FitSugar

Guess Who Said It?

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:00:00 -0800

Guess which funny lady uses exercise to destress?

I’d exercise and eat right even if I didn’t work in front of a camera. Growing up, I always liked playing soccer and running around. Now I run for 20 to 30 minutes a day. It helps me sleep. It de-stresses me. I love it, love it, love it!

The 10 Most Popular Ways to Destress

FitSugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:00:00 -0800

Exercise is my go-to destress strategy, and if my primary goal is reducing tension, I prefer to work out without a buddy. While being active works wonders for me, there are times when all I want to do is pour a glass of red wine and escape with a good book. You shared some excellent ideas when I asked how you tend to get rid of stress; here are the 10 most popular ways to find release.

Massage
Sleep
Watch a favorite TV show
Clean or organize
Take a bath (glass of wine or champagne optional)

To see five more destress solutions, read more.

Write in a journal
Drink a cup of tea
Do something active: Take a walk, do yoga, go for a swim, or do high-impact cardio.
Cook or bake something
Hug someone

Source

Speak Up: How Do You Destress?

FitSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:00:00 -0800

It's a wonderful time of year, with the Fall leaves changing and multiple holiday gatherings with family and friends in the pipeline. Unfortunately, the busy season can make our already thinly spread lives more stressful than usual, which can lead to overeating and restless nights.

Exercise is always an effective way to destress, but some women find solace in things like cooking, reading, watching an episode of their favorite TV show, talking it out with their partner or friends, taking a leisurely shower or bath, and even cleaning can be a productive way to work through built-up tension. What's your go-to destress tactic?

Source

5 Ways to Walk For Stress Relief

FitSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:00:00 -0700

When life gives you stress, take a walk. Walking is not only an easy way to burn a few extra calories, but you can also burn off some steam in just a few minutes. Next time stress makes its way into your life, throw on a pair of sneakers and walk. AOL Health has even outlined a few great tips for turning your walks into the ultimate stress reducers. They are:

Adopt the right attitude. Tell yourself that taking a walk will help you accomplish more on your to-do list. Exercise makes you feel better and think more clearly, so you become more productive.
Aim for the a.m. Walking first thing in the morning, before anyone else is out and about, gives you an opportunity to focus on yourself, says Suki Munsell, PhD, director of the Dynamic Health and Fitness Institute in Corte Madera, CA. "When my day looks hectic, with lots of decisions ahead, an early-morning walk brings answers and clarity," she notes.

There's more, so read more.

Seek out new scenery. Choose a walking route that takes you down quiet streets or through a beautiful park. The more appealing your surroundings, the calmer you'll feel. Walking on busy streets, in unsafe neighborhoods, or after dark only adds to your stress.
Slow your pace. Pushing yourself to go faster or farther only adds to your stress. During tense times, keep your walks leisurely.
Break up your workout. If your schedule is so busy that you can't find one chunk of time for your walk, take advantage of spare minutes throughout the day. Head outdoors for a stroll before or after lunch, or between appointments. Even five minutes of walking is enough to recharge your batteries.

Do you walk your stress off? Tell me in the comments section below.

Source

Meditation: Spring Cleaning for Your Mind

FitSugar — Fri, 11 May 2007 17:15:00 -0700

I have written a lot about spring cleaning lately, and one way to think about meditation is that it is a little dose of spring cleaning for the mind. It's an attempt to clear the mind of clutter at least for a few moments.

Meditation involves concentrating on a single thought, word, image or movement and is a great way to reduce stress. Essentially you are trying to strengthen the relationship between your mind and body. How sweet. The goal is to quiet your mind by focusing on the moment, instead of your worries and stress.

So where to begin? I have always found it best to focus on my breath. So find a comfortable and quiet place to sit, I find it too tempting to fall asleep if I meditate lying down. Then focus on different aspects of your breath. How it sounds and how it feels.

I have heard meditation explained like this:

Your mind is a puppy that is getting paper trained/housebroken and the paper is the act of meditation. As your mind, the puppy, wanders off the paper you gently steer it back to the paper, which is your breath and meditation practice. Just as you wouldn't be harsh with a puppy learning where to "go," you shouldn't be harsh on yourself if your mind wanders. After all that is what the mind does.

Set an alarm for 5 or 10 minutes and meditate until the alarm goes off. No cheating or peeking. Just sit and just be - which is really difficult and oddly refreshing. It may feel like an eternity, but it will soon get easier to focus your mind. Practice in this case doesn't make perfect, but makes one simply more self aware.

Shambala Centers offer classes on meditation in the Buddhist tradition. You can find centers listed by state on their website.

