How to Beat Work Stress in Five Simple Steps

Stress, for many people, is an unavoidable fact of life. Work stress, financial stress, commuting stress, familial stress, emotional stress – stress is everywhere! The thing is, it’s not stress that’s the problem but our response to it.

When you are stressed, your body goes into “fight or flight” mode. Fight or flight was once a very useful process that kept your ancestors alive.

Picture the scene: 10,000 years ago, you’re in your loincloth walking through the jungle searching for food. Out of nowhere, a tiger leaps out at you. In that instant, your body goes from zero to one hundred miles-per-hour and dumps a huge amount of adrenalin into your system.

This results in:

·         Elevated heart rate

·         Increased blood pressure

·         Blood diverted away from the digestive system and into your muscles

·         Your pupils narrow

·         You start to sweat

·         Lots of glucose is dumped into your blood

·         Your muscles become tense

·         You are ready to fight or run for your life!

Being a hardy soul, you turn and run like the wind and, thankfully, you escape the tiger. You reach a safe haven, sit down, catch your breath, and relax. Slowly but surely your body returns to its pre-stress state – commonly called homeostasis.

Unfortunately, your body responds to mental stress in the same way it does physical stress. A little stress is good; it’s what gets you up in the morning, makes sure you hit your deadlines, or perform at your best on the squash court. However, constant stress is exhausting and can cause many mental and physical problems.

Stress, or our response to it, causes systemic inflammation and some experts believe that inflammation is the trigger for almost all illness – including cancer. Stress also increases the production of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone that, in excess, causes muscle breakdown and inhibits fat loss – a deadly duo if you care about your fitness, appearance, and health.

It’s important to reiterate, your body cannot differentiate between physical and mental stress. It responds the same way to a near-death tiger incident and your computer crashing for the fifth time in an hour. With the tiger scenario, you can “work off” that stress by running or fighting for your life. However, it’s not acceptable to smash the living daylights out of your computer even though doing so would probably be a good release of stress.

Because of how stress can affect you, it is essential that you learn to avoid and cope with stress more effectively.

Here are five strategies for beating stress in the workplace:

1. STOP PROCRASTINATING SMALL TASKS

Procrastinating means putting things off – often for no other reason than they are things you don’t want to do. This often means that unwanted small tasks add up and that makes them even less appealing. Left long enough, those initially small tasks can become big issues that increase your stress levels.

Instead of putting small jobs off and allowing them to snowball into big issues, stop procrastinating and get them done as they arise. You’ll feel much happier and less stressed knowing that those small but unpleasant chores are done. 

2. PRIORITISE YOUR TIME

There are only 24 hours in the day, so it’s important that you spend your time wisely – as you would money. If you have a full diary, spend a moment putting your tasks into priority order. Spend your time on the most important tasks of the day, only moving to the less important ones once the big jobs are done.

This is NOT the same as procrastination. Instead, it’s simply making the most of your most valuable resource – your time. With the most important tasks completed, you should then be able to dedicate your remaining time to those less-urgent tasks.

3. LEARN TO DELEGATE

Although this is not always possible, delegating can help reduce your stress levels. If you have a long list of jobs to do, and you have put them into order of importance, see if you can unload some of them onto someone else. Maybe arrange for your groceries to be delivered instead of having to hit the supermarket on your way home from work for example.

Unloading just a couple of less-important tasks per day could mean you have a lot more time to spend on what really matters.

4. TAKE A BREATH…

Stress can mean that you are constantly acting reactively, and if you feel stressed, your reactions will often be hot and fiery. In most cases, this will make a stressful situation worse and not better; stress is contagious!

Instead of reacting instantly to everything and everyone around you, spreading your stress, take a breath and compose yourself before acting or responding. In a lot of cases, reacting calmly will defuse the situation and reduce your stress levels in the process.

5. MAKE TIME TO EXERCISE

Exercise is the perfect antidote to stress. It helps reduce anxiety, provides a physical outlet for that “fight or flight” response, and pumps you full of feel-good endorphins which improve your mood and outlook.

Of course, lack of time may be your main stressor, and finding time to exercise can seem impossible, but even a few minutes of vigorous exercise can help. And it’s a good investment of your time as you’ll be more productive afterward.

Walk, cycle, or run to work, grab a quick workout during your lunch break or after work, or just go for a walk to escape the office for 15 minutes. Any and all exercise can help lower your stress levels.

