and helped Andy the Astronaut fly back home to Planet Power, once his plate was balanced so he had enough energy for the trip home! I gave the children an association word for each food group on MyPlate: fruit/energy, vegetables/vitamins, protein/muscles, grains/brains and dairy/strong bones. The children interacted by making gestures (such as making their muscles flex or pretending to peel a banana) and screaming the words out – and seemed to be having a lot of fun! After 5 volunteers picked their favorite food from a specific food group, they handed the food to Andy and watched as his engine fueled up. Finally, it was time for blastoff, and the children helped Andy successfully land on Planet Power.

MyPlate is a great resource, and is more helpful than its predecessor, MyPyramid. The guidelines are clear and easy to understand and apply, such as making half your plate fruits and veggies. Also, the focus on balance and variety, which are key concepts in nutrition. The new guidelines, along with the clear visual, are also kid-friendly so it is easy for your children to understand the basic elements of proper nutrition. The MyPlate logo depicts an applicable visual for anybody to picture their plate and ideal servings of food groups. I think this is a great resource to use in order to plan or track meals – and the MyPlate website offers a ton of cool benefits for free! What are your favorite ways to make half of your plate fruits and veggies?

Rebecca Thinks…

(0:55)- Crunches on “Flat” Setting (2:10)- Crunches on “Rolled” Setting (2:28)- Oblique Crunches (2:52)- Tie Touches (2:59)- Elbow To Knee Crunch Check out www.scotthermanfitness.com for more information and detailed exercises! Join the most supportive and fastest growing community on facebook! www.facebook.com Check out my Routines & Tips on the SEARS FitStudio page! www.fitstudio.com iPhone App! itunes.apple.com Bio-Engineered Supplements & Nutrition BSN www.bsnonline.net Check out my Meal Plan!: www.scotthermanfitness.com View TRX Pro Pack Here! tinyurl.com Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com

Check out www.scotthermanfitness.com for more information and detailed exercises! Join the most supportive and fastest growing community on facebook! www.facebook.com Check out my Routines & Tips on the SEARS FitStudio page! www.fitstudio.com iPhone App! itunes.apple.com Bio-Engineered Supplements & Nutrition BSN www.bsnonline.net Check out my Meal Plan!: www.scotthermanfitness.com View TRX Pro Pack Here! tinyurl.com Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Wordless Wednesday: Wine tasting with dessert pairings #wordlesswednesday is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

This Mama Cooks! On a Diet™

Watch the first 10 minutes of the latest DVD, Part 1 of 3: “NOURISHING TRADITIONAL DIETS, The Key to Vibrant Health” – Over Five Hours of Life-Changing Information on Diet and Health Based on the Best-Selling Cookbook “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon. Learn from nutrition expert Sally Fallon about the pioneering work of Dr. Weston A. Price; the vital role of animal fats in human nutrition; the dangers of modern vegetable oils; the safety and health benefits of raw milk; the dark side of modern soy foods; and practical steps to change your diet for the better. Produced by Derick Moore, Moore Productions. All 3 parts are on one DVD. Available from NewTrends Publishing at www.newtrendspublishing.com or toll-free at (877) 707-1776 for .95 US.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

www.PumpExperience.com http In this workout, Aaron Garza The Youtube Body Designer show you how to drastically increase your lean muscle while losing fat. This video specifically gives you the know-how on building muscle with what Aaron refers to as “The Base Program” A part of this program includes using base power movements to increase lean muscle and power. The exercises for this Bodybuilding/BodyDesign Workout include: Chest Press, Deadlifts, Squats, Shoulder Press, Bicep Curls and Tricep Extensions. The workout is designed to be completed 3x per week with days off in between. Sets should be 4 per exercise and should start with 15 reps then 12 reps then 10 reps and finally 6-8 reps. The weights should get progressively heavier as the sets continue. Learn everything you need to know about building your best body and your best self ever through MrBodyDesigners YouTube Channel, MrBodyDesigner or his website, www.BodyDesignerTV.com Information including science based bodybuilding, nutrition, supplementation and other information which can help you maximize results in the gym will be given on a weekly basis. Be sure and subscribe as we bring you the latest right from Pump24 Hour Training Mecca in McAllen Texas. The new home of advanced training and body transformation. If you’re goal is leaning out, toning up or Designing A New Body this year then you’ve come to the right place. Let Aaron help you through his proven techniques and no Bull approach to training. Come by …

