FitSugar

13 Ways to De-Stress During the Workday

Laura Marie Given — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:15:13 PDT

It's natural for work to leave you a little stressed, but if you're a frazzled mess from nine to five, it's important to step back and relax. Not sure how to loosen up? From doodling to redecorating, here are 13 easy ways to de-stress during the workday:

Finish the tough stuff first. Try to get your most complicated tasks out of the way early in the day so that they're not looming over you for hours. Think of it as a "best for last" technique and you'll start to look forward to your afternoons.
Make exercise a priority. Whether it's a quick walk around the block or a full-on gym session during your lunch hour, moving your body is crucial for your sanity. Aim to stretch every hour, too, in an effort to clear your head.
Savor your snack. Rather than mindlessly munching on whatever snacks are handy, bring your favorite treat from home and take the time to relish every bite. Make it a healthy bite to really rev up your mood and energy.
Connect with a friend. Socializing is one of the easiest ways to distract yourself from everyday anxieties, so call up a pal to chat for a few minutes. Try to avoid any work-related venting and stick to fun, tension-free topics instead.
Congregate at the water cooler. It's important to engage with your co-workers on a day-to-day basis. Not only will kitchen small talk free up your mind for a few minutes, but it will also help you build positive relationships around the office.
Take five to do something lighthearted. Were you the type who doodled during class? For five (and only five) quick minutes, draw, catch up on Instagram, or browse Pinterest to improve your attitude and recharge your batteries.

Read on for more de-stress tips

Happy Women’s Health Week! Do These 7 Things Today

LearnVest — Wed, 11 May 2011 00:15:11 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Money is only as good as what it can get you: security, independence, freedom. The point of LearnVest isn’t to talk about your money to the exclusion of all else-it’s about using money as a tool to live the life you want.

Yesterday began National Women’s Health Week, and there’s no better investment than in your health. After all, the best investment portfolio ever won’t be fulfilling if you’re not healthy enough to reap its benefits.

(Of course, we do still want you to have a kick-ass investment portfolio. Click here for how to pull it off.)

So, in honor of National Women’s Health Week, we bring you the top 7 things you can do for your health that will save you in the long run:

1. Have The Right Kind Of Health Insurance

First, any kind of health insurance is better than no kind. Going without insurance means you’re totally responsible for all costs if disaster strikes. If, heaven forbid, you got into an accident or needed surgery, you could easily face thousands upon thousands of dollars in debt. Once you’re covered, evaluate your options: If, for example, you’re relatively young and healthy, you may choose a plan with lower regular payments but a high deductible. If you need regular doctor visits and prescriptions, you’ll want a policy that covers all of your needs. For a rundown of the various types of insurance and what’s right for you, click here.

2. Go In For Regular Checkups

Don’t miss crucial checkups each year, since the cost of preventative medicine is way less than the price tag to actually treat your woes (not to mention that it will save you lots of grief). For a rundown of which doctors you should see and how often, check this out. If you’re over age 40, remember to get regular mammograms-they save lives.

Read on for more great health tips.

5 Ways to Be Healthy During Your Commute

Leta Shy — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 03:30:41 PST

Don't walk or bike to work? Then you may think that your time spent on your commute is the least healthy part of your day. And while you may spend hours every day sitting, in your car or on the bus and then at your desk all day, you can still find ways to be active and healthy during your travel time.

Whether your trip to work is a short hop on the light rail or a start-and-stop ride down a congested freeway, you can use the empty time to sneak small healthy acts into your daily routine. Here are five things you can do to be healthy during your commute.

Do your exercises. Yes, you can work out those muscles during your commute without careening off the road or causing fellow passengers to stare. If you're driving, target and tone with steering wheel isometric exercises, ab work, or glute moves. If you're on the subway or bus, get creative with props like the strap hanger, your briefcase, or your bag to (discreetly) work different areas of your body.
Walk the distance. It may be convenient to have a bus stop right outside your apartment or a prime parking spot at work, but if you find that you're not moving as much as you want to, start building time into your commute to walk to the next nearest bus stop or to park further away.

See more of my suggestions after the break.

Gym Rat or Not, Don't Forget to Do This at the Gym

Leta Shy — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 03:06:19 PDT

Wouldn't it be nice to end every active week with an intense deep-tissue massage to help ease your muscles? But since we can't always spring for a trip to the spa, here's what we can do - use the foam roll at the gym.

You may have seen people in the gym foam rolling and think it's just for serious athletes or gym rats, but that's not the case. But there are many reasons why massaging out the tight knots in muscles is an important part of your workout routine, even if you already stretch regularly. Why? Because no matter how much you stretch, the build up of fascia that creates muscle knots that won't go away, which can lead to many different problems.

I've been consistently seeing my trainer for a few weeks, and the aftermath is clear: not only am I working new sets of muscles (meaning new ways of being sore) but I'm also realizing how much more I need to be foam rolling. My trainer, Tim Rich at Crunch Gym, says that everyone, avid athlete or not, should be using those long spongy cylinders daily. Read on for why and how you should be foam rolling every day.

Helps prevent common injuries. One of the most important reasons for a regular foam-rolling routine is to prevent those often too common exercise-related injuries. Many runners, for example, become painfully well acquainted with their IT band if they don't take care to massage the band of tissue. IT band syndrome and other similar flare-ups can be caused by too-tight muscles. Foam rolling every day ensures you are massaging away fascia buildup in your muscles, in order to help prevent those areas from becoming injury trigger points.
Helps you de-stress. Had a hard day? Foam roll your worries away. Digging for those knots "releases tension that is built up in the connective tissue to keep you less stressed," says Tim. He recommends a simple all-over body routine in order to combat the "desk posture blues" that happen from sitting too long in the office.
Keeps you flexible. Building up your flexibility is key for any fitness routine, Tim says, which means you constantly should be stretching and doing exercises that'll help you gain flexibility. Stretches that lengthen your hip flexors, for example, can help combat tightness from sitting as well as lower back pain.

The more regularly you use a foam roll on your tight muscles, the less painful it'll be. Ready to roll? Here are five important stretches you should be doing with a foam roll, and a video on how to foam roll your quads and IT band for elongated, flexible, and injury-free thighs and happy knees.

Source

Minutes to a Healthier Work Day

FitSugar — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:30:02 PDT

The workplace, whether it's a desk job or otherwise, isn't always conducive to a healthy lifestyle. You may find yourself snacking on chips and candy out of boredom, eating fast food for a quick lunch, unmotivated to hit the gym after a long work day, tempted by birthday and holiday break-room treats, and spending the majority of your day in a sedentary state.

But sometimes taking just a few minutes out of the day to make small changes can make a big difference. For some tips on making your work day healthier, read more.