Stress Free Zone

Most of these ways to relieve stress are actually FUN things to do! Who would have thought?!?!


*** This Article was taken from the Beachbody Newsletter on www.teambeachbody.com ***
                                 Appropriate credit and resources stated below

30 Ways to Relieve Your Stress

By Sarah Stevenson

Back in Paleolithic times, stress and its associated hormone release was an important survival tool. Things like adrenaline gave us the juice we needed to dodge a famished cheetah, while cortisol helped out should that cheetah decide to pursue us for a long, long time.

The problem is, sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. Prolonged exposure to stress and its merry band of hormones can lead to all kinds of problems, including inflammation, fatigue, and many modern ailments, such as fibromyalgia and IBS.

In our busy, always on, always online world, it's like we're all being chased by cheetahs every single day. So it's time to take that cat by the whiskers and let stress know who's boss. Here are 30 quick tips to help you release stress in a matter of moments:

1. Smile. When you smile, feel-good chemicals are released into the bloodstream, taking the place of stressful chemicals.¹ So smile and watch the world smile back at you.
2. Take a deep breath. The act of deep breathing allows your mind to focus on the present moment and stop the worry train. Take a deep inhalation through your nose, allowing your lungs to fill up completely, and as you exhale through your nose, allow your lungs to empty entirely.
3. Calm music. Relaxing music's long, slow, spaced-out beats require less energy for the brain to process, and its predictive structure can be almost meditative.
4. Call a friend. Research suggests that people who have close ties with friends and family are all around happier, healthier people. Hearing the comforting sound of a loved one can help make a stressful situation less so.²
5. Visualize. Whether you take a few minutes to visualize a serene setting that you'd love to be in, or imagine what the life of your dreams looks like, visualization gives your mind a break from the stress you're feeling.
6. Scream. This is a quick, harmless way to relieve pressure that has built up. When you are all plugged up, sometimes all you need is to let your steam out. So be a little teapot short and stout; when you get all steamed up, give it a shout.
7. Make to-do lists. Knowing what needs to be done can help you navigate what you need to do for the day, and it allows you to focus on the tasks at hand and not on remembering all of them. As you finish them, check them off. At the end of the day, you'll see how much you have really accomplished. Making this list the night before can even lead to a less stressful morning.
8. Focus on the positive. Some researchers believe that your thoughts can affect your physical body. Anxious, sad, and angry thoughts can make your entire body feel more stressed because they cause the brain to release the stress hormones, while pleasant, peaceful thoughts can make the body feel less stressed because they can cause the brain to release the pleasure hormones dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin.
9. Relax your muscles. Focus on one muscle at a time; tense it for a few seconds then relax it and notice that sensation of relaxing. Begin at the top of your body and work your way all the way down until your body is completely relaxed.
10. Play a game. Getting together with a group of friends to play catch, engage in a board game, or jam out on Rock Band^® will take your mind off what's causing you stress, at least for a little while.
11. Aromatherapy. Research has proven that lavender, chamomile, and sage all have stress relieving properties when taken in through the olfactory system. Burn a scented candle, use an oil diffuser, drink some tea, or bring those herbs into your space to lower your blood pressure.³
12. Laugh. Laughing gets endorphins and dopamine coursing through the bloodstream. These feel-good chemicals will help you feel happy and relaxed.⁴
13. Get a good night's sleep. Staying up too late can cause one to wake tired and depleted, and even everyday tasks will take more time and energy.
14. Imagine them in their undies. If people stress you out, why not try the age-old idea of imagining them in their underwear? How intimidating is a person walking around in their skivvies?
15. Journal. Mental health professionals currently promote journaling as a proper behavioral technique to reducing stress. Get the anxiety and negative emotions going on inside your brain onto paper. That way it doesn't weigh the mind down.⁵
16. Have a cup of tea. Chamomile tea to be exact. Chamomile tea has calming agents that can relax the body both through breathing them in and drinking them.
17. Take a hot bath. Soaking in a hot bath relaxes the muscles that tense up every time stress hits the body. Ease them by slipping into a warm tub for a half hour or more.
18. Go for a walk. When it's too much, step away from it and get some fresh air into your lungs. Even a short, five-minute walk can help give you a fresh perspective and relieve stress.
19. Have a good cry. Being brave and keeping a tough exterior can create a pressure cooker effect. Seeing a sad movie, listening to a touching song, or just allowing emotions to flow when faced with something sad can help give your body the release it occasionally needs.
20. Plan something fun for the future. When you're under a lot of pressure, this can give you a light at the end of the tunnel to look forward to. Just don't make planning this stressful too.
21. Get sweaty. Exercise relieves stress. Research even says that if you have a hard workout right before bed, you'll get longer, more restorative sleep.⁶
22. Have a glass of wine. The ritual of a single glass of wine can help you relax and sink into the present moment a bit more. Less is more on this one.⁷
23. Be affectionate. People who kiss, touch, and hug produce less stress hormone and more feel-good chemicals than those who do not. When we are touched, our pre-frontal lobe gets a signal that we have another "carrying the load." Our body then gets the "OK" to relax.^8,9
24. Orgasm. This can be a solo or shared activity. Right before you orgasm, your entire body tenses up; when you reach the point of orgasm everything in your body relaxes, thus giving you a decrease in blood pressure and the euphoric feeling of completely letting go.¹⁰
25. Tell a joke. Step away from the seriousness of the stress you're under and share a joke with someone else. You'll improve his or her day and you'll get the satisfaction of bringing joy to someone else.
26. Drink less caffeine. I know that's just mean, right? But it's true. If the body is all jacked up on caffeine, it has more energy but is also in a very reactive state, which can lead to mega stress.
27. Create a mantra. Negative self-talk can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Create a positive mantra instead such as: "I live in a loving, peaceful world" or "It feels like a lot, but I can handle it. I've done it before and I can do it again."
28. Have a dance party. Pump up the volume and break out any move that feels good. You might feel silly, but the combination of exercise and feel-good music will put you in a better frame of mind.
29. Stretch. When you are faced with a stressful situation, your body tenses up immediately and quite often does not relax unless you consciously make an effort to relax it. Stretching is a great way to relax those tense muscles. Stretch several times a day. Your body will thank you.
30. Play with your pet. Research suggests that people with animals live longer, happier lives. Dogs love to lavish you with bouncy attention and some cats are content to rest in your lap for hours. Either way, their unconditional love will ease your stress.¹¹

