How to lower your stress levels..
Everywhere you look at the moment it’s all about ‘lowering’ stress.
Reducing it / minimising it / getting rid of it etc.
And this is all well and good. There’s a time and place to do this, for sure.
But if you’re trying to change, be it with your career, body, fitness or health?
STRESS IS INEVITABLE
So, is it really about ‘reducing’ it?
After all, that will keep you in the same place you are now, right?
Making it easy to say:
“I’m too unfit”
“I might not be able to handle it”
“I have too much on at the moment?”
Sound familiar?
And it is probably why so much research is out there now on how to MANAGE stress…
Now, I’m not saying I’ve got this ONE secret answer.
But I hope this might help. But like anything, it only works if you do it.
As they found on “Eat Well For Less”.
You see, this family was spending money on eating on the go, takeaways, impulse buys at the supermarket <<< Which make up nearly 40% of some people’s purchases…
And not only were they spending more money…
but they weren’t even eating nutritious foods to help them lose fat, improve their health and have more energy…
Because they were always ‘on the go’.
And although it seemed like life was so stressful that they couldn’t make time to cook and plan, they actually wasted MORE time and money nipping out to the supermarket through not being organised.
So, here’s my advice:
1) Put a time in your diary (10 mins) where you plan AT LEAST a few meals for the week ahead and get your shopping list done
2) Put a time in your diary to get the shopping
3) Do the following so that when you’re super short on time and life takes over you have the ability to stay on track and MANAGEMENT of stress improves):
* Keep 6 protein snacks handy (eggs, yoghurt, tinned fish, smoked salmon, cooked chicken, bean salad)
* Have a fruit bowl stocked up and take a piece with you when you leave the house and leave it in your car just in case your day RUNS you and you need up h-ANGRY driving past the takeaway…
* Plan your meals with the next meal in mind: Example, you can turn today’s Sunday Roast into tomorrow’s stir fry. Tomorrow’ s stir fry into Tuesday’s Wraps…
* Keep some ready meals in the freezer (there are plenty of great ones available )
*Pick up some ready made soups
All of the above might not be ‘perfect’
But better is still better…
And there is more…
Time and time again
Research is showing that adding exercise into your day actually IMPROVES your ability to handle stress.
In participants exposed to ‘stress’ in these studies..
Those who participated in exercise had less of a decline in their mood after the exposure.
And this is consistent with findings around mental health too…
Like I said, this is not the ONE secret..
You have to probably do more than one..
You will also need to do it more than once..
But it is always the small, seemingly insignificant things that add up.
Remember, it is the direction that counts..
Matt ‘stress?” Fruci
