Rest and relaxation. The two don’t always go together. It is true that you can regroup and recharge with a little rest and a break from your hectic life. But, perhaps surprisingly, physical activity and exercise can go a long way toward taking the edge off stress and anxiety and helping you relax.

How exercise relieves stress and anxiety

Regular aerobic exercise brings remarkable changes to your body, your metabolism, your heart, and your spirits. It can exhilarate and relax, provide stimulation and calm, counter depression, and dissipate stress. It’s a common experience among endurance athletes and has been verified in clinical trials that have successfully used exercise to treat anxiety disorders and clinical depression.

How can exercise help with problems as difficult as anxiety and depression? There are several explanations, some chemical, others behavioral.

The mental benefits of aerobic exercise have a neurochemical basis. Exercise reduces levels of the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators. Endorphins are responsible for the “runner’s high” and for the feelings of relaxation and optimism that accompany many hard workouts.

Behavioral factors also contribute to the emotional benefits of exercise. As your waistline shrinks and your strength and stamina increase, your self-image will improve. You’ll earn a sense of mastery and control, of pride and self-confidence.

Exercise and sports also provide opportunities to get away from it all and to either enjoy some solitude or to make friends and build networks. Exercise is play and recreation; when your body is busy, your mind will be distracted from the worries of daily life and will be free to think creatively.

Almost any type of exercise will help. Many people find that using large muscle groups in a rhythmic, repetitive fashion works best; call it “muscular meditation,” and you’ll begin to understand how it works. Walking and jogging are prime examples. Even a simple 20-minute stroll can clear the mind and reduce stress. But some people prefer vigorous workouts that burn stress along with calories. That’s one reason elliptical machines are so popular. And the same stretching exercises that help relax your muscles after a hard workout will help relax your mind as well.

Adding relaxation to rest

Stressed muscles are tight, tense muscles. By learning to relax your muscles, you will be able to use your body to dissipate stress.

Muscle relaxation takes a bit longer to learn than deep breathing. It also takes more time. But even if this form of relaxation takes a little effort, it can be a useful part of your stress control program. Here’s how it works:

Progressive muscle relaxation is best performed in a quiet, secluded place. You should be comfortably seated or stretched out on a firm mattress or mat. Until you learn the routine, have a friend recite the directions or listen to them on a tape, which you can prerecord yourself.

Progressive muscle relaxation focuses sequentially on the major muscle groups. Tighten each muscle and maintain the contraction 20 seconds before slowly releasing it. As the muscle relaxes, concentrate on the release of tension and the sensation of relaxation. Start with your facial muscles, then work down the body.

Forehead: Wrinkle your forehead and arch your eyebrows. Hold; then relax.

Eyes: Close your eyes tightly. Hold; then relax.

Nose: Wrinkle your nose and flare your nostrils. Hold; then relax.

Tongue: Push your tongue firmly against the roof of your mouth. Hold; then relax.

Face: Grimace. Hold; then relax.

Jaws: Clench your jaws tightly. Hold; then relax.

Neck: Tense your neck by pulling your chin down to your chest. Hold; then relax.

Back: Arch your back. Hold; then relax.

Chest: Breathe in as deeply as you can. Hold; then relax.

Stomach: Tense your stomach muscles. Hold; then relax.

Buttocks and thighs: Tense your buttocks and thigh muscles. Hold; then relax.

Arms: Tense your biceps. Hold; then relax.

Forearms and hands: Tense your arms and clench your fists. Hold; then relax.

Calves: Press your feet down. Hold; then relax.

Ankles and feet: Pull your toes up. Hold; then relax.

The entire routine should take 12 to 15 minutes. Practice it twice daily, expecting to master the technique and experience some relief of stress in about two weeks.

Article from Harvard Medical School. HEALTHbeat Aug. 2, 2011 

The tried-and-true advice for healthful eating also applies to keeping your energy level high: eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of unrefined carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, with an emphasis on vegetables, whole grains, and healthy oils. Taking a daily multivitamin will ensure that you get the vitamins and minerals you need, but taking extra amounts of individual nutrients won’t give you more energy. In addition, eating certain types of foods in particular amounts can help prevent fatigue.

