Stress---Human Beings are like Tea Bags!

You don't know you're strength until your put in hot water.

"Inner resources are those abstract qualities and characteristics that
become a tangible bridge over the chasm of chaos. These include, among
others, intuition, creativity, willpower, faith, humor, love, courage,
self-reliance, and optimism." In other words, when we have a stressful situation our character and inner character or true strength is brought out. Our ability to deal with certain situations using our character can make any situation a huge problem or a little 'bump in the road'.

Here are some ways to work on your inner character from the book Managing Stress 3rd Edition:

1- Make time for yourself (start with 5 minutes/day and work up to a half hour) to learn about and create yourself to handle stressful situations.

2- Understand your emotions. Figure out what is causing the 'stress'. Most of the time it is an emotion you are not familiar with... Happiness, sadness, fear, anger, excitement.

3- Have self esteem and creativity to deal with situations. This point ties into the previous two pointers. Understand that you are unique and growing towards a better you.

4- Balance your emotional, spiritual and physical self to keep
homeostasis... As stress is sometimes described as the lack of
homeostasis.

5- Be like a Baby. Curiosity, imagination and creativity-key characteristics that can help you deal with any situation.

Bryan from the Shiatsu Massage School of California in Santa Monica describes some people as being addicted to Stress! Cortisol, Epinephrine, Norepinephrine and other hormone levels that raise when we are over stimulated. Some people get addicted to this and need it to feel AWAKE... What a scary thought, because stress is proven to cause hypertension, some cancers, pain and other problems. Anatomical changes are caused by stress. Such as, an increase in sweat and constriction of muscles, making the body work harder. Having control of your mind, emotions, body and spirit (you as a whole) will make dealing with stress more tolerable.

Here are 6 steps to help you deal with stress:

1- Identify your stressors

2- Which of the above stressors cause anger and fear?

3- Try to balance your mind, emotions, body and spirit. Are any of these categories overwhelming or lacking? (ie. If stress occupies 50% or more of your emotions, you are out of balance and should try eliminating or modifying some commitments)

4- Try one of the following coping skills:
Cognitive Restructuring
Behavior Modification
Journal Writing
Art Therapy
Humor Therapy
Creative Problem Solving

5- Try one of the following relaxation techniques:
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Meditation
Hatha Yoga
Mental Imagery and Visualization
Music Therapy
Message Therapy
Tai Chi Ch'uan
Progressive Muscular Relaxation
Autogenic Training
Clinical Biofeedback
Healthy Nutrition
Exercise

6- Create your character to deal with stress... For example, if you like the way Eddie Murphy takes different life problems into perspective, try adapting his humor:)

*Everyone will have a different solution to dealing with stress, take the time to find what works best for you! At a young age, Bill Gates found out it was his intelligence, competitiveness and ambition that are his strengths and helped him achieve success(bizzle.com).

Information taken from and I highly recommend Managing Stress 3rd Ed. It gives great detail on all of these coping and relaxation techniques.

Should I use BMI as a guide? I have a lot of muscle.

How much should I weigh? Whats your Body Mass Index? Click here.

A healthy body weight should be defined by the following criteria:

- Body Fat Percentage. There is an increased risk of illness for young men with a Body Fat Percentage higher than 22 and higher than 25 for older men. There is an increased risk of illness for young women with a Body Fat Percentage higher than 32 and higher than 35 for older women.

- Intra-abdominal fat or central obesity is associated with increased risks of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and some types of cancer. Waist measurements for men above 40 inches and women above 35 inches are at greater risk of disease.

- Being underweight could be a sign of malnutrition, smoking, disease or a very active lifestyle.

- A medical history that reflects an absence of risk factors associated with obesity, such as elevated blood cholesterol, blood glucose or blood pressure. If she has a medical history of the diseases listed above she should do her best to keep her BMI, Body Fat Percentage and Waist Circumference in the zones listed above.

A 5'1" woman who weighs between 100-132lbs is considered healthy. She should also take into account her body fat percentage, waist circumference and medical history. Her body fat should be between 12-32% and her waist circumference should be smaller than 35 inches.

This information was taken from Understanding Nutrition, Ninth Edition and tops.org.

For nutrition or fitness coaching visit www.individualizedfitness.com
Thank you for reading: )

Nutrition is one way to deal with STRESS!