Resources:

1. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=smile-it-could-make-you-happier
2. Scherer, K. R. (2003). Vocal communication of emotion: A review of research paradigms. Speech communication, 40(1), 227-256.
3. Motomura N, Sakurai A, Yotsuya Y. Reduction of mental stress with lavender odorant. Percept Mot Skills. 2001 Dec;93(3):713-8.
4. Bennett MP, Zeller JM, Rosenberg L, McCann J. The Effect of Mirthful Laughter on Stress and Natural Killer Cell Activity. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, March-April 2003
5. Richardson, K. M., & Rothstein, H. R. (2008). Effects of occupational stress management intervention programs: a meta-analysis. Journal of occupational health psychology, 13(1), 69.
6. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise-and-stress/SR00036
7. Eckardt, M. J., File, S. E., Gessa, G. L., Grant, K. A., Guerri, C., Hoffman, P. L., ... & Tabakoff, B. (1998). Effects of Moderate Alcohol Consumption on the Central Nervous System*. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 22(5), 998-1040.
8. Carey, B. (2010). Evidence that little touches do mean so much. The New York Times.
9. Harlow, H.F. The nature of love. American Psychologist, 1958, 13, 673-685.
10. Brody, S. (2006). Blood pressure reactivity to stress is better for people who recently had penile–vaginal intercourse than for people who had other or no sexual activity. Biological Psychology, 71(2), 214-222.
11. Siegel JM, Angulo FJ, Detels R, Wesch J, Mullen A. AIDS diagnosis and depression in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study: the ameliorating impact of pet ownership. AIDS Care. April 1999.

