FitSugar

The Soothing Power of a Mother's Voice

FitSugar — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:00:05 PDT

We have long known that a loving touch can soothe a stressed out child, but recent research found that hearing a mother's voice over the phone can have almost the same effect. A recent study found that after a stressful episode the feel good brain chemical oxytocin rose and stress hormone cortisol fell in almost equal amounts in both girls who were physically comforted by their mothers and girls who were comforted by their mothers over the phone. Nice to know that loving words can soothe almost as much as a hug. The girls involved in the study were all under 12 years of age and had yet to enter the volatile teenage years when mother-daughter relationships can become emotionally fraught. Next time you feel stressed, dial the phone to find comfort in a loving voice. If calling your mother is anxiety producing, skip that call and dial a friend. Who is on your emotional support speed dial list?

Relax Already: Play With a Pet

FitSugar — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:00:00 PDT

People de-stress in different ways, and if soaking in a warm bath doesn't do it for you, try something a little more active and playful in the four-legged variety. Many studies show the health benefits of pets for relieving stress, reducing high blood pressure, and boosting your mood.

Calm your mind by playing with your pet. If you don't have one, canoodle with your friend's goldendoodle. Pet your neighbor's cat. Visit a shelter and play with the animals there. Aside from a cute face, cats and dogs provide unconditional affection, which is great after a stressful day.

Source

Relax Already: Meditate

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:00:00 PDT

Times are stressful lately, and while massages are a great way to unwind they can be a little hard on the pocketbook. Since money woes are creating enough stress on their own, it is great to find things that can help you unwind that don't cost a dime. Meditation is one such thing.

Meditation comes in many forms. You can focus on your breath, a single thought, or a mantra to clear your mind. You can also do guided meditation focusing your breath to different parts of your body, or guiding your imagination to a peaceful place. A great way to reduce stress, meditation is essentially about strengthening the relationship between your mind and body. How sweet is that? The goal is to quiet your mind by focusing on the moment, instead of your worries and stress.

If sitting with your eyes closed and trying to think of nothing sounds overwhelming, try to meditate for a minute. Simply sitting and breathing for only 60 seconds can really revitalize your brain.

For a few pointers for starting meditation

I have always found it best to focus on my breath. 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 getting paper trained/housebroken and the paper is the act of meditation. As the puppy, or in this case your mind, wanders off the paper you gently steer it back, 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 five to 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 region on their website. If sitting still just doesn't work for you, think of your workout as an active meditation.

Source

Relax Already: Active Relaxation

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:00:00 PDT

I know that it seems like a contradiction of terms, but active relaxation is a real technique for getting rid of unwanted tension. Stress creates muscle tension so actively relaxing your muscles can really help clear your mind and ease your level of anxiety.

Hold the following positions for five seconds and focus on the sensation of muscle tightness. Then actively release the position and focus on the sensation of tension leaving the muscles. These moves can be done sitting at your desk, and I recommend doing them each a couple of times.

Lower body:
(Start with your right foot, then repeat on the left side)

Scrunch your toes and point your toes inward
Flex your toes and pull them toward your head
Straighten your knee, so leg is parallel to the floor and tense your thigh, relax the leg back down

For your torso:

Squeeze your bum
Tense your stomach, make it feel tight like a ball
Squeeze your shoulder blades together

To see what else you can do for your shoulders just

For your arms and shoulders:

Make fists with both hands
Squeeze your arms into your sides
Raise your shoulders to your ears

For your face and neck:

Squint your eyes and wrinkle your nose
Pull your lips in
Open your mouth as wide as you can
Raise your eyebrows as high as you can

Now I know the facial "moves" are quite conspicuous, so they might be hard to get away with in a small office, but they are great for your car ride home. Once you tense and relax all these muscles, you should feel both an ease of body and mind. So go on, relax already.

Source

Kayaking for Fitness and Fun

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 07:30:00 PDT

Kirsten Dunst has recently been spotted in Maui relaxing and getting toned with some fun kayaking.

If you're lucky enough to be vacationing some place warm enough to spend some time on the water like Kirsten, then you should definitely consider kayaking. Don't be intimidated by kayaking I know there is the roll over factor, but in reality kayaking can be a very relaxing and toning experience. To learn why and to see more pics of Kirsten kayaking in Maui,

Paddling, which is what you do when you're kayaking, is great for your cardiovascular system, but it's also good strength training. A 130-pound woman burns approximately 295 calories an hour kayaking at a moderate pace, since you are really using your upper body and a bit of your lower body (a lot of muscles at once) to make the paddling movements. Essentially, you'll be working your core as well because paddling requires that you hold your paddle, lift it, swing it, stick it in the water, sit erect, twist, bend, apply leverage to the paddle and push with the legs...all on an unstable environment. If you're going to go a mile, that's about 500 strokes. More than that? Nothing is better for the mind than being on the open water, powering yourself through.