Prolonged exposure to stress can increase fat gain, especially around the abdomen, and may even shorten your life. Modern like is increasingly stressful and almost everyone needs to learn how to control it when it’s unavoidable. If you are a “stress head” who knows that they are more susceptible to stress, this advice is doubly important.

How To Lose Belly Fat Quickly - Ways to Lose Belly Fat Quickly

It is not impossible to lose belly fat quickly. You may lose some stomach fat, but a great amount of time is called for. The result cannot be achieved within a few weeks unless unhealthy ways of reducing fat is taken into consideration. The more you want to lose fat quickly, the more you are at risk of certain diseases. Normally, this process of achieving the result fast will not sustain in a long run and it makes no sense.

If survey will be made for the most desired places of the body to lose fat from, the abdominal area will most likely be the ultimate winner. Belly fat has always been so common, evidently from most obese people and even those who are slim. Yes, you may be deceived with their beautiful body, but when you really take a look on their belly especially when sitting, you will see those little layers of belly fats. So, you may ask, why does losing belly fat can be so hard? Why do most people have it? If you have an excess fat from the foods you have consumed, the most likely place of storage is the belly. As such, even if one lacks fat in some areas of the body, the fat reserves that are commonly stored in the stomach will stay, to include stress-related fats. That then explains the answer to the question.

Belly fat, under such certain reason is considered one of the easiest to gain. A simple heavy snacks of pizza, burger and fries before going to sleep is just so enough to gain it. And if you continue going beyond your normal and healthy diet limits, your fat will continue to accumulate. The logic here is: removing the recent belly fat from foods is easier than those who have been accumulated for many years. As such, if you will be working with your belly fats and you have always been eating for some time, then you will spend ample of time to work it out. Never will it be done so quickly. On the other note, working out your belly alone is not enough. Totally body burning exercise coupled with diet will forever be the most effective.

Belly Fat on One's Health

Aside from the aesthetic deficiency of belly fat, we have to realize that there is a significant relation between the amount of belly fat and health problems. Having such fat will increase risk of developing heart disease, diabetes (high sugar, >120 mg/dl), hypertension (high blood pressure), cancer, and liver problems.

If you would consider to lose belly fat quickly, we are encouraging you to resort still to a much healthier way. Here are some tips that can help you at some point. These should be done consistently. However, since it is not realistic to reach to a point of losing weight so fast, consultation from your health care provider is a must to help you set your goals and what are you going to do about it.

The first thing to note is the amount of carbonated beverages that you drink. When one wants to remove those belly fat, drinking soft drinks is a NO-NO. It has high sugar and calorie content, that when done in excess can be converted into fat which most likely be stored in your belly.

Eating rich fiber foods has always been a decent advice for every weight loss plan. It helps you eliminate fat by flushing out toxins from the body. These can include your low-fat yogurt, berries, brown rice, whole grain breads, bagels, and some of the fruits and vegetables as well.

A recent study shows that eating grapefruit in every meal or even multiple servings of these fruits daily can be of help to lose those belly fat faster.

Complex carbohydrates are much better to be consumed than those simple ones which are so-called white foods, such as bread, white rice, and pasta. The more you consume simple carbohydrates, the more you place calories in the body.

Exercise can be a big help to achieve your fitness goals. The common and best toning exercises for the abdominal muscles are crunches. However, several different angles should be done for effectiveness. Some of the exercises that are commonly related to losing belly fat are regular crunches, weighted crunches, reverse crunches, long vertical crunches and performing these crunches on a stability or exercise ball will help you to be able to make the most of your workouts and tone up more quickly.

Doing a core strength training will help you to tone up the stomach area. The very popular exercise called the "plank" where you are facing down the floor lying while your elbows and toes supporting your weight as you hold on into that position. Effectiveness is achieved when being held for 1 minute or so 3-5 days weekly. Another core strengthening exercise is by simply replacing your working chair into an exercise ball. In such way, you will be able to strengthen your body by maintaining stability.

In the comforts of your home, you can purchase a workout/aerobics DVD or DVD that target toning your abdominal muscles. You can also do cardio training by doing jogging or brisk walking around the neighborhood early in the morning for 30 minutes daily. That would be a big help to burn more fats in your body.

