Ginger Tea

Sometimes despite our best efforts not to, we get sick. A good example would be me right now. So this will be quick.

Being stressed out can lead to a weakened immune system and get you sick more frequently, but whether stress caused your cold doesn't really matter once you have it. What matters is getting rid of it and ending the feelings of crappiness. Because being sick can be stressful on its own.

There are a million things out there to take to speed your recovery or prevent the cold from getting worse but one that I particularly like is something my dad makes at the first hint that someone in his house is getting sick. Its called ginger tea and its magical.

The ingredients are as follows:
A piece of fresh ginger about the size of my dad's thumb. If you do not know my dad, use another man's thumb for reference.
4-5 cups of water (or however much water fits into the teapot in which you will be steeping the tea)
about 2 tbsp lemon juice
honey to taste
2 big pinches of cayenne

According to dad some people add a scallion, but he doesn't so neither do I.

So here's what you do. Slice the ginger. Boil water and pour into teapot. Add all ingredients. Let it sit and steep for a five minutes or so. Then drink it all yourself. I'm not promising that you will be cured immediately of whatever ails you, but it sure will help with a cold. Feel better!

Holidaze

For a lot of people the holiday season is a big cause of stress. Trying to find time to buy gifts, inevitably leaving it to the last minute, not knowing what on earth to get your sister's brother in law who you have to get a present for, and oh my gosh we have aunts and uncles coming this year? Did I need to buy something for them too? Not to mention its the end of the year and work is crazy and everyone is ready to kill each other and you definitely need a vacation. And seriously if I have to hear that Wham Christmas song again I might vomit.
Ahh.... the holidays. They're good stuff.

But actually they kind of are! And there are things you can do to make them less stressful for you and the people around you.

First, drink. Water. I know have harped on this before but water is especially important around holiday time because often there is a lot of non-water drinking going on and alcohol makes you get dehydrated even faster than usual. But even if you're not drinking booze, be sure to stay hydrated!

Second, proceed as usual. Try and keep some of your daily routines undisturbed. Things like going to bed and getting up at your usual time can help make life seem less hectic.

And third, smile! It's Christmas, not the end of the world. Even if its driving you nuts, frowning and being angry about it wont help anything. And actually, smiling even when you're not that happy can trick your mind into cheering up. If you can't force it, try holding a pencil between your teeth. Seriously.

Day 4: Still bouncing

Although I still clearly need to upgrade to a bigger ball, I think this one is actually doing me some good! My back has been hurting a lot less this week. Of course, there could certainly be mitigating factors. For example, my boss is convinced my back pain is caused entirely by stress. Therefore, if my stress decreased this week as well (and it has a little, just by coincidence), maybe the decrease in pain is due to that. Whatever it is, I am sticking with my bouncy ball because its definitely not hurting. And its fun to bounce!

Day 2 of bouncing

I have learned how to slouch on the ball. This will have to be addressed. Also, I think I might need a bigger ball.

Bounciness Update

Due to a number of trips out of town and a nasty forgetfulness problem, this morning is my first morning on the bouncy yoga ball. But I have to tell you, its awesome! I've only be on it for 3.5 hours, but I can never sit in the same position for 3.5 hours. I am constantly leaning back, leaning forward, sitting crosslegged, putting my feet up and my laptop on my lap, etc. etc. But with this thing I have been sitting up, and occasionally bouncing a little for an entire morning! crazy! and worth sharing I think. So the first impression is a good one.

Classical

Something that helps me feel calm and happy, especially while I am working (or cleaning, which, in my view, is a form of work for sure), is listening to classical music. If you don't own much of it yourself, or you are listening at the office and dont have any of your own music there, this link is really good. Thanks, Fred, for introducing me to it.
Of the sites listed I have tried www.icebergradio.com which is really good. www.Beethoven.com, which, despite the name, plays music other than that composed by Beethoven, plays good stuff but has annoying commercials.

Get Up and Stretch

Hello Tuesday!
As I'm sure you know, its Less Stress in the Office Day. Sorry I bailed on destressing your office environment last Tuesday but I was out of the country and had limited access to the internets. In fact, I spent most of the day last Tuesday in a cold room in a rather uncomfortable chair working half in French (bonjour!), a language, btw, which I do not speak. But that's neither here nor there.

The point is that sometimes we have to work in conditions that are less than ideal. Perhaps we have been given a job but not all the tools to do it, or a deadline that seems impossible to meet, or a language we really don't speak. But its work, and its hard sometimes. As my Dad has pointed out to me in the past, that's why you get paid to do it. A good point, I think.

So how to reduce the stress that comes with infuriating work tasks. There are lots of things you can do, but today we are just going to focus on one that is fast and easy. It won't change the task at hand, but hopefully it will change your outlook.