Relax Already: After a Big Event

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 04:00:00 -0800

It happens all the time: You prep for so long for a big event. You have major anxiety and stress about how the event will go. The event happens in a flash. The event is over, just like that.

Many of Hollywood's a-listers may be feeling exactly these sentiments today as The Oscars are now over. So how can you cheer yourself up after a big event?

Make sure you'll be taking memories with you, not a big ole' hangover. The best way to prolong the joy is with memories. You'll really feel defeated if you've forgotten everything by the next morning. Take lots of pictures, write in your journal when you can and keep mementos from the big event.
Talk about it when it is done. It is hard to have something so important that was all you talked about for months be something you don't talk about anymore. So talk about it but try not to whine because you start losing potential listeners fast.
Remember there is life after your big event, so be sure to plan for it. Make plans with friends. Plan calls and trips to get back into touch with loved ones that you may have lost touch with since you've been all consumed with your event.
Take up a new hobby. Your brain has been used to being consumed with one thing for a while now so give it something else to focus on. (I hear knitting is making a comeback.)
You knew this one was coming so HIT THE GYM. You've been working so hard to look great for your big day; so don't forget about all your hard work when it's over. Going to the gym (yoga, pilates, etc) will not only make you feel great (get those endorphins moving baby) but it will also give you a way to channel any post-event blues you may be feeling.

Fit's Tip: If all else fails, then hit the bottle. Not that bottle, the Bach's Rescue Remedy bottle. I'm sure Cate Blanchett will be adding a few drops to her morning tea today.

Get Physical: I Wanna Hold Your Hand

FitSugar — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 08:58:42 -0800

Women tend to get stressed around this time of year for various reasons. If you're more stressed than usual this time of year then grab your husband, boyfriend or father's hand.
A recent study published in the December issue of the journal Psychological Science found that hand holding calms the body's reaction to stress.

Not married or in a relationship? Any male's hand will do but if you're opting to hold that cute stranger's hand sitting next to you on the subway, you may want to ask first.

So this weekend, to burn off some calories and stress, grab your man's hand and go for a nice long walk, just the two of you. If he's not into holding hands, tell him it's a matter of your health.

Relax Already: DeStress Before a Big Event

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 12:48:11 -0800

Are you like Tom and Katie and preparing for a really big event? The stress can become a bit too much when preparing for any big event, but especially if you are a celebrity about to tie the knot.

Fit's got some suggestions to keep your stress levels down before a big event, so read more

Keep your eye on the ball. Sometimes we can all get caught up in the planning and details rather than what it's all about. If you're throwing a huge benefit tomorrow, keep in mind that everyone is coming for a cause...in the end, the color of the napkins is not worth staying up all night.
If you're in charge of a lot of details for a big event, like say hosting Thanksgiving for all 100 of your closest friends, then make a physical list so your brain is not up all night making a mental one.
Take some time for yourself. If you're about to get married, everyone is going to want a piece of your time to chit chat. Make sure to give yourself some me moments where you can do what you want to do. Even if it is watch the episode of Grey's that you tivo'ed and have yet to watch.
Meditate. Meditation is a great way to clear your head and relax. Try a simple technique like sit in a quiet dark place, close your eyes and focus only on your breathing for 10-15 minutes.
Avoid potential situations that could add stress. Car Crashes are hard to avoid but if you know you have a big event coming up then the night before don't plan a dinner with your sister who you haven't spoken to since she killed your hamster.

Relax Already: Become a Player

FitSugar — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:30:00 -0800

After a long day's work, cooking, putting the girls to bed, but before cleaning up the dinner mess and packing lunches for the next day - I like to play a game of Suduko (also spelled Sudoku) or a couple of rounds of Text Twist( I just play the web version - it's free and quick). Numbers or words? Sometimes it is hard to choose which one to play. But they're both on line, so they're both easy to access. And the Suduko page comes with the answers. Which is important because, I will admit, I do cheat a little to save time. Plus not figuring out the answers can be stressful, and that is not what this is about.

It is a little brain challenge time combined with a little "me" time. I get to focus on something entertaining, challenging and ultimately frivolous. For some reason the focused time helps me unwind and focus better on the tasks at hand - like packing a well balanced lunch for a picky almost 4 year old.

Stressed out? List it!

FitSugar — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 14:30:00 -0800

If you're stressed out by all of the details of your task list swirling around in your head - why not write it down and make a list.

I am a firm believer in lists. If all that you have to do is just in your head, it can get stuck there. And since the weekend is finally here, you definitely don’t want to be fretting about what needs to get done by Monday on your two precious days off.

Avoid the mania of Monday by writing a list of the 5 most important things you have to have done by 5pm on Monday. This way the details of next week won’t haunt your weekend.