Stress on a human body can be caused by an over or under-reaction to the stressor. The body may flood itself with hormones to handle the problem. Myrin Borysenko suggests migraines, ulcers and hypertension can result from an increase in cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine and aldosterone.

Managing Stress 3rd Edition states:
"A malnourished diet-one that is deficient of essential amino acids, essential fats, vitamins, and minerals-is itself a stressor to the body. Research has shown that some foods actually induce a state of stress. Excess amounts of sugar, caffeine, salt and foods poor in vitamins and minerals weaken the body's resistance to the stress response, and may ultimately make a person more vulnerable to disease and illness. Food affects not only the physical body, but the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects as well. Eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and grains. Decrease your intake of caffeine, refined sugar, sodium and fats, to reduce the risk of stress-related problems."

Dr. Andrew Weil states "Eat more whole grains and products made from whole grains. Eat more fruits and vegetables of all kinds. Eat a varied diet rather than eating the same items every day. Increase the consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids by eating the appropriate fish, hemp or flax oil or flax meal regularly. Learn to identify and avoid all sources of hazardous transfatty acids: margarine, solid vegetable shortening, and all products made with partially hydrogenated oils of any kind."

It is a good idea to eat the following in high stress times because Stress Depletes:
Minerals... Calcium, Magnesium, chromium, copper, iron and zinc (seafood, meats, poultry)
Vitamins... A, C, E and B-Complex (carrots, citrus fruits, leafy greens)

Deficiency in any one vitamin can lead to a number of health-related problems. Vitamins, (found in grains, fruits and vegetables) themselves are not a source of energy but they do aid in energy production. On the other hand, an excess of fat soluble vitamins(A,D,E&K) (found in animal products) can lead to toxicity.

My suggestions:
1-Eat a diet rich in colorful fruits, veggies, whole grains and beans.
2-Moderate your intake of proteins.
3-Include Omega-3&6's (seeds, nuts, vegetable oil and fish).
4-Drink water.
5-Eat potassium and antioxidant rich foods (colorful fruits and veggies).
6- Eat a balanced breakfast not high in carbohydrates.
7- Take a multivitamin during high stress times.

AND

During high-stress times eat a diet low in the following because they suppress the immune system:
Eliminate partially hydrogenated oils (margarine, processed foods, vegetable shortening).
Elminate trans fats (processed and fast foods).
Sugars.
Caffeine.
Salt.
Alcohol.
Salad Dressing, fried foods, fast foods, desserts, appetizers.

If you use Alcohol to cope with Stress an excess will deplete:
Potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc
*Keep your alcohol intake to less than one drink/day.

The previous article is proof that a healthy diet can make dealing with stress more tolerable. Although this may not be the only answer for most people. To help deal with stress combine a healthy diet with exercise, breathing techniques, meditation or find what works best for you.


Information taken from Managing Stress 3rd Edition. For coaching on fitness or nutrition visit www.individualizedfitness.com

FEAR! Have you ever been afraid of doing something but Did it Anyway? I did, here's my story...

I was afraid of playing football in 5th Grade. I was continually
getting knocked on my ass by the bigger stronger players. I had doubts
and a lot of physical pain. Especially back pain. I was on the verge
of quitting, when Mr Phillips, my friends father encouraged me to
play.

In the face of fear, I decided to play.

And play I did.

I went on to lead the team in 6-12th grades in the weight room and on
the field. I became bigger, stronger and faster than most players by
8th grade. I was one of the most powerful football players in Northern
New Jersey during my Junior and Senior year. Earning honors in the
National Football Hall of Fame.

Can you turn your fear into accomplishment? Use the fear, worry or
doubt to fuel your Dreams and Challenges!

Do you Move? 80% of the US Population does not!

Do you move on a daily basis? 80% of the US Population is sedentary. Lack of movement causes diabetes and heart disease. A sedentary or inactive lifestyle is causing major problems in our entire nation.

How does this affect our nations Health Care?

Directly.

If we, as a nation are serious about curing the health care 'problem', we need to start in our homes!

What are you doing for fitness today?

MOVE IT EVERYDAY

Information taken from Judith G. Regensteiner PHD webcast through Diabetes.org