1. Get up from your desk.
2. Stand with your feet together, shoulders back, and head held high.
3. Inhale through your nose as you bring your hands out to the sides and then up as high as you can over your head.
4. Stretch stretch stretch up!
5. Exhale as you drop your arms, head and body reaching down towards the floor.
6. With your head hanging loose down by your knees, grab your elbows and just hang there for 30 seconds or so. Don't forget to breathe!
7. Now go back to whatever you were doing.

Note: Just to state the obvious, if there is any reason you think you cannot or should not do this then don't. Maybe do a different stretch that you can do instead.

The Food Channel and Golf

Generally I am against TV. Mostly because I love it. I wouldn't be against it if I were better at turning it off, but I'm not, so I am. And in general I don't think it counts as a particularly healthy stress reducer. But there's an exception to every rule.

I was talking to Kara the other night about the food channel and how i find watching the food channel to be very calming and she said, "you should blog about that." And I think she was right. So here I am.

Sometimes on a Sunday afternoon and its rainy and nasty out and you don't have anything in particular you need to do and you just want to chill. Lie on the couch. Be lazy. Do nothing. Drift in and out of sleep. Well let me tell you, the food channel and golf are heaven to me when I am in that mood.

I find both watching people play golf and people cooking strangely relaxing. Golf usually has those announcers who talk nice and slow (because if you're a golf announcer you better talk slow because it goes on forever) and in low voices because you can't disturb the golfers. And I can drift in and out of sleep and still follow the game without feeling like I have missed much. Of course, if you follow professional golf with great interest this may not be as relaxing for you (although, I swear, some of those announcers have voices that are hypnotic). If that's the case, might I suggest the Food Network?

Once again, totally soothing! Its harder for me to put my finger on why. Maybe its because for me cooking, especially cooking that doesn't involve pasta or eggs, is challenging. And even stressful. But on TV its effortless. Everything is measured out. No one has to do the dishes. Nothing comes out burned or overcooked. Its like a magical land! mmm.... I feel content just thinking about.

So that's my tip. Next time you are in need of doing nothing for a little while (which is an important stress reduction tool!), but you're brain isn't quite ready to turn off for a full on nap, try golf or food. On TV.

PS. If you attempt to cook any of the things on the food network I am certain it loses all of its stress relieving capabilities.

Ripping Off the Band-aid

I woke up this morning and my teeth were clenched. I hate that. I hate it because then I know I have been grinding my teeth in the middle of the night. And what causes that? Stress. Obvi.

So as I relaxed my jaw I tried to get rid of my stress. What happened to be stressing me this morning was a decision I had been putting off making. It was one of those decisions where no option seemed to stand out as the right one, and I didn't want to make a choice I regretted. Option 1: Give up something fun, but have more time for everything else. Option 2: Do everything. Or rather, go crazy trying.

So I went ahead and made a choice. It doesn't matter which I picked. The point is that agonizing over deciding was causing way more angst than either decision would have caused. So I had to just make up my mind. And we'll see what happens, but hopefully I wont grind my teeth tonight.

My point is, don't put off things that stress you out. That won't make them go away. Instead it just gives you something ruminate about (ruminate on? I don't know.) And you end up extending the stressiness. Just go ahead and rip off the band-aid.

Point number two is, if you grind your teeth at night its a good thing you're reading this blog because that means you are trying to relieve your stress and that should definitely help. (Well, either that or you're related to me. Hi Mom and Dad!)

Note: If you do grind your teeth you can also get help from your dentist. And going to the dentist is always a good thing.

Flying

I am about to get on plane to Canada and while I don't feel particularly stressed about it at the moment, I imagine I will as soon as we hit that first bit of turbulence. but I can't blog from the air so I figured I might as well cover this ahead of time.

Even if flying doesn't bother you, airports can be stressful places these days. Racing to catch flights, long security lines, delays, cancellations, etc. It's generally not fun.

So Medium Wellness has some air travel stress relief tips to help get through the inevitable pain in the ass of traveling.

1. Bring something good to read. Distractions are key. If you have a good book time waiting for a flight (and time on the flight) can go by a lot faster.

2. Don't dwell on things you can't control. No matter how much you may think you would do a better job running the airlines than people who are doing it now, the chances are they probably aren't going to let you take over. In fact, there really isn't going to be anything you can do to change air traffic patterns. So why get angry about it? Instead, focus on things you can change, like your attitude. It might be hard to do, but if you decide the flight delay isn't going to get you down you just might be right.

3. If turbulence freaks you out, do your breathing. Focus on inhaling slowly and then exhaling slowly. Keep doing this. This will help relax your body and also gives you something to think about besides the bouncing of the plane.