A Jewish Christmas Day

 

Hi my name is Michelle GOLDSTEIN and my mother has an even more Jewish sounding maiden name. I am 30 years old, have always celebrated Hanukah and I have never once celebrated Christmas. Christmas is not a Jewish holiday and it not an American holiday... It is a holiday where only Christians celebrate. I would think people would know this by now, just like Christians don't celebrate Hanukah.

Every year I still get strange looks and questions on WHAT do I DO during CHRISTMAS.. One is why aren't you flying home for Hanukah (well many times Hanukah doesn't fall on Christmas -- including this year) and another is you will be ALONE on Christmas. Well there are many days I spend alone and I think I will still be OK spending December 25th alone. Hey sometimes I get "adopted" for Christmas.

I LOVE Christmas actually, but on a cultural level. I love the decorations, the trees, presents and all over feeling of the holiday. Shit I even SANG "All I Want for Christmas" by Mariah Carey at our choir performance. That was my favorite performance ever -- I made the solo!

America is so accepting of other religions, but I am still so BAFFLED on the mystere around Christmas and Jews. So I would like to clear up what Jews do on December 25th...





Looks like Santa is asking as well

                                                          
I mean there really is a lot of pressure to celebrate Christmas. But no fear, here are a few things Jews can do!

• Go out for Chinese food. Many Chinese places are open, because some Chinese people are also not Christian
• Go to the Matzah Ball! I have even co-hosted this in Tampa and boy was Blue Martini packed! This is an event either held on Christmas Eve or Christmas. Jews drink and sometimes a lot, so then we can just spend Christmas in bed
• Go to a movie! That's always fun!! Movie theatres are open everyday.
• Casinos are open! So many Jews travel to Vegas or Atlantic City
• Work!

And which one will I be doing this year? I will be working. With Beachbody I always work from home anyways. To top if off, this is the season where I will soon be getting SLAMMED because thankfully -- just a WEEK after Christmas EVERY YEAR is when the New Year hits! New Years (American holiday) so I am preparing for everyone wanting to get THINNER and FIT for the new year. So what I will do is work from home, watch football and cook something at home.

I will be ok this Tuesday. Although if you do want to adopt me for a day.. that would be fun!

And with that being said -- MERRY CHRISTMAS to ALL!

 

xooxoxx

Michelle-Naomi



 

 

 



 



 

 

 

 

Christmas Dinner Swap - Choose This Not THAT!!

 

 

 

 

 

According to Everyday Health -  "The problem with the holidays isn’t usually the weight gain — the average American gains only one or two pounds in between Thanksgiving and New Year’s — it’s the fact that most people never lose the excess pounds. So in five years you may have gained 10 pounds and in 10 years, 20 pounds. The best course of action? Stop weight gain before it starts.


The key is eating healthy throughout the holiday season and remembering portion control when it comes to your it-wouldn’t-be-Thanksgiving-or-Christmas-without-them foods. For the rest of the courses, all you have to do is make the right choices that will allow you to indulge and enjoy, yet keep you from loading up on the fatty, high-calories dishes that can quickly lead to unwanted weight gain."


Check out some of these healthy holiday food swaps that Everyday Health recommends:



Skip: Full Fat Dips
Eat This Instead: Yogurt Dips
Why: Why waste all of your calories on an appetizer with full-fat sour cream when there is tons more food to come? An ounce of sour cream has about 60 calories, while an ounce of nonfat plain Greek yogurt has only 15-20 calories and the same amount of nonfat sour cream has about 25. The calories that you save quickly add up


Skip: Candied Yams
Eat This Instead: Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Why: A mere half-cup of candied yams is a whopping 215 calories! Try oven-roasted sweet potatoes brushed with canola or olive oil instead. At ¾ cup and 100 calories, you get more potatoes for fewer calories, and you also get a healthy helping of vitamins and minerals!


Skip: Dark Meat Turkey
Eat This Instead: White Meat Turkey
Why: Did you know that the dark meat in your Turkey has about twice the amount of fat and 40% more calories? Your best bet is to stick to the light meat.