Because different kinds of foods are converted to energy at different rates, some — such as candy and other simple sugars — can give you a quick lift, while others — such as whole grains and healthy unsaturated fats — supply the reserves you’ll need to draw on throughout the day. But limit the refined sugar and white starches to only occasional treats. While you may get a quick boost, that feeling fades quickly and can leave you depleted and craving more sweets.

Eat small, frequent meals

Where energy is the issue, it’s better to eat small meals and snacks every few hours than three large meals a day. This approach can reduce your perception of fatigue because your brain, which has very few energy reserves of its own, needs a steady supply of nutrients. Some people begin feeling sluggish after just a few hours without food. But it doesn’t take much to feed your brain. A piece of fruit or a few nuts is adequate.

Smaller is better, especially at lunch

Researchers have observed that the circadian rhythms of people who eat a lot at lunch typically show a more pronounced afternoon slump. The reasons for this are unclear, but it may reflect the increase in blood sugar after eating, which is followed by a slump in energy later.

Avoid crash diets

If you need to lose weight, do so gradually, without skimping on essential nutrients or starving yourself of the calories you need for energy. Poor nutrition and inadequate calorie intake can cause fatigue. A sensible goal is to try to lose a half-pound to a pound per week. You can do this by cutting 250 to 500 calories a day from your usual diet, and exercising for 30 minutes on most days. Don’t cut your food intake below 1,200 calories a day (for women) or 1,500 calories a day (for men), except under the supervision of a health professional.

Use caffeine to your advantage

As a stimulant, caffeine can increase or decrease your energy level, depending on when and how much of it you consume. Caffeine does help increase alertness, so having a cup of coffee before going to a meeting or starting on a project can help sharpen your mind. But to get the energizing effects of caffeine, you have to use it judiciously. It can cause insomnia, especially when consumed in large amounts or after 2 p.m. (or noon if you’re caffeine sensitive).

Limit alcohol

For people who drink alcohol, one of the best hedges against the midafternoon slump is to avoid the sedative effects of drinking alcohol at lunch. Similarly, avoid the five o’clock cocktail if you want to have energy in the evening to pursue a hobby or spend time with your family. If you do choose to drink alcohol, do so at a time when you don’t mind having your energy wind down. A glass with dinner is a reasonable choice. And stay within the limits of moderation: no more than two drinks a day for men and one for women.

Drink water

Water is the main component of blood and is essential for carrying nutrients to the cells and taking away waste products. If your body is short on fluids, one of the first signs is a feeling of fatigue. Sports drinks combine water with vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes — substances that help regulate body processes. But these extras won’t give you extra energy for ordinary, everyday activities (see box below).

To maintain your energy level during a workout, drink an 8-ounce glass of water before you start and another after you finish. If you’ll be exercising continuously for longer than 30 minutes, drink small amounts every 15 to 30 minutes.

Nutritional supplements are very common today.  They come in a variety of colors, forms and contain a vast array of ingredients with complicated scientific names.  As of 1994, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act officially defines supplements as products which meet the following three criteria: 1. They are taken as a supplement to a person’s diet  2. They contain one or more ingredients and 3. They are intended for oral use.  Despite this specific universal definition of these products, many individuals in our society become easily confused on what exactly makes up the supplements they ingest and are also unsure if they are even safe to consume in the first place.  After all, the nutritional supplement industry saw an estimated $22.1 billion in US sales in 2006 which includes anything from weight-loss formulas to basic vitamins.  Below is a list of the top 5 dietary supplements in existence today according to an article published by WebMD.  This article actually lists the top 10 supplements in existence, but only 5 are listed below for the sake of keeping this overview brief.

Common Facts and Myths about the top 5 Dietary Supplements

1. Multi-vitamins: This was rated as the number one top selling and most widely known category of nutritional supplement in existence by the article mentioned above.  Multi-vitamins are simply intended to fill any gaps in a person’s nutrient intake.  They are recommended to be taken based on a person’s age and sex and only on days of an insufficient diet.  Despite the fact that these are safe to ingest when the above conditions are present, whole foods and a nutritionally balanced diet is still strongly preferred to taking multi-vitamins.  In fact, a recent study has revealed that multi-vitamins may be entirely useless to a person’s general health.  This study, which involved over 160,000 female participants (42% of which took multi-vitamins), found no difference in risks for various health issues (e.g. heart disease, stroke, cancer) between the groups who took multi-vitamins and those who did not.  Several other recent studies have yielded mixed results but there has yet to be research yielding a significant health benefit to those on multi-vitamin supplements.