Giggle wiggles

It would be hard to find a better stress reliever than laughter. You can feel stress lifting right away when you laugh really hard. In fact, Laughing Yoga is spreading rapidly these days as an effective stress reducer.

But in case you haven't found the laughing yoga class nearest you (or don't have time for yoga because you're too stressed out) here is something to get you started laughing on your own. Have a great weekend!

Sitting Up

I have been actively grateful this week and it's been wonderful. There are so many things to be happy about!

One thing I am happy about today is that it's Tuesday! Less Stress in the Office Day! Yeehaw.

Today's office stress reducer is posture. What is your posture like right this second as you're reading this post? Are you slumped? Well stop! Sit up straight. That's better.

Poor posture leads to poor breathing. Your lungs get all smushed up and the volume of air you breathe in is less. And making full use of your lungs is important to feeling good. When you sit up straight you can make full use of your lungs. And, as you already know, breathing properly is one of the most important things you can do to reduce stress.

In addition to helping you breathe, good posture can help your state of mind. When you sit up straight - head up, shoulders back (or, as the theater folks put it, "Ass under! Tits out!") you look and feel better.

So I know that sometimes it feels tiring to sit up straight. But that's because we don't do it enough. So try and be conscious of your posture. You're back will feel better. You will look better. And your body will get all the air it is supposed to be getting.

If you really have trouble and are in the market for a new desk chair I know a couple of people who swear by this. They aren't expensive so why not give it a try. I have one at home that I am going to bring into the office. I will report back in a couple weeks.

Desserts....

is stressed spelled backwards. Some people might say that this means nothing, but I thought it was important to throw it out there.

Things to be thankful for

I haven't been writing much over that past few days due to travel and thanksgiving and general hecticness but I did want to briefly chime in for a thanksgiving-related note.

I know I have already touched on how important I think it is to say thank you, but being thankful is slightly different, and it deserves attention.

So that's the tip. Be grateful for all the good things in your life. Sometimes you might have to remind yourself. So do! Gratitude reduces stress.

Gratitude is something that has been recognized as an important aspect of health, wellness, and overall wellbeing by many knowledgeable people. Including Buddha. Seriously. And who's going to argue with Buddha? If Buddha doesn't do it for you, scientific research has also shown the importance of gratitude. One study concluded that "grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress."

Today I am feeling grateful for family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving.

CrazyTown

This week my office has been a little something I like to call CrazyTown. Things are nuts here. Things got shaken up unexpectedly and now people are all over the place. Emotionally. Not physically. Anyway, people are angry, worried, stressed, unmotivated - wow, when I put it like that it sounds really bad. But the point is, it's a stressful environment.

So what to do about it. There are a couple things you can do but today's tip focuses on just one. And that is to let it go when you get home.

If you want to talk about it a little and get it off your chest, of course, do that. That can help too. But don't dwell. Don't let work stress invade your home life. Let home be a placec where you can feel relaxed. When you're done doing what you need to do for work focus on something completely unrelated. Exercise. Make a delicious dinner. Meditate. Read a book. Even watch TV (I am pretty convinced TV is bad for your soul but maybe that's just my personal issue of liking it a little too much which is neither here nor there). Anything that can let you escape. Then get a good night's sleep and you can go back to your own personal CrazyTown with a refreshed and positive attitude, and maybe even a new perspective on how to make things less crazy.

Tuesday!

Happy Less Stress in the Office Day!
Today's tip is an easy one. It may seem obvious but people don't always stick to it.

Be nice to everyone in your office. Don't be fake, just be pleasant. Smile and say hi to people and ask how they are doing. It's so easy and it can have lasting effects. Just trust me on this one. Pleasant offices are less stressful.

This video has nothing to do with being nice, it just makes me smile.

3 Things to do in Traffic Jams

Recently traffic has been coming up in conversation a lot in my life. Apparently it causes people a fair amount of stress. Understandable. But the thing about traffic is there's nothing you can do about it. So why let it drive you nuts. Yesterday I was in the car in traffic with my sister and she was just as relaxed as can be. And it was lovely! So today's list is things you can do to prevent traffic from stressing you out.

1. Leave early. Anticipate the traffic if its rush hour traffic that you know for a fact will be there. If you plan to be sitting in traffic you wont be stressing about how late it is making you.

2. If you are with someone else in the car, talk about happy things. When Pete and I get stuck in traffic we talk about how the traffic compares to other traffic, and whether it's any good. If its really bumper to bumper its pretty much the best traffic ever. Its totally dorky but it makes us laugh and forget to be annoyed. Alternatively, you can list wonderful things. For example, hammocks, foot rubs, puppies, etc. Really whatever floats your boat.

