Week 4 day 3 - The "S" word

It's not the word you think, it's stress.  Now, I should preface this by saying that today was a good day.  I had an interview (shhh) and it went so well I know they would have hired me if they could afford me.  Ahh.  Yes.  I AM that good at my job.  :)  So, while I'm not going to accept this job (at least full time, may contract) it was good for me to go through the nerve-wracking process of selling myself. (or rather, my skills)

And when I was done my brother asked me to go to lunch so I was frantically racking my brain for a place to eat that would not kill my points and sure enough, there was a place with a salad bar right around the corner.  Score!!! 

So, my foods for the day were:  salad with tomatos, cucumbers, broccoli and a vinaigrette dressing (the dressing was the only thing with points) and then a very good yogurt cucumber salad.  Love those zero point veggies!  I had one of my favorite snacks, the sugar free chocolate puddings for dessert when I got to work and then in the afternoon I got hungry and had a couple of the Light & Fit yogurts.  I need to go shop for more cottage cheese and snack types (including cucumber that would be very good).  When I got home I was hungry so I made a quick cheese sandwich, with my (mental note need to buy more) favorite Sara Lee bread and provolone cheese.  I will probably make stir fry for dinner because it's filling and I love the taste.  I need to get my Wii on tonight too (as soon as I can wrestle the remote from the roommate) and do some exercise.

Now about that "S" word.  I told you my friend the muffin maker (ha! that's your new nickname J) gave me some Weight Watchers magazines and I was looking through one tonight and found an AWESOME recipe for heirloom tomatos with blue cheese (or feta) and basil but I also found a little blurb about stress.

I've been thinking about stress a lot recently, considering that it's highly likely that this is why my body does not seem to know what the hell week it is (still!!!!!) and given that I haven't considered myself to be overly stressed (more than usual that is) I needed to read about stress.   Of course stress can be a great motivator, but it's also very, very hard on the body.  And eating when stressed is one of the top reasons people give for gaining weight.

So, this is what I read: It comes from an article by Julie Bean who says that "45% of Americans report feeling stressed regularly."  Ongoing stress can lead to (along with obesity) heart problems, digestive problems and headaches.  The following ideas for handling stress come from David Spiegel, M.D., of Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California.

*If you have 30 seconds try lighting a candle.  Now in most work places (where stress grows like rabbits copulate) you can't light a candle.  I am happy to say that you can buy flameless candles that can be scented.  You can also look into Scentsy.  (the big boss at my work has it in her office...) The article suggests orange or lavender and you could easily make (or buy) a lavendar sachet to take with you. 

*If you have 5 minutes try laughing it off.  Evidently there's a study that shows that just thinking about laughing increases the endorphines in your brain.  Hah!  Who knew!!  Lucky for me I work with people that make me laugh on a daily (if not hourly) basis.  If any of you need to laugh just let me know, I'll come sing and dance for you.  I do a mean YMCA and my Chicken Dance is renowned.  :)

*If you have 10 minutes try taking a tea break.  True to my British roots I can easily get into this one.  Funnily enough the study they quote in the article is from the University of London but regardless it says that people who drank tea 4 times a day for 6 weeks were less stressed than those that drank other caffeinated drinks.

*If you have 20 minutes try sitting still.  This would have to be at home (unless you have a room at your work where you can close the door and lock it that wasn't a bathroom at one time...).  Anyway, 20 minutes of meditation, started with sitting still with your eyes closed and focusing on breathing - working up to 20 minutes.  I learned some meditation when I was in graduate school and really liked it.  I put on my favorite "chill" music, turned all the lights out, lit candles (combo!) and would meditate in the biggest and most open room I had.  If you have read the book Eat Pray Love you'll know that it's not easy to just sit and meditate (especially if you aren't used to it) but I tell you if I can do it anyone can.

*If you have 30 minutes try moving.  I laughed when I read this directly after the sitting still one but it makes sense.  You need both.  Life works best when it's in balance.  My goal is to be able to say that I've done 30 minutes of some kind of activity at least 3 times a week.  And that's a starter. 

I'll leave you with one last quote from the magazine.   I think it helps to put the struggle from one pound to the next in perspective.  On sharing success, Sonia Gonzalez from New York says "Whenever I felt disappointed because I'd lost only a quarter of a pound, I would envision a stick of butter - a quarter of a pound - disappearing from my body.  What a motivator!"  Indeed.

One day.  One pound.  One step at a time.
~N

*all quotes taken from Weight Watchers Magazine, September/October 2008, pg 74 and pg 106