Stress Management Strategy Part 6

April 23, 2010
Stress Management Strategy #6
Year Three

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13
HEALTHY AND THIN IN 2010

This is the last installment of the stress management strategies. I hope these tips have helped someone in some way. I am slowly finding that my leg is healing and I should be back at the gym on May 3rd! I sure do miss all of you and my daily cardio!! I still cannot climb steps and my body is sure telling me I need to get back to the gym!! I had a birthday last week and since I am not getting exercise—boy!!! do I feel older!!!! Believe me a good exercise routine keeps you young!!!!

Oh, by the way, my computer issue is finally resolved. I was offered a Gateway computer and certainly refused. The computer offered did not compare to the one I had. If they could not get me one as good as mine or better I did not want it. So the warranty company sent me a check for the value of my computer and I am going to purchase a new Dell computer this afternoon. I thought while I have to sit with my leg elevated I can load software on my new computer.

Stress management strategy #6: Adopt a healthy lifestyle
You can increase your resistance to stress by strengthening your physical health.

Exercise regularly. Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. Make time for at least 30 minutes of exercise, three times per week. Nothing beats aerobic exercise for releasing pent-up stress and tension.
Eat a healthy diet. Well-nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with stress, so be mindful of what you eat. Start your day right with breakfast, and keep your energy up and your mind clear with balanced, nutritious meals throughout the day.
Reduce caffeine and sugar. The temporary "highs" caffeine and sugar provide often end in with a crash in mood and energy. By reducing the amount of coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and sugar snacks in your diet, you’ll feel more relaxed and you’ll sleep better.
Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. Self-medicating with alcohol or drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the relief is only temporary. Don’t avoid or mask the issue at hand; deal with problems head on and with a clear mind.
Get enough sleep. Adequate sleep fuels your mind, as well as your body. Feeling tired will increase your stress because it may cause you to think irrationally.
Take care of your spiritual self. Spending time taking care of your spiritual health is very important.

I am looking forward to getting back to my regular routine of daily cardio and my training. I would love to hear from you. Email me at healthierfaith@yahoo.com. Thank you for following along on my journey. I promise 2010 will be more interesting than 2009!!!!!!!!

CONSISTENCY!!!

April 9, 2010
Consistency
Stress management strategy #5
Year Three

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13
HEALTHY AND THIN IN 2010

Well I have only one topic for this weeks blog—consistency!!! For the past 2 years and 3 months I have been consistent in my attending the gym. I have missed occasionally and taken vacations. However on vacation I have walked extensively to make up for the absence of going to the gym. Now I am not trying to pin any roses on myself but am trying to make a point.

I have an issue with one of my legs which had kept me from attending the gym for two weeks as of tomorrow. I have to keep my leg elevated as much as possible. The type of problem keeps me from “walking” as well. I am here to tell you this is the pits. I can so tell that I am not working out. If any of you ever think of taking a “vacation” from your workouts and cardio take my advice and reconsider!!!!!

I am doing some sit ups and upper body with weights but I so miss my cardio!!!! I will be back as soon as I am able. So keep those cardio machines running and I hope to see my AM gym buddies soon. Love ya, Faith

Stress management strategy #5: Make time for fun and relaxation

Beyond a take-charge approach and a positive attitude, you can reduce stress in your life by nurturing yourself. If you regularly make time for fun and relaxation, you’ll be in a better place to handle life’s stressors when they inevitably come.

Healthy ways to relax and recharge
• Go for a walk.
• Spend time in nature.
• Call a good friend.
• Sweat out tension with a good workout.
• Write in your journal.
• Take a long bath.
• Light scented candles
• Savor a warm cup of coffee or tea.
• Play with a pet.
• Work in your garden.
• Get a massage.
• Curl up with a good book.
• Listen to music.
• Watch a comedy

Don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to take care of your own needs. Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a luxury.
• Set aside relaxation time. Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Don’t allow other obligations to encroach. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries.
• Connect with others. Spend time with positive people who enhance your life. A strong support system will buffer you from the negative effects of stress.
• Do something you enjoy every day. Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike.
• Keep your sense of humor. This includes the ability to laugh at yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of ways.