2. Meal-replacement Supplements: Meal-replacement supplements (e.g. Slim-fast, Ensure) serve a fairly similar purpose to multi-vitamins: they are intended to replace whole foods in a person’s diet.  But in this case, they replace whole foods due to an illness or other condition which prevents an individual from maintaining a solid calorie intake from regular foods.  They also provide an alternative to higher-fat foods for persons wishing to lose weight.  However, weight-loss motivated individuals must remain active in addition to replacing whole foods with meal replacement supplements.  A recent 10-year study showed that Slim-fast is somewhat effective for weight-reduction.  Participants of this study on the slim-fast diet plan (Substituting two meals with a slim-fast meal replacement) lost an average of 6 pounds while those in the control group actually gained an average of 27 pounds (Body weight was measured twice annually).  Obviously, healthy individuals who maintain a reasonable body weight, should never go on these types of supplements.

3. Sports Supplements-Creatine Monohydrate: Sports-specific nutritional supplements can come in various forms (e.g. pills, powders, liquid) and are taken with the intention of enhanced performance for and recovery from various athletic events.  Some may even contain various stimulants such as caffeine, which is rumored to promote higher efficiency of fat burning.  Post-exercise muscle cell recovery has been shown to benefit much more from these types of supplements than performance does.  Perhaps the most widely known of these categories of supplements is Creatine Monohydrate.  Creatine Monohydrate is naturally manufactured from amino acids in the liver and kidneys and around 90% of this particular compound is found in skeletal muscle.  Creatine found in whole foods is mostly destroyed in the cooking process, so one could logically see why supplementation of it serves a valid purpose.  Its benefits include enhanced muscle mass and strength, especially in older individuals.   However, it is most effective only when taken with carbohydrates immediately following a short-duration, high-intensity workout.  It can also lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.  Its benefits remain controversial and in addition, it has not been confirmed whether Creatine leads to weight gain from muscle or body fat.

4. Calcium: Though calcium is largely preferred to be consumed via whole dairy and leafy green foods, it remains a popular supplement out in the market today.  The most common calcium supplements are calcium citrate and calcium lactate.  With 99% of calcium located in our bones, it is easily the most abundant mineral within the human body.  Though calcium supplements are easily absorbed by stomach acid, side-effects of calcium supplementation include various gastro-intestinal problems (e.g. gas and bloating).  In addition, these supplements can interact with various medications.

5. B-Vitamins-Vitamin B12: While B-Vitamins have been largely known to reduce stress, this is actually a myth. Another common myth about these particular nutrients is that they are beneficial even with a balanced diet, when in fact a balanced diet provides a more than adequate amount of B-Vitamins and does not warrant use of supplementation in any way.  Older persons and those with diseases affecting nutrient absorption are the only two special populations for which B-Vitamin supplements are recommended.  Vitamin B12, which is largely composed of the mineral cobalt, is perhaps one of the best known vitamins within this category.   It is necessary for red blood cell formation, DNA synthesis and various other bio-energetic processes and is largely bound to proteins in animal-based foods.  Though it can provide important benefits for the two special populations mentioned above, it is highly ineffectively digested.  For every 500 mcg of a Vitamin B12 supplement taken, only 10 mcg is actually absorbed into our bloodstream.

Conclusion

None of the studies done on these above supplements were funded by any company who manufacture these 5 types of nutritional supplements.  All of the studies seem to yield mixed results concerning benefits and dangers to an individual’s health.  Many people likely take supplements when they don’t need to because they just assume that it will benefit their overall physiological and psychological characteristics.  But in reality, nutritional supplements should be saved for those who actually will benefit from taking them (e.g. special populations).  As is said in many other nutrition text books out there, the only way a healthy individual can ensure that they are receiving the proper amount of essential nutrients, is to eat a balanced diet of whole foods  Nevertheless, the nutritional supplement industry remains a multi-billion dollar entity which shows no signs of shrinking in the near future.