Skip: Traditional Gravy
Eat This Instead: Low-Fat Gravy
Why: Everyday Health recommends making turkey gravy—it’s healthy without losing taste! Melissa Joy Dobbins, MS, RD, LDN makes a healthy gravy with 1 cup of fat-free turkey broth, 2 tablespoons of flour and seasonings to taste. “If you still want to use the drippings from the roasting pan, remove the fat first,” she says. Just remember these two words: portion control—gravy calories add up fast.

 

Skip: Cranberry Sauce
Eat This Instead: Cranberry Relish
Why: Yes, even one little side dish can be packed with sugar, corn syrup and added sweeteners. Just a fourth of a cup can have more than 100 calories. If you make your own cranberry relish and cut back on the sugar content and/or use sugar substitutes, you’re guaranteed to have a healthier holiday side dish.


Skip: Green Bean Casserole
Eat This Instead: Fresh Green Beans
Why: Just because green beans are in the name, doesn’t necessarily make green bean casserole a healthy dish. Skip the full-fat cream of mushroom soup and French-fried onions this year—just cut and steam fresh green beans and sprinkle them with slivered almonds instead!


Skip: White Flour Rolls
Eat This Instead: Whole-Wheat Rolls
Why: Did you know that a single dinner roll has about 100 to 200 calories? If you have to have bread at the dinner table, replace white flour with whole wheat in your recipe.


Skip: Eggnog
Eat This Instead: Cider
Why: It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that a rich and creamy drink like eggnog has an upwards of 250 calories and more than half of your daily dose of saturated fat. Opt for a glass of hot apple cider instead—you instantly save 100 to 150 calories and all the fat!


Skip: Pecan Pie
Eat This Instead: Pumpkin Pie
Why: Nothing says the holidays like sweets! What would be a party without desserts anyway? Just be smart about it—a slice of pecan pie has about 500 calories. So save 200 calories and have a slice of pumpkin pie instead!


I hope this helps you make some good choices on your upcoming grocery store run! Yogurt dips are AMAZING -- they really do feel like the "Real Fat Thing!" I have to admit, I LOVE Pecan Pie, but to save 200 calories by swapping for Pumpkin Pie can be done!

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Christmas and we can all fully get back on track together! Just don't fully fall off! Pinky Swear?

xoxox

Michelle Naomi



Healthy Holiday Beachbody Gifts on YOUR Budget!

 



Let me help! Beachbody has put together a list of gift ideas that can help make everyone in your life feel not only happier, but healthier! The gifts are divided by price levels so all you have to do is decide how much you want to spend on someone, and choose from several suggestions within that range. All items are available online, so take off that winter jacket, grab a glass of Shakeology, and knock out your holiday shopping quickly—and with the confidence that the gifts you're giving will enrich the lives of those who receive them! And remember I can always be your personal coach for absolutely free! Click here!

Gifts at $25.00 or less:

• Tony and the Folks! ($9.95)
• Tony and the Kids! ($9.95)
• Shaun T's Fit Kids^® Club ($19.95)
• Get Real with Shaun T ($19.95)
• Weighted Gloves ($19.95)
• P90X^® Protein Bars ($23.95)
• $25.00 Team Beachbody® eGift Card

Gifts at $50.00 or less:

• Chin-Up Max ($29.85)
• Slimming Formula ($29.95)
• Chalene Johnson's Get On the Ball ($39.90)
• B-LINES^® Resistance Bands (39.95)
• Tony Horton's Signature PowerStands^® ($39.90)
• P90X® Results and Recovery Formula® ($49.95)
• $50.00 Team Beachbody® eGift Card

Gifts at $75.00 or less:

• Brazil Butt Lift^® ($59.85)
• Hip Hop Abs^® ($59.85)
• Slim in 6^® ($59.85)
• P90X^® Chin-Up Bar ($59.85)
• Turbo Jam^® ($59.85)

Gifts at $100.00 or less:

