Ways to Find Calm and Whittle Your Waistline

Welcome to Diet and Fitness Podcast, a free audio podcast sponsored by Diet.com. This is your fit, fun, and fabulous host, Lady Diet, ready to give you the skinny on the latest diet fitness health tips and news.

If you’ve been feeling a little stressed lately, chances are you’re not alone. With work and life in general moving in the fast lane for millions of people, it can sometimes feel like there’s little time left for yourself and your health. In fact, recent studies suggest there’s a link between stress, weight gain, and health! It doesn’t take an expert to notice though – Stress can trigger emotional eating, make you feel less motivated to exercise, and cause irregular sleep patterns. Don’t let your health, weight, and peace of mind suffer! Here are four healthy activities that promise to de-stress and relax you, with some added health benefits!

1) Meditate for five minutes every day. Giving yourself a short amount of time each morning to clear your mind and breath deeply can lead to increased relaxation and reduce anxiety attacks. Sit in a comfortable, quiet place, shut your eyes and focus on breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.

2) Try Tai Chi to find balance in your mind and body. Originally developed in China, Tai Chi is a series of gentle movements, a sort of standing meditation, if you will, that reduce stress, increase your flexibility, energy, and agility! Tai Chi can be done anywhere at anytime, but when you first start out, look for classes to learn the postures properly.

3) Massages aren’t just found in luxurious spas and health clubs. A massage done by a professionally trained massage therapist can help boost your immune system and relieve muscle tension caused by stress and exercise. Treat yourself to a half hour or hour long massage if you’ve never had one before. Remember to discuss massage with your doctor, especially if you have any previous health conditions.

4) Sweat off stress by jumping into a sauna for a bit. Scandinavian countries have sworn by saunas for years. Even if you don’t live that far north most of the year, saunas have great health benefits that are sure to calm you down. The heat (which can get as high as 185 degrees) creates increased blood circulation and provide relief for strained and tired muscles. The sweat caused by the temperatures promotes healthy skin and the steam can help clear out congestion! Check around at local gyms to see if they have saunas. A word of caution though – stay in the sauna for no more than 20 minutes and remember to stay hydrated before and after. If you’re pregnant, have poorly controlled blood pressure or other health conditions, check with a physician before using a sauna.

Don’t let stress get the best of all your hard efforts to lose weight. Remember to monitor your diet, exercise, and how you’re feeling each day by keeping a journal or talking about your progress with a buddy. Remember that it’s OK to take time for yourself – the less stressed you are, the more productive and focused and healthy you’ll be in the long run. Remember to talk to your physician before you start any new diet or fitness routine.

If you have any comments or suggestions about today’s podcast or any fun health diet or fitness tip, please feel free to email me at LadyDietPodcast at dietdotcom.

This is Lady Diet signing off…