Article by James Stevens CPT. Endeavourz Training

Think of your core muscles as the sturdy central link in a chain connecting your upper and lower body. Whether you’re hitting a tennis ball or mopping the floor, the necessary motions either originate in your core, or move through it.

No matter where motion starts, it ripples upward and downward to adjoining links of the chain. Thus, weak or inflexible core muscles can impair how well your arms and legs function. And that saps power from many of the moves you make. Properly building up your core cranks up the power. A strong core also enhances balance and stability. Thus, it can help prevent falls and injuries during sports or other activities. In fact, a strong, flexible core underpins almost everything you do:

• Everyday acts. Bending to put on shoes or scoop up a package, turning to look behind you, sitting in a chair, or simply standing still — these are just a few of the many mundane actions that rely on your core and that you might not notice until they become difficult or painful. Even basic activities of daily living — bathing or dressing, for example — call on your core.
• On-the-job tasks. Jobs that involve lifting, twisting, and standing all rely on core muscles. But less obvious tasks — like sitting at your desk for hours — engage your core as well. Phone calls, typing, computer use, and similar work can make back muscles surprisingly stiff and sore, particularly if you’re not strong enough to practice good posture and aren’t taking sufficient breaks.
• A healthy back. Low back pain — a debilitating, sometimes excruciating problem affecting four out of five Americans at some point in their lives — may be prevented by exercises that promote well-balanced, resilient core muscles. When back pain strikes, a regimen of core exercises is often prescribed to relieve it, coupled with medications, physical therapy, or other treatments if necessary.
• Sports and other pleasurable activities. Golfing, tennis or other racquet sports, biking, running, swimming, baseball, volleyball, kayaking, rowing and many other athletic activities are powered by a strong core. Less often mentioned are sexual activities, which call for core power and flexibility, too.
• Housework, fix-it work, and gardening. Bending, lifting, twisting, carrying, hammering, reaching overhead — even vacuuming, mopping, and dusting are acts that spring from, or pass through, the core.
• Balance and stability. Your core stabilizes your body, allowing you to move in any direction, even on the bumpiest terrain, or stand in one spot without losing your balance. Viewed this way, core exercises can lessen your risk of falling.
• Good posture. Weak core muscles contribute to slouching. Good posture trims your silhouette and projects confidence. More importantly, it lessens wear and tear on the spine and allows you to breathe deeply. Good posture helps you gain full benefits from the effort you put into exercising, too.

Weak, tight, or unbalanced core muscles can undermine you in any of these realms. And while it’s important to build a strong core, it’s unwise to aim all your efforts at developing rippling abs. Overtraining abdominal muscles while snubbing muscles of the back and hip can set you up for injuries and cut athletic prowess. If washboard abs are your holy grail, it’s essential to trim body fat through diet and aerobic exercise and build strong abdominal muscles through frequent core exercise sessions.

Article Reproduced from Harvard Medical School. HEALTHbeat Extra. June 28, 2011

You may have heard it before; portion control is one of the answers to weight loss and keeping in great physical shape. It’s very simple, if you eat smaller portions, you will consume fewer calories. But that’s not as easy as it sounds. Most people eat too much because their surrounded by giant restaurant portions and all-you-can eat buffets. Take some of the ideas listed below to control your portion size when you eat.

Buy Individual-Sized Snacks

You can save money buying bulk foods but it’s not helping you cut back on calories. Once that huge bag of potato chips is opened, it’s very tempting to continue snacking. Try buying individual-sized snacks and limit yourself to eating just one.

Wait Before You Reach for Second

If you’re hungry for more, try waiting 15 minutes. Your stomach needs about that long to signal the brain that it’s full. If you’re truly hungry after 15 minutes, help yourself to another small portion of food.

Read the Labels Carefully

Many packaged foods and drinks look as if they provide one serving, but they could essentially contain more. Yet the calories and other nutritional information on the label are for just one serving, so unless you read carefully, you may be consuming more calories than you think. Make sure you check the number of servings per container first and then eat or drink just one serving.