• Body Gospel^® ($79.70)
• 10-Minute Trainer^® ($79.90)
• RevAbs^® ($89.85)
• ChaLEAN Extreme^® ($89.85)
• INSANITY: THE ASYLUM^® ($89.85)
• $100.00 Team Beachbody® eGift Card

Gifts at $120.00 or less:

• Shakeology^® ($119.95)
• TurboFire^® ($119.70)
• P90X^® ($119.85)
• P90X2^™ Base Kit ($119.85)
• INSANITY^® ($119.85)

Ultimate Gifts:

• P90X ONE on ONE^® ($239.40)
• INSANITY® Deluxe with Mat and Bonus Workout ($239.70)
• TurboFire^®: The Complete System ($239.40)
• $250.00 Team Beachbody® eGift Card
• P90X2^™ Ultimate ($299.55)
• $500.00 Team Beachbody® eGift Card

Ultimate Reset -- Lose 10 - 20lbs Before the NEW YEAR!

 

 



You’ve heard the message that over the years our environment has become more and more toxic. You’ve heard that every day our bodies absorb pollution and harmful chemicals. You’ve heard that these things are in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. You’ve heard that these toxins can get stored in our bodies. That they will clog our cells and slow down our natural functions. That even though you’ve been working out and eating right, it simply is NOT ENOUGH. Something needs to be done! Is the Ultimate Reset the answer? BUYER BEWARE!



Ultimate Reset – What is it?

First off, what IS the Ultimate Reset? The Ultimate Reset is not a quick fix. The Ultimate Reset is not a diet. It’s a 21-day detox program that works to restore your body. It’s designed to help you release years of those accumulated toxins (which can lead to premature aging and other health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, etc) and restore your body to its “factory settings”. Well, that sounds pretty good, but, what are the benefits of the Ultimate Reset?

I want to RESET my body with the Ultimate Reset!

 

 

 

Ultimate Reset – The Benefits

 

The Ultimate Reset comes with six supplements. These supplements provide you with everything you need to reset your body so you can feel, look, and be healthier in 21 days. The Ultimate Reset helps you improve digestion, increase energy, lose weight, lower cholesterol and reclaim your body’s natural balance. After 21 days, you’ll truly feel reset, renewed, and restored—you’ll feel healthy, maybe for the first time since you can remember. Wow, that sounds REALLY GOOD? But what exactly are those supplements in the Ultimate Reset?

Ultimate Reset – The Supplements

The six nutritionals or supplements that come with the Ultimate Reset are formulated to help restore your body to optimal health. Here are the six supplements:

• Alkalinize – Helps maintain alkalinity. A super-green mixture of grasses, including wheatgrass, alfalfa, kamut grass, and barley grass, in a concentrated juice powder that helps neutralize excess acid and maintain alkalinity, bringing your body back into a healthy pH balance and helping to support your immune system.
• Oxygenize – Helps provide supplemental oxygen to the body. Oxygen helps your body detoxify and supports a strong immune system.
• Mineralize – Adds natural minerals needed by the body. Natural Himalayan salt includes up to 84 minerals and trace elements, such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, and iron. Natural salt can help restore the essential minerals that are vital to your life processes, including building strong bones, enabling nervous system function, aiding in the absorption of nutrients through the digestive tract, and even helping to prevent muscle cramps.
• Detox – Helps remove toxins and waste in the colon. This colon-cleansing powder is a blend made from organic sources like Camu-Camu, Chia Seed, Ginger Root, and Flaxseed, along with natural spices like turmeric and garlic. Detox helps improve the regularity of bowel movements and gastrointestinal well-being, without forcing your body to react the way most laxatives do. And unlike other cleanses on the market, Detox is a gentle colon cleanse that won’t keep you parked next to the bathroom.
• Revitalize – Helps revitalize flora in the digestive tract. Our pre- and probiotics help restore beneficial flora to your digestive tract. They’re sometimes called “friendly” or “good” bacteria, because they help break down carbohydrates, control the growth of harmful bacteria, and promote a healthy immune system.
• Optimize – Promotes healthy metabolism and effective body functions. Our proprietary blend of systemic enzymes also contains added Camu-Camu, which helps promote an optimal immune system and helps manage your body’s natural inflammatory response.
OK, OK, that doesn’t sound too bad. How exactly does it work?

