Posts Tagged ‘stress’

February is heart health month, so it's the perfect time to remind ourselves of the love and care our hearts need. Taking care of your heart should be a priority, as in Canada more women and men die from heart-related causes than anything else.

OK, so that's the bad news. Do you want to hear the good news? According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, heart disease is totally preventable.

Did you know heart disease is preventable? Follow these eight steps to protect your heart from heart disease.

Here are eight ways to boost your heart health and help prevent heart disease:

1. If you're a smoker, it's time to quit. If you aren't, don't start, and limit your exposure to second hand smoke.

2. Make sure you get at  least 30 minutes of physical activity a day. This could mean waking up 30 minutes early to go on a walk, taking up a sport or walking up your office building's stairs a few times a day.

3. Fatty fish, nuts, whole grains and fruits and veggies are all foods that will help lower your blood pressure. Controlling your blood pressure is imperative to a healthy heart.

4. Boost your heart health by maintaining a healthy diet. It's pretty simply, really, all you have to do is eat a diet high in fibre, can your five to seven a day of fruits and vegetables, and reduce your intake of processed foods and foods that are high in sodium.

5. Reaching your ideal weight will also help protect your heart, and if you've implemented step two and four, your ideal weight will be right behind you!

6. Stop the binge drinking. Reducing your alcohol intake will boost your heart health in no time.

7. It's time to get your stress levels under control. Take up yoga (checking step two off your list), get a good night's sleep, limit work overtime and make it a point to clear your schedule for much needed down time are all things that will help reduce your stress levels.

8. Keep your overall health in check by remembering to visit your doctor regularly.

How do you keep your heart healthy?

Today is Blue Monday. A day where all my worries and fears are supposed to culminate, leaving me feeling the lowest I've ever felt. Today, I'm told, the weather will depress me, I'll feel totally stressed out because of Christmas-time debt and I'll feel horribly guilty that I haven't kept my New Year's resolutions.

But you know what?
• I like the snow
• I'm working on building my finances back up
• One cookie in the middle of the week isn't enough to derail my resolution to not eat sweets throughout the week - it was just a bump in the road!

Tricks for getting to sleep: Yes, it's true. From a real ND, too.

You know when you're tossing and turning and you just know you're doomed. Sleep will not find you! I hate that. And it seems to happen to me more this time of year when I'm a little stressed with the upcoming holiday season.

Yesterday I posted Dr. Elvis Ali, ND, Natural Health Educator at Swiss Natural™, 9 tips on how to get a good night's sleep. Today, I'm sharing his top tips for getting to sleep when a glass of warm milk just doesn't seem to cut it.

7 Ways to Get to Sleep
1. Get out of bed if you can't fall asleep; however, ensure to avoid as much light as possible. Try and do something that will help relax you until you feel sleepy.

2. Make sure the room is properly ventilated.

3. Practice visualization by focusing on positive thoughts and try full body relaxation, beginning at your toes and working up to your head. Thinking about repetitive or mindless things will help your brain to shut down and adjust to sleep.

4. Have a small snack like turkey since it contains tryptophan, a major building block for making serotonin, a neurotransmitter, which can help you relax.

5. Do deep breathing exercises to calm down.

6. Try gentle slow stretching to get your body to slow down and feel good.

7. Try a natural remedy such as Solutions™ Sleep – a synergistic combination of herbs (passion flower, lemon balm, hops and valerian) to help you get to sleep and stay asleep longer.

What do you do when you can't fall asleep?

A good night's sleep during the holiday season: Is it possible?

When even the slightest thought of the holidays pops into my mind, my shoulders tense up and I slightly dread the upcoming season. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. But there's a lot about it that stresses me right out. A turkey dinner for 22 people at my dad's house, for starters. Or sweating while standing in line in an awful shopping mall, about to put yet another charge on my credit card. It's often at this time of year I become restless and my sleep patterns get a bit disturbed.

Below, Dr. Elvis Ali, ND, Natural Health Educator at Swiss Natural™, shares his tips for getting a good night's sleep over the stressful holiday season.

