Stress Eating, Don't Do It!

We all know about stress and the terrible things it can do to us. But do you really? Do you really think about how stress not only affects your mood but also your food choices? I know it affects mine, but I have the power to not let it and so do you.

There are so many different kinds of stress and so many things that affect our stress levels. We all have a breaking point and what we do when we reach that breaking point is what matters. Do you turn to food? Do you stop working out? Do you get so consumed in whatever is causing your stress that you forget to take time to plan how you are going to get through it? Trust me, I know about stress, and I know that right now, at this very moment and over the last couple of days I have TONS of excuses as to why I could just eat terribly and not workout. But I am not going to let that happen, I have the power to make that decision. We can't control a lot of things in our lives, things are going to happen to us, it is how we choose to respond to them that either makes you successful and happy or just makes you more miserable. I know that if I had been making bad food choices over the past few days my body would be handling the stress even worse. I choose what I put in my mouth, that is entirely up to me, so at least I can control something right now!

I spent 25 hours in the car and I could have just eaten drive through food and gas station packaged snack foods, but instead I chose to spend 30 minutes before leaving to pack healthy snacks and healthy foods for myself and my kids. I did allow us to go through one drive-thru fast food restaurant, but I did not order anything for me, and I was so proud of myself! I packed lots of fresh veggies, hummus, grilled chicken wraps (whole wheat tortilla, laughing cow herb cheese and spring greens), ham and cheese wraps for the kiddos, apples, bananas, strawberries, rice crackers and pretzels. We all survived on these foods for the entire 25 hour car ride, and that one stop through a drive-thru. I chose to teach my kids that despite what life throws at us, we still control our choices for food and what we put in our body. We feel better when we eat well, and our body is better able to cope with stress when it has good, pure, healthy fuel.

I love stress eating, I do it well, and that is why I have always struggled with my weight. But I am not going to let it control me any longer. I am making good choices, despite the circumstances, and even when at restaurants and at other's homes, I am making good choices. I have decided that once and for all I am going to remember at all times to stay in control of what goes in my mouth. Even around the holidays! Don't get me wrong I am going to have dessert one of these next couple of days, but I am going to have dessert once, not every day and not more than once a day. We do not NEED treats every day, we don't need them more than once in awhile, and that is simply not more than once a week. Remember the idea of eating in moderation. Moderation does not mean daily, it does not even usually mean 4 times a week. Obviously it depends on what food we are talking about, but in regards to desserts or unhealthy foods, once in awhile is 2-4 times a month!

Christmas time is a stressful time of year, and that is not what it is supposed to be about. So remember to sit back and enjoy it. Remember that no matter what stresses are thrown at you that you cannot control, you surely can control how you respond to it. If you are someone that typically turns to food for your comfort or stress relief, then find something else! Read, take a bath, read to your kids, do something creative, play a game, find some other way to take your mind off of those things you cannot control and divert your attention away from the pantry and the refrigerator. Remember that while we cannot control what life throws at us, no matter how awful and stressful it is, YOU DO CONTROL WHAT YOU PUT IN YOUR MOUTH! Make good choices, keep your body fueled with healthy and whole foods and your body will respond to all of life's stresses so much better.

This post was more of a lecture for myself right now, but I hope that you found something applicable to your life. I also hope that each and every one of you has a blessed Christmas.

What do you do with your 168?

There are 168 hours in a week, what do you do with them? Ok, so take sleep out of the equation and you are left with around 112 waking hours. That is a lot of time! Your body only asks you for 6 of those hours to pay attention to it, to strengthen it, to challenge it, to use it and to relax it. SIX hours out of 112, that's less than 6% of the total waking time that you have in a week. So why does everyone keep saying they don't have the time, they are too busy, they can't this and they can't that... it is RIDICULOUS!

6 hours in a week, and actually you don't even need to dedicate that much. If you dedicate 30-40 minutes a day, 5 times a week that would be FABULOUS. Out of 112 hours if you really can't give yourself 4-6 hours of time then you need to evaluate your goals and your lifestyle. It's not a can't... it's a WON'T. There is a big difference. When you put it into perspective like this and look at how much time you really have and then portion that time into the things that you do, you will find that you have more time available than you think. This is where planning comes in. Plan your day, plan your week, plan your workout into that week. Out of 112 hours, take 50 out for those of you that have full times jobs and commute time. That still leaves 62 hours.... that's A LOT!

It all comes back to making excuses. Especially around the holidays. Everyone can find an excuse as to why they "can't" get a workout in, why they don't prioritize it, why they are too busy. But I will tell you that it is those people that continually make excuses that will NEVER reach their goals, NEVER. Do you really want to be one of those people? Take a good hard look at yourself, are you one of those people? If you are, then YOU are the only one that can make the decision to stop that cycle. Stop making excuses, start planning your 168 hours that you have every week and stick to it. Use a calendar, put your workout on there with a reminder alarm and treat that appointment as important as you would an appointment with your boss or your dream job interview. Your body, your health and your sanity should be way more important than those things.

So it comes down to what are you going to do with your 168 this week?