Friday, January 29, 2010

Overcome Stress - 9 Easy Tips

Demands for today's lifestyle can sometimes seem overwhelmingly stressful. Many of our readers might be working 40+ hours/week, rearing children, trying to balance your social life, and maybe even cramming a few hours of sleep on the weekends. Indeed, some studies reveal that stress could have a detrimental effect to the health on up to 80% of all American adults.

What's worse, under stress, we tend to binge eat and indulge in more junk food, which has a bad effect on our health and further increases our stress level... a vicious cycle! Although stress can seem inevitable, there is hope! Follow the following pointers and will reduce your stress levels to a healthier level in no time!

Limit your coffee intake; 2 to 3 coffees per day is a good limit to coffee intake.
Drink green tea; Green tea can keep you awake as effectively as coffee can. In addition, it is is an excellent source of antioxidants which protects your body against undesired free-radical attacks (which damage the cells in your body) that can be increased during stressful conditions.
Drink more water: water enables your body to transport and absorb various nutrients including water-soluble vitamins and minerals. The recommended dose is 8 glasses a day - and coffee, soda, and alcoholic beverages don't count.
Eat 3 balanced meals a day; skipping meals is a tendency people may have when they are under stress. Skipping meals can only increase stress as your body needs energy to cope better with the situation you are experiencing... In addition, skipping meals may also lead you to cravings in the middle of the day... Which usually make us choose unhealthy food like sweets, junk foods, chips, etc...
Avoid fast food; when in a rush, most of us go for junk food because it's convenient. Unfortunately, the price you pay for its convenience is usually that fast food is often unhealthy. When on a rush, try to eat fruits, cheese, and whole grain sandwiches instead of processed and fried meals.
Limit alcohol intake, and avoid overdrinking; It is recommended to limit your alcohol intake to 2 drinks per day. For health, red wine is preferred over beer for its Cardio health benefits and because it has fewer calories. Avoid over drinking, asking your liver to suddenly over work could decrease your immune system making you more vulnerable to illness.
Limit or quit smoking; This one might be a tough one for you, but we all know the bad effects of smoking. If you just can't quit, then eat a lot of vitamin C, which is an excellent antioxidant. Eat a lot of fruits, and vegetables until you make the brilliant decision to quit smoking.
Exercise regularly; Exercising is one of the most effective stress-relievers and anti depressants. Try a physical activity you think you'll like and make it a fun hobby rather than a chore!
Leave for work on time; many people leave unnecessary stress simply because they stay in bed too long. Try to get up 15 minutes earlier; you will see the difference for sure!
Even with the best intentions, sometimes we just can't get the nutrition we need. Nutritional supplements are a good alternative to help you to cope better with stress. The nutrients that reduce stress are within the Vitamin B complex, as most of them are involved in the energy production and nerve transmissions; while one of the various functions of vitamin C is to participate in biosynthesis of various neurotransmitters.

Natural plants, herbs and roots can also support your body to react better to stress; Ginkgo Biloba by its action of neurological and circulatory support and Korean Ginseng by its action of supporting the body's natural recovery from stress and fatigue.

1 comment:

  1. Hi. I noticed that you have taken our content from EzineArticles.com. Although we appreciate that your blog spreads the word, we do require that you link back to us as to not infringe on copyright issues. Therefore may I ask you to put a link within the article to blog.functionalab.com, or to one of our product pages on www.functionalab.com? For instance, you may take "Ginkgo Biloba" and embed a link back to http://functionalab.com/product/nutritional-supplements/Ginkgo-Biloba, for instance

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