Learn the relaxation response
You can control your stress levels with relaxation techniques that evoke the body’s relaxation response, a state of restfulness that is the opposite of the stress response. Regularly practicing these techniques will build your physical and emotional resilience, heal your body, and boost your overall feelings of joy and equanimity.

I would love to hear from you. Email me at healthierfaith@yahoo.com. Thank you for following along on my journey. I promise 2010 will be more interesting than 2009!!!!!!!!

Stress Management Strategy Part 4

April 2, 2010
Stress Management Strategy Part 4
Year Three

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13
HEALTHY AND THIN IN 2010

HAPPY EASTER!!!!
I have had to take time off from the gym due to an issue with one of my legs. I am under doctor’s care and hope to be back as soon as possible. I am very cautiously watching what I eat and doing some upper body work at home. I MISS THE GYM!!! I cannot take steps yet but as soon as I can I will be back. Hopefully by April 19th. I am a little panicky but being very careful and NOT stressing over this. As my stress management strategy this week states: don’t try to control the uncontrollable. I cannot change the situation. I can only listen to the professionals and wait.
Stress management strategy #4: Accept the things you can’t change
Some sources of stress are unavoidable. You can’t prevent or change stressors such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a national recession. In such cases, the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are. Acceptance may be difficult, but in the long run, it’s easier than railing against a situation you can’t change.
Don’t try to control the uncontrollable. Many things in life are beyond our control— particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose to react to problems.
Look for the upside. As the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” When facing major challenges, try to look at them as opportunities for personal growth. If your own poor choices contributed to a stressful situation, reflect on them and learn from your mistakes.
Share your feelings. Talk to a trusted friend or make an appointment with a therapist. Expressing what you’re going through can be very cathartic, even if there’s nothing you can do to alter the stressful situation.
Learn to forgive. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world and that people make mistakes. Let go of anger and resentments. Free yourself from negative energy by forgiving and moving on.

I would love to hear from you. Email me at healthierfaith@yahoo.com. Thank you for following along on my journey. I promise 2010 will be more interesting than 2009!!!!!!!!

Stress and the Broken Computer Part 3 3/26/2010

March 26, 2010
Stress and the Broken Computer Part 3
Year Three

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13
HEALTHY AND THIN IN 2010

Since February 7, 2010 I have been trying to get the parts and technician to my home to fixed my computer. I have called the Circuit City Advantage people 9 times, been promised that parts would be shipped. I was sent parts from one tech service, Service Life, only to be asked to return them because another tech service, MPD, would be sending me parts to install. On March 10 my computer was still not working and I had no parts!!! I am absolutely so frustrated and down right mad I can’t hardly stand it! This has been the most stressful ordeal I have even encountered. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!!!

After four part replacements, four technicians and an unbelievable number of phone calls to HP and Circuit City Advantage Warranty Service my computer was diagnosed as “UNREPAIRABLE” on Friday March 19, 2010. So now I am awaiting a new computer after three months of trying to get my 16 month old computer repaired.

These stress tips have helped me a lot and believe me they hit home so I thought I would continue to share them with you.

Stress management strategy #3:
Adapt to the stressor
If you can’t change the stressor, change yourself. You can adapt to stressful situations and regain your sense of control by changing your expectations and attitude.

Reframe problems.
Try to view stressful situations from a more positive perspective. Rather than fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity to pause and regroup, listen to your favorite radio station, or enjoy some alone time.

Look at the big picture.
Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long run. Will it matter in a month? A year? Is it really worth getting upset over? If the answer is no, focus your time and energy elsewhere.

Adjust your standards.
Perfectionism is a major source of avoidable stress. Stop setting yourself up for failure by demanding perfection. Set reasonable standards for yourself and others, and learn to be okay with “good enough.”

Focus on the positive.
When stress is getting you down, take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life, including your own positive qualities and gifts. This simple strategy can help you keep things in perspective.

Adjusting Your Attitude
How you think can have a profound affect on your emotional and physical well-being. Each time you think a negative thought about yourself, your body reacts as if it were in the throes of a tension-filled situation. If you see good things about yourself, you are more likely to feel good; the reverse is also true. Eliminate words such as "always," "never," "should," and "must." These are telltale marks of self-defeating thoughts.

