5 Ways to Calm Holiday Stress

Rushing! Heart is racing! Frantic – frustration at traffic jams. Now we know it’s holiday time! Time to take a breather – even in the midst of stress, over commitment, plus money, time and family pressures. There are ways to stop the pounding heart and anxiety and to cope in a healthier fashion.

1) Right now take a deep breath in through your nose. Hold for a few seconds, then breathe out slowly through the mouth. Do it a few more times. If you do some deep breathing a few times a day, this small act can actually bring down blood pressure and calm anxious feelings.

2) Get hold of your day and become more organized. Make a list the night before of all the things you need to do the next day. Decide when you can do those chores and mark it in your calendar. Don’t drive from one end of the city to the other the same afternoon or evening. Try to schedule stops around the same areas if possible.

3) Walk slower, even if you’re in a rush. When you hurry, there’s more chances of slips, falls, accidents – which will really put a dent into your holiday fun. Decide you are not going to act frazzled, look frazzled or talk in a frazzled manner.

4) When shopping, bring a water bottle with you to keep hydrated. Keep healthy snacks in your bag, in your car – almonds and an apple, cashews and some dried cranberries, a healthful power bar. Don’t skip meals.

5) Don’t overdress in shopping malls; getting overheated will make you feel exhausted. Make sure you’re wearing comfortable shoes or boots. Aching feet will exasperate stress levels. Try not to do all your shopping in one evening – spread out your purchasing over a few visits.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah or best wishes for other enjoyable holiday celebrations. Especially spend time with those whom you love and make you feel happy.

All the best,

Rosalie Moscoe, RHN, RNCP

www.healthinharmony.com

Can Poor Food Choices Cause Stress?

You bet. If you feel tired, run down, are irritable a lot of the time with stress levels going through the roof – look to your diet.People forget that each cell is power by nutrients – even your brain cells. Many people know about serotonin and that the brain needs it for good moods. However, the brain also needs vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, proteins, and complex carbohydrates.

 Is your diet giving you all the raw materials to keep you calm, feeling energetic? Or is it the cause for your being tired, bloated, poor digestion and not being able to cope?

 So where do you start? Just by eating more vegetables in a day (even in soup), plus 2 or three pieces of fruit each day is a great start. Make salads your best friend. Can’t be bothered to prepare? Then at least stay clear of the fast food fare, or if you really must have a burger – order a salad. Nutrients in fruits and vegetables increase your nutritional status – give you vitamins, minerals, such as magnesium that calms nerves.

 Lack of adequate protein in your menu plan can leave you exhausted and cause brain fog. Proteins contain amino acids, necessary for many functions in the body including making neurotransmitters in your brain.. You don’t need a lot, but include 2 – 4 oz. per meal depending upon your weight – (low amount for a small woman and the higher amount for a large man). Don’t forget the fat! Eat a handful of raw almonds, pecans or pumpkin seeds to keep you fueled and your brain happy.

 Simple changes can give you dramatic results. Try it!

Healthy Breakfast Tips for your Children

For nutrition health benefits that include enhanced brain power, relaxation and a happier mood, try these simple, tasty, yet powerful breakfasts for your children (or yourself!)

• 1 or 2 eggs, 1 slice of whole grain toast, a little butter or almond butter, and ½ cup of berries

• Vegetable omelet and a slice of whole grain toast or scoop of brown rice

• ½ – ¾ cups cooked oatmeal mixed with 2 tbsp. of rice or whey protein powder, milk or yogurt. Sprinkle on almonds or pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

• Turkey breakfast sausage (organic) with 1 egg and whole grain toast with a little butter.

• A slice of mozzarella or havarti cheese on a slice of whole grain toast. Include a small piece of fruit or ½ cup of berries.

• Brown rice with beans, add melted cheese.

• Home made muffin or one from a health food store – (whole grains, low sugar). Add a handful of almonds or pumpkin seeds or a slice of cheese.

• Bowl of cereal with milk, soy milk, or almond milk. Cereal – no or low sugar; choose grains other than wheat for a healthy change. Add berries and sunflower seeds or almonds.

• ½ – 1 cup of cottage cheese – ½ – a whole small banana or other fruit and a if still hungry, add a slice of whole grain toast with butter.

Avocado – Pros/Cons to your Health

 

Clip taken from a radio talk show in which Rosalie was featured on. A caller asks about Avocados hearing mixed opinions on how healthy it is for you.

Rosalie talks about how Perceptions affect Stress

The poll on eating healthy showed that most people are too busy to prepare healthy foods.

Too Busy To Cook? (Or is it just too much trouble?)

Busy people seem to have forgotten the fun and pleasure of the ‘home cooked’ meal.

The following are suggestions to help you make smart, healthy, simple, fast meals.

• Purchase and use a grill, such as a Foreman or Hamilton Beach for easy healthy cooking of meat, fish, chicken or vegetables. Use spices, olive oil, tamari (pure soy sauce) or get some recipes from the Foodnetwork.

• Use frozen vegetables in bags – always ready to cook up in 5 minutes. Broccoli, peas and carrots, mixed vegetables are sure anti-oxidant winners. Dress with cow’s or goat butter, or olive oil.

• If you have a microwave oven, you can prepare a sweet or Yukon Gold potato, a healthy starch, in under five minutes. Add some butter or olive oil.

• Bags of fresh spinach, lettuces, serve as a good base for a salad. Toss in some goat cheese, dried cranberries, pecans. Add slices of English cucumber. Use an organic prepared dressing, or olive oil and vinegar and salt and pepper.

• Buy prepared jars of soup in the refrigerated sections of your grocery stores or buy cartons of organic vegetable soups for easy storage. Ready to go.