Dr. Ali's 9 Expert Tips for Getting a Good Night's Sleep

1. Avoid naps during the day since your body may not be as tired when you try to sleep at night.

2. Keep a regular routine/schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time everyday. It will help program your body to sleep at the same time each day.

3. Room atmosphere. Keep your room dark and at a comfortable temperature, along with comfortable pillows and bed.

4. Do not have large meals or eat stimulating foods within three hours of trying to fall asleep. If your foods are not properly digested it may cause heartburn. Drinking too many fluids within two hours before bed should be avoided since it can cause you to get up to urinate.

5. Avoid all stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine in cigarettes. Caffeinated products include coffee, non-herbal teas and some carbonated drinks.

6. Do not engage in vigorous exercise within three hours of trying to fall asleep because it raises the heart rate.

7. Stress can stimulate your nervous system. It’s best to make a list of your concerns to give your mind a rest while you’re sleeping. The list will be there for you when you wake up so there is no chance you’ll forget anything.

8. Get outdoors everyday to ensure you get fresh air and sun when possible. It can help your body’s natural sleep/night cycle.

9. Try to avoid watching TV, using the phone or computer in bed. By reducing these activities your body will begin to associate your bed with sleep.

Come back tomorrow to find Dr. Ali's advice for getting to sleep when nothing else seems to work.

Do you have trouble sleeping when you're stressed out?

Congratulations to Carla, who has won our Day 24 contest by telling us how she handles stress.

Carla says:
"I’m very bad at keeping stress inside and then it all snowballs into one big cry/yell fest."

Carla, it sounds like you really need this prize. The Thrive Diet promises to help you achieve optimal heath through stress-busting, plant-based whole foods.

Let us know how it works out!

Congratulations to Jeannine, who has won our February 27 contest. Her prize is a copy of  Dr. Georgia Andrianopoulous' book, Retrain Your Brain, Reshape Your Body: The Breakthrough Brain-Changing Weight-Loss Plan.

We asked what stresses you out and sends you snacking. Jeannine told us:

"Retraining my Brain and Reshaping my Body is exactly what I need….I’m getting married this September!

What stresses me out and sends me snacking? Oh gosh, what doesn’t? Let’s see…

planning my wedding
financial strain
my 10 yr old
having just put down my ill cat
my noisy upstairs neighbour
the chance I might lose my job
not having enough put into my RSP

…should I go on?

Yes, I know I’ll feel better while on my honeymoon…but then again I’ll be stressed out worrying about my child while I’m away. Then again, I’ll be worrying about the bills that will be waiting for me too! Ahh! Help me!

I take comfort in chocolate. Chocolate good. Mmmm."

Yes, chocolate good, indeed. Congratulations, Jeannine!

The long, cold, damp, sunless days. The miserable, foreboding, leafless trees. The lowly snow banks encrusted with sand and salt and all manner of icky litter.

Ohhh, February. You're the shortest month of the year. Why do you seem to go on forever?

The whole thing makes me want to curl up on my couch and watch mindless reality TV with a never-ending can of Pringles. (Do you think there is such a thing? Maybe at Costco?)

February brings me down and it's tempting to make myself feel better with food.

Apparently, cutting-edge brain imaging technology shows that we're driven to overeat to satisfy pleasure centres in our brains. How can we fight that?

Dr. Georgia Andrianopoulous has created a program to help you retrain your brain. It's detailed in her book, Retrain Your Brain, Reshape Your Body: The Breakthrough Brain-Changing Weight-Loss Plan.

For your chance to WIN a copy of Retrain Your Brain, Reshape Your Body: The Breakthrough Brain-Changing Weight-Loss Plan, just Subscribe To This Blog and leave a reply telling us what stresses you out and sends you snacking.

Maybe a tough day at work makes you reach for a bag of chips. A fight with a family member could make you turn to a sundae for solace. What gets you stressed, and what food do you find comfort in?

You have until Thursday, March 19 to let us know. I'll announce the winner here on Monday, March 23. Good luck!