I would love to hear from you. Email me at healthierfaith@yahoo.com. Thank you for following along on my journey. I promise 2010 will be more interesting than 2009!!!!!!!!

Stress and the Broken Computer Part 2 3/19/2010

March 19, 2010
Stress and the Broken Computer Part 2
Year Three

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13
HEALTHY AND THIN IN 2010

Before I continue with the epic saga of the broken computer!! I have wonderful news! I LOST FOUR POUNDS !!!! I have been in limbo as far as losing weight since my Dad died. Sometimes it seems like yesterday! I am back on track now and ready to get back to losing this weight. I am so thankful for Gloria sticking by me and continuing to help me through the past year. I am so thankful for all of my readers for reading and responding to my blogs with so much encouragement. Some of you I have never met but you are very special to me!! If you do not read further I will understand but putting my frustrations in writing has helped with me with the stress of this computer situation!!

So on January 21, 2010 I Federal Expressed, in a box provided by HP, my computer to them. On January 30, 2010 the computer was returned. OH JOY!! Finally I could get some work done. You see I was getting further and further behind in my church work and other tasks.

Well, I hook up all the bells and whistles and to my horror I got the very same error messages I had been getting for weeks and not only that but the front of my computer was damaged. I called HP and they wanted me to ship the computer to them a second time and I said NO!! I called the Circuit City Advantage Warranty people. My first (of many) call to them was on February 1st and I was told that the hard drive was bad and they shipped me another (received 2/4/2010). The tech from MPD, the tech service, came out on February 6, 2010 and installed the new hard drive and began the loading of the recovery discs. Once all the discs were installed and the files began to transfer he left. Not 15 minutes after he left an error message popped up on the screen. So I called the warranty service again and was told to terminate the error message and let the process continue. 26 hours later the files were still transferring. I called the warranty service again. I was told to restart the computer, I did, and a message that the “Boot Mgr is missing” came up on the screen. We tried to restart again and got the same message. I was told that the new hard drive was bad and that I needed a new mother board and memory.
Stress management strategy #2: Alter the situation
If you can’t avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Figure out what you can do to change things so the problem doesn’t present itself in the future. Often, this involves changing the way you communicate and operate in your daily life.
Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. If something or someone is bothering you, communicate your concerns in an open and respectful way. If you don’t voice your feelings, resentment will build and the situation will likely remain the same.
Be willing to meet in the middle. When you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend at least a little, you’ll have a good chance of finding a happy middle ground.
Be more assertive. Don’t take a backseat in your own life. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them. If you’ve got an exam to study for and your chatty roommate just got home, say up front that you only have five minutes to talk.
Manage your time better. Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. When you’re stretched too thin and running behind, it’s hard to stay calm and focused. But if you plan ahead and make sure you don’t overextend yourself, you can alter the amount of stress you’re under.
I would love to hear from you. Email me at healthierfaith@yahoo.com. Thank you for following along on my journey. I promise 2010 will be more interesting than 2009!!!!!!!!

Stress and the Broken Computer Part 1 3/12/2010

March 12, 2010
Stress and the Broken Computer Part 1
Year Three

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13
HEALTHY AND THIN IN 2010


I sure hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather we had this week! When the weather gets warm don’t you think of all the outdoor activities in store for the Spring/Summer season? The picnics, traveling, lazy days sitting on the porch talking to neighbors, trips to the beach, mountains and pools!! I think eating healthy is easier in the spring/summer. We tend to look to the lighter side of the menu; Garden salads, veggies, fruits and pasta salads. I just enjoy these better in the warm weather than the cold weather.
Just a thought!!!! Our new challenge has begun and we are all at the cardio again! Burning all the calories we can. Good luck to everyone! However, we still need to be watching our calorie intake and making sure our menus are healthy and our food diaries complete!

