Mar
24
Do you know how many calories there are in a muffin? Find out with this fun little game from Discovery.com. (Thanks to Vanessa, one of Chatelaine’s editors, for the link!)
Jan
12
This article, about conquering stress in five minutes, popped into my inbox just in time this afternoon! These tips are from Jeffrey Brantley, M.D., coauthor of Five Good Minutes at Work and director of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program at Duke University’s Center for Integrative Medicine:
Running late?
“So call to let your boss know that you’ll be late and surrender control.” Then take slow, deep breaths and seek solace by letting your mind wander to a better place (like your last vacation) or making a mental list of things you’re grateful for.
Overwhelmed by others’ needs?
Slip away for a moment — either by ducking into an empty room or just closing your eyes — and draw an imaginary circle around yourself to create your own private island. Use your senses to distance yourself from reality: “See” a cloudless blue sky, “feel” the warmth of the sun, and “taste” that creamy piña colada.
Second-guessing yourself?
The next time your inner critic pipes up, follow these steps to silence it: Close your eyes, breathe mindfully, and reflect on a time when you were surprised by your own strength.
To read the rest of the article, from WebMD.com, click here. As for me, I can see a long, warm bath in my immediate future. How do you relieve stress? I’d love to hear your most effective methods!
I’ve been trying for months now to rouse myself out of bed for an early-morning, before-work, at-home exercise session. I’ve already convinced myself that first thing in the morning is really is the best time for me to workout, since something always interferes with my plans to exercise in the evening.
Convincing myself was easy. But actually getting myself out of bed? I’ve tried everything: I’ve set two alarms — one right beside my bed, one far away from my bed so I have to get out of bed to turn it off. (The second alarm clock mysteriously, um, broke two days later.) I’ve made myself a yummy breakfast the night before, so I have something to look forward to after the workout. I’ve set my alarm radio to a station with energetic dance music. (Boy, was I grumpy when I finally got up that morning.) I’ve covered my alarm clock in sticky notes that explain to my semi-comatose self IN CAPITAL LETTERS why the alarm is ringing at 6 a.m. But despite how many times I’ve set out my workout clothes by my bed, when that alarm goes off, I hit the snooze button like a champion. The only time I’ve ever succeeded at getting out of bed early for a morning workout is, twice a month, when I know my personal trainer will be waiting for me. After an early-morning workout with my trainer, I always feel great for the rest of the day. And then I think to myself, You did it, and you can do it again!
Well, this morning I had a workout with my personal trainer. As usual, I feel great now. So instead of waiting a few days to try and get out of bed for a workout, I’m going to build on the momentum from this morning and set my alarm early tomorrow. And when I get out of bed, I’m going to do at least five lunges. Five lunges. Easy, right? I figure that, even though my brain understands that waking up early to exercise is a good idea, my body isn’t convinced. So, I’ll start slowly and build up to a full workout. Just don’t tell my body about that last part.