It is now clear than ever that the most effective way to lose belly fat quickly is still the diet and exercise plus being so sure to give time for toning and strengthening the body can be a lot more effective, as muscle will burn more calories than the usual.

Nine Step Guide to Practising Yoga at Home

Yoga is a great way to improve your flexibility, mobility, and balance. It’s also good for developing strength, improving your posture, and even burning calories and fat. Lots of people do yoga in studios and classes, but there is very little to stop you practicing yoga at home. This could be as an addition to a regular class, or simply because you prefer to exercise in private.
But how, without a yoga teacher, can you learn and practice yoga at home? Let’s discuss!

1. Clear some space

You don’t need masses of space to do yoga, but you need enough that you can move without restriction or limitation. Place your yoga may on the floor and make sure there are several feet of clear space all around it. Move anything that might get in your way. Make sure that overhead light fittings will not interfere with reaching your arms overhead either.

2. Schedule your session 

Life has a way of getting in the way of your intention to practice yoga. You might say to yourself “I will practice tomorrow” but, as that old saying goes, tomorrow never comes. The only way to get better at yoga and enjoy its many benefits is to do it regularly.
With no class to attend, it can be easy to put yoga off until another time or day but then, without meaning to, you end up skipping your practices for days or even weeks at a time.
Avoid this problem by scheduling your yoga practices. Write them in your diary! Decide on the day, time, and duration of your session and then stick to it. Treat this appointment like any other and do your best to honor it.

3. Avoid distractions

Yoga requires peace and concentration so make sure you won’t be interrupted or distracted during your practice. Turn your phone to silent, turn off the TV and radio, and let everyone in your home know that you will be busy for the next hour or so. This is valuable “you” time so make sure you do all that you can to preserve it.
  

4. Plan your practice  

When you go to a yoga class, the teacher will guide you through a specific sequence of poses or asanas. Some sequences are traditional, whereas others created specifically for the class participants. Having a sequence to work through gives your practice direction and focus.
Plan your practice so that you also know what you are going to work on. You can use a yoga book, yoga flashcards, a DVD, a YouTube video, a written or typed list of asanas, or just do a sequence you have learnt in the past. Most sequences start with a variation of sun salutations and then build in intensity and difficulty as you warm up. Your practice should end with a few minutes of relaxion and maybe meditation.

5. Have your yoga accessories ready

While a Thick Yoga Mat is really all you need, many practitioners use additional equipment to make their sessions more comfortable or effective. If your yoga practice involves things like straps, blocks, cushions, or anything else, make sure they are within easy reach. The last thing you want to do is ruin your flow and concentration because you stop to search for a must-have block.

 

6. Think safety first

Yoga is a very safe form of exercise, but that doesn’t mean accidents can’t happen. As you’ll be exercising alone, make sure you don’t overexert yourself or do anything that could be dangerous. For example, headstands and handstands can be a little risky, and lengthy inversions could leave you feeling feint and dizzy. Save advanced yoga moves for class or when someone is on hand to keep an eye on you.

7. Video yourself

In a yoga class, your teacher will spend a lot of their time fine tuning or correcting your technique. With no teacher to guide you, it’s very easy to inadvertently do your chosen asanas incorrectly or develop bad habits that then become hard to break.
If you can do it without disrupting your practice, video yourself so that you can review your performance and be your own teacher. If you spot any issues, make a note of them and make them the focus of your next practice.

8. Get a yoga tune up

While you can teach yourself yoga and monitor your own performance and progress, working with an instructor from time to time can still be very useful. An experienced yoga teacher will be able to spot technique issues and will offer you advice and guidance to make your practices more effective.
If yoga classes are not your thing, consider hiring a teacher and working with them one-to-one. You can do this at a private studio or arrange for the teacher to come to your home. An hour or two with an instructor can teach you more than a week of solo practices.
 

9. Enjoy your practice

Whether you practice yoga at home or at a studio, it’s essential that you enjoy the process. Don’t overdo it, and don’t do asanas that cause you pain. Don’t work so hard that you start to question whether you’ll be able to walk tomorrow! A conservative, consistent exercise program is always better than an extreme but occasional workout.

Whether you practice yoga daily or weekly, every session is beneficial. Doing yoga at home means you are your own teacher, and that can be very empowering. The benefits of yoga are huge and practicing at home means you can enjoy all of those benefits whenever it suits you best.