Are you stressed????? Here are some tips to help get a little mellow...:)

 Are you under a lot of stress?  Is your boss driving you crazy?  Your spouse nagging?  Stress can cause a great deal amount of symptoms such as weight gain, hives, asthma, illnesses, ulcers, heart problems, and can eventually lead to death.  That's just scary.  Who can live without stress these days?  Whether it is someone cutting you off on the road,  co-workers talking behind your back, list of bills, kids that won't even let you go to the bathroom by yourself, dogs chewing up everyones underwear, etc.... I don't know of anyone that doesn't live with any stress.

Depending on what is bothering you, the first thing you should do is to try talking about it to your spouse, best friend, or a trusted family member.  Sometimes just talking about it to a loved one can have an immediate response of relief and you will feel much better about it.  Learning how to do yoga or meditation is another way to help try to get rid of your stress as well.

My favorite way to relieve stress is through exercise.  Exercise helps keep me in shape and it helps me get through stressfull situations I've had.  For me, running is my stress reliever.  I run without an ipod because I like to think about everything that stressed me out that day and I actually re-live it in my head although I may have edited my parts by yelling back in my thoughts or saying what I wish I had said.  No I don't go around running and yelling foul words looking like a crazy person, I just run and play it all in my head.  By the time I am done I feel so much better and it is all forgotten.  It is kind of a running joke, ha, ha, that when anyone sees me running around my neighborhood, they say "Oh, I guess her husband pissed her off again."  LOL

Exercise will help to reduce tension.  I think most of us hide stress in our necks so really good neck stretching exercises can help with that.  Exercise can also help relax you so you can get better rest.  Exercise can give your better self esteem and people that exercise regularly, will eventually start eating healthier as well. 

The type of exercise that you do for stress will vary from one person to another.  Finding something you enjoy is a good first step.  Whether it is running, elliptical, roller skating, yoga, dancing around in your living room, or playing hopscotch with your kids.  Outdoors is usually the best place to exercise when wanting to relieve stress and try to stay away from crowds or work people since they may trigger the stress. If you are stressed at work then try taking a long walk while on lunch and take your lunch with you to eat while walking.  Healthy lunch of course:)

Keep trying until you find something you like, you have to like it if you want it to help you.  GOOD LUCK!

                                                                                                                     Kristina Crossway    http://www.kriscrosstraining.com/

                                                                              

                                                                  

November is Diabetes Awarness Month

Exercise is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle but an even more important part of a diabetic’s lifestyle. Exercise shouldn’t be a chore but should be fun and challenging. There are plenty of ways for people to get exercise without signing up at a gym or hiring a personal trainer (but that is a good way to get your exercise). If you don’t like lifting weights or attending aerobics classes then find something you like. Whether it is dancing around in your living room, riding a bike, hiking, ice skating, bowling or swimming there are plenty of ways to add exercise into your life and it could mean saving your life.

Obesity is on the rise, in fact skyrocketing, which means diabetes is on the rise too. The norm for what the average American thinks they should weigh or size that they should wear has increased and because of this many parents don’t recognize there child as overweight. Just thinking your child is thick, big boned or a little chunky and that they will grow out of it or think there is no need for concern can be a fatal mistake for your child later on in life. An overweight child is twice more likely to get diabetes than a child in the normal weight range. While some children are diabetic due to genetics most children who get diabetes later in childhood or early adulthood could have been prevented with proper diet and exercise.

Teaching your child about healthy eating and exercise is such an important tool to use and the earlier you start teaching them the more likely they will become healthy adults. It’s never too late to start teaching them but you must be an example as well. Check out the American Diabetes Association’s website for the top ten benefits to being active. http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/fitness/fitness-management/top-10-benefits-of-being.html