Don’t Worry About Eating Everything on Your Plate

When dining out, some individuals will eat everything on their plate no matter how large the portions. Here’s a helpful idea, try to eat a medium size portion and then stop. After that ask for a to-go box and wrap up the leftovers, so you’re not tempted to continue eating.

Substitute with Vegetables or Low-Calorie Foods

Are you trying to change your giant portion habits but find yourself craving more food with your meal?  Fill your plate with low-calories vegetables such as carrots or peppers. They’ll help you feel fuller without adding too much to your total calories.

Use Smaller Dishes and Utensils

Downsizing your dinnerware may help you consume fewer calories. Try using smaller plates, bowls, and glasses for your meals. Use small serving spoons to serve fattening topping like dip or gravy, and large ones for low-calorie items like vegetables.

Joint pain: it throbs, aches, and hurts. Quite frankly, it makes you think twice about everyday tasks and pleasures like going for a brisk walk, lifting your grandchild or some grocery bags, chasing a tennis ball across the court, or driving a golf ball down the fairway. Sharp reminders of your limitations arrive thick and fast, practically every time you move.

What causes joint pain?
Very often, the culprits behind joint pain are

• osteoarthritis
• old injuries
• repetitive or overly forceful movements during sports or work
• posture problems
• aging
• inactivity

How exercise can help
Ignoring the pain won’t make it go away. Nor will avoiding all motions that spark discomfort. In fact, limiting your movements can weaken muscles, compounding joint trouble, and affect your posture, setting off a cascade of further problems. And while pain relievers and cold or hot packs may offer quick relief, fixes like these are merely temporary.
By contrast, the right set of exercises can be a long-lasting way to tame ankle, knee, hip, or shoulder pain. Practiced regularly, joint pain relief workouts might permit you to postpone—or even avoid—surgery on a problem joint that has been worsening for years by strengthening key supportive muscles and restoring flexibility. Over time, you may find limitations you’ve learned to work around will begin to ease. Tasks and opportunities for fun that have been weeded out of your repertoire by necessity may come back into reach, too.
Beyond the benefits to your joints, becoming more active can help you stay independent long into your later years. Regular activity is good for your heart and sharpens the mind. It nudges blood pressure down and morale up, eases stress, and shaves off unwanted pounds. Perhaps most importantly, it lessens your risk of dying prematurely. All of this can be achieved at a comfortable pace and very low cost in money or time.

Why Weight Matters
Being overweight raises your risk for developing osteoarthritis in a weight-bearing joint like the knee — and even in the hand, according to some research, since inflammatory factors related to weight might exacerbate this condition. Simply walking across level ground puts up to one-and-a-half times your body weight on your knees. That means a 200-pound man will deliver 300 pounds of pressure to his knee with each step. Off level ground, the news is worse: each knee bears two to three times your body weight when you go up and down stairs, and four to five times your body weight when you squat to tie a shoelace or pick up an item you dropped.
Fortunately, strengthening your quadriceps (the muscles on the fronts of the thighs) changes the equation, and so does losing weight. Each pound you lose reduces knee pressure in every step you take. One study found that the risk of developing osteoarthritis dropped 50% with each 11-pound weight loss among younger obese women. If older men lost enough weight to shift from an obese classification to just overweight — that is, from a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher down to one that fell between 25 and 29.9 — the researchers estimated knee osteoarthritis would decrease by a fifth. For older women, that shift would cut knee osteoarthritis by a third.

Source: Harvard Medical School. Healthbeat. August 10, 2010.

This version uses a stability ball, although you can always do it without one. The exercise ball adds an interesting element, an odd combination of both support and challenge. The ball supports your back, which may allow you to go deeper than you would without it. On the other hand, the ball is unstable and, because you’re standing on one leg, so are you. This double-wobble affect means almost every muscle in your body has to work harder to keep you in good alignment.

Good alignment is critical with this move. You want to be able to squat while keeping the knee behind the toe, all while keeping your knee going in the same direction as your ankle and toes. If there’s any twisting or tweaking, simply put the other foot on the ground if you need more stability. You can also keep your toe lightly resting on the ground throughout the move, lifting it whenever you feel ready. Last, you may need to experiment with foot placement to find where you can balance with good form. I find that having the foot towards the midline of the body offers the most stability.