View 4 Photos ›

If you're on vacation, ask your hotel's concierge where you can rent kayaks. If you're at home, check out kayaking.com to learn more about kayaking and find out where and how you can get started. I recommend starting on calm water, like a lake or bay, before trying to handle rivers and oceans.

Flynet

Love Your Heart - Take a Nap

FitSugar — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 14:45:00 PST

I love to nap and now I have an excuse - it is good for the heart! Kind of funny to use am exclamation point about the quiet act of napping.

A recent study in Greece concluded that those who participated in "napping at least three times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease compared to non-nappers."

It is believed that napping helped relieve some of the work related stress that is also considered detrimental to the health of the heart. So much so that the benefits of napping were more significant in employed men than unemployed men. Unfortunately there were not enough women participating in the study to create significant data one way or the other. I am still going to nap as much as I can.

I might even suggest to my bosses that we get one of these MetroNap pods for the office. See you in dream land.

Meditation: A Simple Way to Start

FitSugar — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 17:15:00 PST

We are a month into the new year and already that resolution to be less stressed has been tossed out the window. Well, bring that resolution back and focus on something that makes you tick. Your breath - yep, I am talking meditation.

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.

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 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. 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.

Easy Way to Go Green: Pay Your Bills Online

GeekSugar — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 07:07:11 PDT

I'm sure SavvySugar would agree with me on this one: paying your bills online not only saves you time, but also helps you save the planet. With just a few clicks of your mouse, you can fulfill your monthly requirements, set up automatic payments, and help mother earth by reducing the amount of paper being used for monthly statements if you opt to have your bills delivered to your email inbox, instead of your mailbox.

I've been utilizing my creditors' online bill pay functions for some time now, and I've noticed a dramatic reduction of paper being shredded and recycled, not to mention stress from scheduling time to write checks every month. Plus, there's a lot of money to be saved from not buying stamps! Do you pay your bills online?

5 Strange Ways Chocolate Keeps You Healthy

Prevention — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 04:02:26 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

This sweet treat may also boost brainpower, help you relax, and more!
By Mara Betsch, Prevention

Show your heart some love this Valentine’s Day by nibbling a few chocolates - and making them a regular treat throughout the year. A recent study found that those consuming the highest levels of chocolate had a 37 percent reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 29 percent reduction in stroke compared to those with lower chocolate intakes.

Though experts are quick to clarify that we should stick to moderate consumption of high-calorie chocolates, it’s hard to deny the cold, hard facts that chocolate can be a healthy addition to our diets.

Seven Surprising Ways to Sharpen Your Mind

Hundreds of studies have shown that dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants that promote heart health and may prevent many cardiovascular-related conditions, but we’ve dug up five more surprising health benefits. Read on for five new ways to justify your chocolate craving.

1. Chocolate May Help You With Math
Flavonols, compounds in chocolate with antioxidantlike properties, are thought to improve circulation, including blood flow to the brain. A 2009 study asked participants to count backward in groups of three from a number between 800 and 999. After drinking hot cocoa filled with flavonols, the participants were able to do calculations more quickly and accurately and were less likely to feel tired or mentally drained.

Learn a four more things chocolate can do for you after the break.

4 Lazy Moves That Boost Your Health

Prevention — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:05:16 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

You don’t have to go on a deprivation diet or spend hours exercising to ward off disease and be your healthiest self! Instead, try these supersimple tips
By the editors of Prevention

Staying healthy can feel like so much, well, work (think: logging hours at the gym and whipping up nutritious meals from scratch). However, there are plenty of small moves that you can make in your everyday life that will have big health benefits. We’ve rounded up 15 practically zero-effort ways to fight disease, whittle your waist, lower stress, and more. Bonus: many of these good-for-you moves feel good, too. So say sayonara to the old adage “no pain, no gain” and try these tips today.

Lazy Move No. 1: Protect Your Ticker by Snoozing
Need a good excuse to grab your comfiest set of pajamas and hit the sack? Skimping on shut-eye may do more than make you cranky or unproductive - it also boosts your risk of a heart attack. According to one Norwegian study, people who reported that they did not wake up feeling refreshed in the morning had a 27 percent higher risk of a heart attack, those who had trouble staying asleep almost every night in the last month had a 30 percent higher risk, and those who had trouble falling asleep almost every night in the last month had odds that jumped to 45 percent.

Twenty Ways to Sleep Better Every Night

Some researchers speculate that insomnia might trigger your body to release more of the stress hormone cortisol. High levels of cortisol have been linked with high blood pressure and diabetes, which are both risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Plus when you’re exhausted, you may be more likely to make unhealthy choices that up your heart disease risk, such as skipping your workout or reaching for fatty or sugary snacks for a quick energy fix.

Keep reading for three more lazy ways to improve your health.