• Keep in your freezer, bags of cooked shrimp or other cooked seafood. Cook whole grain pasta; add pesto or any natural or organic sauce of your choice. Defrost in minutes and toss in the cooked seafood. A quick and easy-to-make dish. Serve with a salad as above.

Looking for Low Cost Items? The following fit the bill!

• Bags of brown rice
• Natural oatmeal
• Frozen vegetables
• Apples and pears
• Air popped popcorn
• Plain yogurt
• Cans of tuna or salmon
• Chicken

Eating In Restaurants

If you eat in restaurants a lot, choose heart healthy choices when you can – those with less fat, sugar, or salt than other selections. Fill your plate with lots of green vegetables at buffets. Keep clear of the deep fried, high starch fare and large glasses of soda if you care about your heart, your weight and blood sugar regulation.

On The Road?

Carry healthy snacks. Raw nuts, dried fruit, yogurt, banana, apples, healthy power bars with seeds in them, celery, mini carrots, and raw snap peas are good choices. Drink water often.

If you must eat fast food, order a plain burger without the cheese (usually it’s processed), bacon and mayo. If you order chicken in fast food restaurants, order roast chicken, not fried. Resist the fries if you can (or have a small amount) and order a salad. If you order pizza, add a salad, or a piece of fruit. Order a slice or two instead of a whole pizza for yourself. Better yet stay away from fast food restaurants. Home cooking style restaurants are often your best bet (as long as they don’t pile on the gravy.)

Dessert? Fruit is always the best choice, but you could just eat a small piece of cake or a few spoonfuls of dessert. Don’t let others push food on you. Bon appétit.

Excepts from Chapter 8, Frazzled Hurried Woman! By Rosalie Moscoe

Poll – What is the biggest hurdle when trying to eat healthy each day?

Winter Blues – Natural Treatments for Depression

In the winter months we often feel down, especially if the sun isn’t shining! This can be for many reasons. We miss the warm weather; we can’t get out for walks; we can’t get away for a vacation at this time; it’s too cold; too many bills to pay! One of the main reasons for feeling blue in the winter is lack of vitamin D – from the sun.

What Can Help

Get some exercise. If you don’t belong to a gym, walk in malls. Do some stretches every day. Exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression.

Some depression boosting nutrients:

• Vitamin D. Ask your doctor for a Vitamin D, 25 Hydroxy test to determine your vitamin D stores. If they are low, you need to add more vitamin D3 to your diet in supplement form or sunshine.
• B12 and folic acid. B12 levels can be tested by your doctor. This nutrient is important to mental health.
• B Complex. If you’re tired, you could be low in B vitamins.
• Fish oils (capsules or liquid). Quality brands include Nordic Naturals, Nutrasea, Carlson. Those looking for extra mental boosts, look for those formulas with much higher EPA to DHA on the list of ingredients.
• St. Johns Wort - liquid or homeopathic preparations. Contra indicated if on depression medication, otherwise, it’s a great booster to mood.

Check with your doctor, naturopath or nutritionist for nutrients and dosages suited for you. One good site I recommend is www.doctoryourself.com. Hope to see you smiling soon.

Simple Relaxation Techniques at Your Desk

Did anyone ever tell you to take a deep breath? Count to ten. Calm down.

If you have a pounding heart, sweaty palms, tense stomach, or fast breathing, aching neck, racing mind, it’s time to take a break. They are signals of stress chemicals surging through your body. You can put a stop to them and protect your health. Stress is said to be responsible for 80% of doctors’ visits.

The goal of relaxation is to release unnecessary muscle tension and quiet the mind and body. Breathing is our natural tension-releaser. We do it every minute of our life.

Focus On Your Breathing

Right now, just notice your breath going in and out through your nose. Be aware how the air goes down into your lungs and out again. Do this for about a minute. Just focusing on your breath is a way of relaxing.

Ten Second Break

• Take a slow, deep belly breath. Count to 4 slowly as you inhale and exhale.
• Take a second deep belly breath – Close your eyes as you start to inhale.
• As you exhale, imagine or feel warmth coming over your body at your head and flowing into your hands and feet. Perhaps you can visualize warm sunshine or a heat lamp over you. Your body starts to feel heavy.
• As heaviness and warmth are flowing in, think or repeat the phrase, “I Am Calm.”
• Alternatively, you can also think, “I Am” as you breathe in and “Calm” as you breathe out. Open your eyes. Notice if you feel calmer.

Repeat these exercises when you need them as positive effects are cumulative.

Your mind and body will thank you.

Calm Computer Depression with Stress Relief Techniques

Another computer crash?  Technology stress has scored again! Deadlines are approaching and critical files are lost.

As a society, we are dependant on computer technology and when we need it most, it often sabotages us. Computer crashes cause us anger, stress; cholesterol levels rise! We can get shaky, feel tense or sick to our stomach. Stress is responsible for 80% of all doctors’ visits.

Many people react emotionally to machines that have no sense of concern or let alone remorse for what they’ve done to us by stopping cold. To encourage anxiety relief, firstly, it’s best to alter your perception of events and attitudes so that you can remain calm in an increasingly technological society.

Three Rescue Remedies for Computer Stress

1) Take a few deep breaths and think to yourself: “Tomorrow the sun will rise again. This too will pass.” These positive thinking techniques help both mental and physical well-being.

2) Either fix the problem yourself or call a technician who can. In the meantime, to help you relax, either go for a short walk around the block, get a cup of soothing green tea or do shoulder rolls! Once you’re calm, you’ll be more able to form an action plan to resolve consequences of the crash. Negative attitudes (screaming at technicians) only alienates those who can help you.

3) Be prepared! Make sure you have excellent backup systems. If freezes or crashes do happen again, practice these simple stress relief tips to save your sanity!