How to Perform:

Place an exercise ball behind your lower back against a wall and lean against it. Place your right leg towards the midline of the body and lift the left foot a few inches off the ground. Keeping the left leg lifted, lower into a squat as low as you can (which may not be as low as in regular squats). Keep your knee in alignment with the ankles and toes. Push back to start and repeat for 8-15 reps before switching sides.

Glance at the 10 leading causes of death in America, and you won’t find the word “stress” anywhere. Yet many well-respected studies link stress to a variety of ailments, including heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Depression and anxiety, which afflict millions of Americans, can be caused or exacerbated by stress. Stress also triggers flare-ups of asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and gastrointestinal problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Sometimes just thinking about embarking on a program of stress control can be stressful. Rather than freeze in your tracks, start small. Pick just one stumbling block or source of stress in your life, and see if these suggestions work for you.

1. Often angry or irritated? Consider the weight of cognitive distortions. Are you magnifying a problem or leaping to negative conclusions without checking to see if they have any foundation in fact? Take the time to stop, breathe, reflect, and choose.

2. Unsure of your ability to do something? Don’t try to go it alone. If the problem is work, talk to a co-worker or supportive boss. Write down other ways that you might get the answers or skills you need. Turn to tapes, books, or classes, for example, if you need a little tutoring.

3. Overextended? Clear the deck of at least one time-consuming household task. Consider what is truly essential and important to you and what might take a backseat right now.

4. Feeling unbearably tense? Try massage, a hot bath, mini-relaxations, progressive muscle relaxation, or a mindful walk. Practically any exercise — a brisk walk, a quick run, a sprint up and down the stairs — will help, too. Done regularly, exercise wards off tension, as do relaxation response techniques.

5. Upset by conflicts with others? State your needs or distress directly, avoiding “you always” or “you never” zingers. Say, “I feel ____ when you ____.” “I would really appreciate it if you could ____.” “I need some help setting priorities. What needs to be done first and what should I tackle later?” If conflicts are a significant source of distress for you, consider taking a class on assertiveness training.

Mini-relaxation

Mini-relaxations can help allay fear and reduce pain while you sit in the dentist’s chair or lie on an examining table. They’re equally helpful in thwarting stress before an important meeting, while stuck in traffic, or when faced with people or situations that annoy you. Here are a few quick relaxation techniques to try.

1. When you’ve got 1 minute. Place your hand just beneath your navel so you can feel the gentle rise and fall of your belly as you breathe. Breathe in slowly. Pause for a count of three. Breathe out. Pause for a count of three. Continue to breathe deeply for one minute, pausing for a count of three after each inhalation and exhalation.

2. When you’ve got 2 minutes. Count down slowly from 10 to zero. With each number, take one complete breath, inhaling and exhaling. For example, breathe in deeply saying “10” to yourself. Breathe out slowly. On your next breath, say “nine,” and so on. If you feel lightheaded, count down more slowly to space your breaths further apart. When you reach zero, you should feel more relaxed. If not, go through the exercise again.

3. When you’ve got 3 minutes. While sitting down, take a break from whatever you’re doing and check your body for tension. Relax your facial muscles and allow your jaw to fall open slightly. Let your shoulders drop. Let your arms fall to your sides. Allow your hands to loosen so that there are spaces between your fingers. Uncross your legs or ankles. Feel your thighs sink into your chair, letting your legs fall comfortably apart. Feel your shins and calves become heavier and your feet grow roots into the floor. Now breathe in slowly and breathe out slowly. Each time you breathe out, try to relax even more.

Article reproduced from Harvard Medical School. Dec 1 2009.

This exercise is a great way to get your heart rate up in a short time. This exercise will enhance your lower body power and cardio endurance. You may add one minute of froggy jumps several times throughout your usual cardio workout to add intensity or add them to your workout when you’re short on time but want to work hard.

How it’s perform: Squat all the way down to the floor, putting your hands on the floor in front of you. In an explosive movement, push up from the floor, jumping up in the air. As you jump, tap your heels together and take the hands behind the head or up in the air. Land with bent knees to protect the joints and go back into your squat to prepare for the next jump. Repeat 10-20 jumps, rest and repeat, if desired.