 

VIDEO ON ULTIMATE RESET!

 

Ultimate Reset – How does it work?

The Ultimate Reset is made of three phases, each 1 week long:

Reclaim – In Phase 1, you Reclaim your body, balancing its inner chemistry and preparing it for change—much like soap loosens grime.

Release – In Phase 2, you Release the toxic compounds that are clogging your cells and stored within your tissues—like a purifying surge of clear water that flushes away years of impurities.

Restore – In Phase 3, you Restore your metabolism to maximum efficiency, while fortifying your body with the nutrients, enzymes, and probiotics it needs to maintain healthy performance in the future.

Wow, so no magic here. Just GREAT supplements along with CLEAN, healthy foods. BUT, DOES THE ULTIMATE RESET WORK?


Yes it does! Follow the guidelines in the Ultimate Reset and YOU WILL GET RESULTS! Here are just a few testimonials from those who have completed a “reset”:

“My cholesterol level actually dropped 25 points in 21 days!”—Angie M.

“In 21 days, I learned to not be an emotional eater anymore.”—Dawn A.

“The Beachbody Ultimate Reset isn’t a starvation program. It’s not an abrupt cleanse, or a laxative-focused program. It’s a gentle, comprehensive, whole-body Reset.”—Charles C.

“The habits I’ve developed and the lessons I’ve learned will definitely stick with me for the rest of my life.”—Eric D.

“The Beachbody Ultimate Reset opened my eyes to a whole variety of foods I’d never experienced before. I actually began tasting the food I was eating.”—Russell P.

“My cholesterol was 237 before I started the program and now it’s 162. A 75 point drop! I feel like I hit the lottery! – Luisa R.

Ultimate Reset – Now what?

Are you ready to give your body an internal workout? Are you ready to get healthy on the inside? Are you ready for a RESET?

 

I want to RESET my body with the Ultimate Reset!

 

 

 

 

What's in my Shower?

I always want to know what other people are using! Whether it's makeup, skincare, hair or body! The other day my friend asked what type of shampoo and conditioner to buy. I thought why not share what's in my shower!!

 

 

Pureology hands down is my favorite line of hair products! I also like It's A Ten products as well! Pureology has zero sulfates with anti fade technology so my hair stays strong and vibrant. They stick by their products so much you can return them in 30 days for a money-back guarantee. Not sure though if anyone has ever done that! I use the "purple bottle" -- Hydrate. It's for dry, color-treated hair. I really need a lot of moisture now living in dryer weather and especially for my blond highlights! It has a light and clean smell to it. Pureology is not cheap, but it's WELL worth keeping my hair healthy!!

 

 

 

 

I love Mystic Tan products -- especially the exfoliator! This one was formally called Mystic Ready, but is now called the Base Exfoliator. Luckily in summer I get pretty dark, so I don't get spray or airbrush tanned too much. Though I LOVE a great airbrush tan! I use the product beforehand to get off the dead skin and get the most I can out of my tan. It contains aloe-vera, but of course not oils that will affect a perfect, sexy spray tan!

 

 

 

 

I think every woman has heard of Gillette's Venus razors. I have tried all the razors in this line, but hands down the Venus Embrace  one is my favorite! It has 5 blades and a couple ribbons that add extra moisture. Make sure you use shave gel! I have Skintimate. My legs always feel super smooth afterwards! As you can see there's another razor. I use just regular disposible ones and now I am hairless. I get laser hair removal in some areas, but there are always those last picky hairs!

 

 

And the last things in my shower are TONS of shower gels! I stock up at the beginning of the year with Bath and Body works has their Semi-Annual Sale. Anywhere from a light, crisp scent for the day or a stronger more seductive smell at night! It's fun having a variety feeling what mood I am in! Loofas too of course!

 

 

I'd love to hear what's in your shower! Open to suggestions and the latest products! 

 

 

xooxoxoxo

 

Michelle-Naomi