I entitled this blog-STRESS. You have read my thoughts on stress before. However, it never ceases to amaze me how stress affects the body. I have been dealing with a computer issue since January 6, 2010. I purchased my computer in November 2008 at Circuit City before any mention was made of their closing. It is a HP Pavilion and top of the line. I also purchased a 24 month warranty. I had what I thought was a minor problem in January 2009 and took the computer into the store and the “Firedogs” (computer geeks) fixed the problem. Well, right after the first of 2010 I started receiving error messages almost continually. Then I received a pop up message that my Windows Vista might be counterfeit. I called HP and of course reached someone in India. We worked for days!! I erased my hard drive twice per HP’s instructions. I loaded the Recovery Disc at least a dozen times. I tapped, tapped, tapped F8, F9, F10, F11 until I thought I would scream. This was hours on the phone at all hours of the day and night. Finally after talking to at least 10 people in India and tapping my finger raw and loading and reloading disc, HP decided I needed to ship my computer to them for repairs. (to be continued-to long for one blog)

So I am beginning a six part blog on stress. I will share my continuing saga of the “BROKEN COMPUTER” and tips on dealing with stress. This will be a learning experience for me and I hope a help to others.

Stress management strategy #1: Avoid unnecessary stress
Not all stress can be avoided, and it’s not healthy to avoid a situation that needs to be addressed. You may be surprised, however, by the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate.
Learn how to say “no” – Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept added responsibilities when you’re close to reaching them. Taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress.
Avoid people who stress you out – If someone consistently causes stress in your life and you can’t turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely.
Take control of your environment – If the evening news makes you anxious, turn the TV off. If traffic’s got you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If going to the market is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online.
Avoid hot-button topics – If you get upset over religion or politics, cross them off your conversation list. If you repeatedly argue about the same subject with the same people, stop bringing it up or excuse yourself when it’s the topic of discussion.
Pare down your to-do list – Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If you’ve got too much on your plate, distinguish between the “shoulds” and the “musts.” Drop tasks that aren’t truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely.
I appreciate your reading all this, if you did and I hope that it is a help to you! I know my computer problem has been stressful but I had no idea what stress could do. I went to the doctor and my blood sugars are like a roller coaster, my blood pressure is up and I have an upper respiratory infection. According to the doctor the stress has worn my system down so that I could not fight off the onset of the infection. I think I am literally sick from dealing with two months of the most incompetent people I have ever dealt with!!! I would love to hear from you. Email me at healthierfaith@yahoo.com. Thank you for following along on my journey. I promise 2010 will be more interesting than 2009!!!!!!!!

March 5, 2010 Cardio

March 5, 2010
Cardio
Year Three

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13
HEALTHY AND THIN IN 2010


Well, it has been decided that I need to pump up the intensity of my cardio. I am at an all time monster plateau and this happens every time I lose weight. I get around 300 lbs and my body says this is a good place and stop right there. It is always a up and down battle and in the past I have given up and just gained the weight back. BUT NOT THIS TIME!!!!! Gloria has decided that my cardio is not intense enough. We need to make my body let go of the weight. I think of it as sending shock waves to the plateau and making it crumple.

I also need to work on my stress level. I have never had as much stress in my life as I do right now. This is not a good testimony. I need to lay my cares at the feet of Jesus and leave them there but I have not done that lately. I need to stand firmly on Psalm 25:4-5, “Shew me they ways, O Lord: teach me they paths, Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” Instead of leaving my “burdens” with Jesus I take them up and try to carry them upon myself all the day. Stress is not good for us, especially when it is a constant, day by day, kinda stress. So I have determined with the help of the Lord to leave my cares with Him and wait upon Him all the day.

I received these little tips this week from a friend. I thought they might be helpful to some of you. I want to thank those of you who emailed this week. I cannot express how great it is to hear from those who read my blogs.


Avoid dangerous situations. STOP driving by the doughnut shop on your way to work. When you go out to dinner, ask the waiter not to bring bread to your table. 2. Get a hobby. Start taking your dog on longer walks. Fix up your attic. By focusing on positive activities, you'll find yourself becoming more relaxed, happier, and thinner!3. Curb mindless eating. Don't eat while standing up, and don't skip meals. Brush your teeth after every meal and snack. Food never seems as appealing when you have that toothpaste taste in your mouth.

I would love to hear from you. Email me at healthierfaith@yahoo.com. Thank you for following along on my journey. I promise 2010 will be more interesting than 2009!!!!!!!!