Watch the full 20 minute version with full sound and demonstrations, at www.mycontestprep.com Facebook: www.facebook.com TEAM Optimum Nutrition Physique Athlete www.optimumnutrition.com Check out my online store for offers on clothing, DVD’s & supplements,plus fully customized training programs www.robrichesstore.com TRX http See my full workout routine on Bodybuilding.com bodyspace.bodybuilding.com Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com Check out www.robriches.com for more information and training and nutrition. Music provided by The Rootz. “Formed in January 2010 The Rookz are the brainchild of two friends Jordan Chappell and Darren Richards. After just 11 months, The Rookz have already been played on numerous radio stations, performed at dozens of venues, raised thousands of pounds supporting charity events, won the South Wales Battle of The Bands, and recorded their first EP, which should be available on iTunes within the next few weeks! The Rookz signed to an Indie Label Slick Records in June 2010, and will be releasing their debut album for summer 2011. The Rookz will be appearing in numerous big music festivals in 2011. The Rookz believe that music should be 100% entertaining, there is no other band you can compare them to! They are unique!”
Video Rating: 4 / 5

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club assignment, I was partnered with Jayasri of Samayalarai – Cooking is Divine. Jayasri’s Indian and lives in the UK, and likes to cook up traditional dishes as well as try out Western ones. I had a tough time choosing a recipe because I wanted to cook up an Indian dish but didn’t want to use ingredients that would be hard for my readers to find. I also wanted to make something that was healthy and her recipe for Mango – Quinoa Halwa in Microwave seemed to be a good choice on both counts.

Halwa is a sweet Indian dish. It’s usually made with lots of ghee (clarified butter) and can be made with carrots, banana, or semolina boiled with milk, almonds, sugar, and cardamom. Jayasri’s recipe used quinoa, which is full of healthy, vegetarian protein and is naturally gluten free.

However, I was puzzled by her microwave directions. Obviously, UK and US microwaves are very different! I decided to make my version on the stove top. I also wanted to health things up by using coconut oil for ghee and coconut milk for cow’s milk, which turned the recipe into a vegan dish. I eliminated calories by using stevia instead of sugar, and didn’t include almonds because of my daughter, Lucie’s nut allergies.

When I was researching halwa dishes, I noticed that Mythreyee of Paajaka Recipes used saffron in her Microwave Mango Halwa. Since I had a little bottle in the cupboard, I decided to use that, too.

Want to join the Secret Recipe Club? You can sign up here.

Mango Quinoa Halwa

Based on a recipe from Samayalarai – Cooking is Divine

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup mango pulp (2 mangoes), pureed
• 1 cup quinoa, cooked
• 4 tablespoons light coconut milk
• 3/4 cup Stevia in the Raw
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 3-4 saffron threads (optional)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup raisins

Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
2. Cut and peel the mangos and remove the pulp. Puree in a small food processor or blender.
3. Place pureed mango, cooked quinoa, coconut milk, stevia, cardamom and saffron (if using) in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Stir to blend.
4. Cook over medium heat, occasionally stirring, until mixture starts to bubble.
5. Add the coconut oil. Stir to combine.
6. Continue to cook over medium heat until mixture starts to thicken. This should take 10 to 12 minutes. The halwa should be thick like oatmeal and glossy from the coconut oil.
7. Add raisins and stir until evenly distributed and heated through.
8. Dish warm halwa into small bowls and serve immediately.

Prep Time: 15 – 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 – 20 Minutes

Total Time: 30 – 40 Minutes

Nutrition Grade B from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 8

Servings: 4

• Calories: 354
• Calories from Fat: 178
• Total Fat: 19.8g
• Saturated fat: 15.3g
• Unsaturated fat: 0g
• Sodium: 6mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 40.8g
• Sugar: 12.0g
• Fiber: 4.2g
• Protein: 6.5g
• Cholesterol: 0mg

More from the Secret Recipe Club!

Mango Quinoa Halwa #vegan #glutenfree is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

This Mama Cooks! On a Diet™

If only Valentine’s Day were an actual holiday where you didn’t have to work or do normal chores!

My “holiday” today wasn’t that exciting. It was actually like almost any other day:

Work for 8 hours on lots of different things (I like that my job is always something different)….

Workout at the gym until my legs quit because I stupidly did extra deadlifts yesterday….

Try to stop JuJu from destroying things…

Running errands like taking JuJu to her last vet appointment and going grocery shopping to restock our sadly depleted kitchen.

Yep. That’s pretty much a summary of my day and most of my days. I could never be a professional blogger if the content relied on my daily activities. Yawn.

Things that are different about today:

• I got a card from my awesome husband!
• We are getting pizza for dinner! We basically never eat out during the week except for special occasions like holidays and birthdays. Valentine’s Day is sort of a holiday, right?
• I’m turning off the computer after this post and staying off for the night. my bad habit of always being online won’t ruin Valentine’s Day!

Hope you all have a great Valentine’s day whether you are single or with someone you love (both can be fun, promise)!

Happy Valentine’s Day! is a post from: A Merry Life! If you aren’t reading it via RSS or on amerrylife.com it has been stolen!!

A Merry Life | Weight Loss Blog – Healthy Living – Fitness – Food

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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• BRB
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• When Things Go According To Plan… And When They Don’t

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