3. If you're alone then breathe! Focus on doing diaphragmatic breathing - this means when you inhale your belly expands and when you exhale your belly contracts. Breathe in for a count of 3 and feel your belly fill with air. Then breathe out for a count of five and feel your belly deflate. Not only is this sort of breathing good to help calm you down, focusing on the breathing and the counting will get your mind off of the traffic and onto relaxation!

So go! sit in traffic! Enjoy!

Public Service Announcement

Chronic Stress can lead to a weakened immune system. That's one of the reasons you may find you tend to get sick right after a couple of super busy stressful weeks has gone by. Of course, I am a proponent of protecting yourself from stress, but here is something else we all can do. Big high five to Amanda for finding this...

Organization day!

It's Tuesday! So, as usual, today's post has to do with creating a stress-free office life. If you're an exceptionally neat and organized person, I should warn you that this does not apply to you.

The other day I worked at my coworker's desk because he was out of the office for the day and I was doing a project with his office-mate. Once we had finished I stayed there and continued working. I had a million things to do, and somehow working at his super clean and organized desk made everything seem a little more manageable. Needless to say, my desk is generally not super clean and organized (that's a picture of it - in my brain everything is extremely organized, it just doesn't translate to the desk, sadly). I like to have all the different things I am working on out and in front of me. but if I am working on 5 different projects, things can get a little cluttered. I am also not to good at throwing things away. But my experience at Evan's desk made me realize that cleaning it up from time to time could make life seem more manageable.

So... today's office tip is to clean up! Take 10 minutes and clear your desk. File things. Throw things away. Maybe even wipe down the surface with some Formula 409.

Don't get me wrong, you'll mess it up again tomorrow (and by you will I mean I will), but if you give yourself this organization time once a week the million things you have going on at work will not feel quite stressful and out of control.

Here is the after picture of my desk. I have already given myself a pat on the back.

Naps Make You Smarter

I am going to take a nap today. I think everyone should. Naps have been shown to improve your memory. That might make you less stressed because you won't have to worry about being forgetful. The other thing about naps is they let you relax a little in the middle of the day. And memory or not that is sure to help with stress. And before you start saying you don't have time to take a nap, let me just tell you that naps increase productivity too!
So let's all do it. It'll be awesome.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Blood and Guts

Happy Halloween! This post has nothing to do with blood, but it does have to do with guts. i just added the blood because I feel like blood and guts are festive in a Halloween-y way. Anyway, the American Institute of Stress's November newsletter is entitled "Stress and the Gut: Mind over Matter?"

The newsletter is quite long, so let me sum up. Basically, digestion stops working properly when the body is under stress. The body focuses on the processes that are essential to life when you're stressed out and turns off those that are not. So normal digestive activity gets messed with. In addition, the gut is directly connected to the brain has almost every hormone and neurotransmitter that the brain has. As such it is very sensitive to things like feeling anxious or nervous.

What it all boils down to is that stress can cause and/or aggravate all sorts of stomach problems - from acid reflux to IBS.

This is all just another reason to reduce the stress in your life. So take a nice slow breath in. And let it out nice and slow. Because things get crazy sometimes, and sometimes stress is unavoidable. But even if you can't avoid it you can always control how you handle it. So don't forget to breath.

One Minute Dance Party

Its Tuesday! I am working from home today but that doesn't mean that it isn't still Less Stress in the Office Day. Hopefully everyone at my office is having a wonderful and not so stressed out day.

I wish I could take credit for it but today's tip actually originates in an episode of 30 Rock. They have a one minute dance party in the office in one of the first episodes. Anyway, it was a fantastic idea and thus we have adopted the strategy in our office in downtown nyc.

If you have a way to play music, and a watch, you can do this one. At around 3 in the afternoon, or whenever it is that you are totally starting to fade and lose all motivation to be productive, or you can do it when things are really starting to get hectic and you are feeling overwhelmed. It'll only take a minute.

Get up from your desk, turn on some music and dance for one minute. And I mean seriously rock out. Shake your butt, wave your arms, move your feet, jump up and down. Just for a minute. Then turn off the music and sit back down. That's it.

In case you aren't sure what song to dance to, this is one my personal favorites (courtesy of Helen. Thanks Helen!)


Enjoy!

Ugh.

Today I ate too much at lunch. Now I am uncomfortably full. I am pretty sure that I would feel a whole lot better if I had had a slightly smaller lunch.

So today's suggestion is one that I hope to follow tomorrow to avoid feeling icky like this again - don't eat fast. Fast eating can cause indigestion, and lead to feeling overly full (because your body's fullness receptors don't kick in until you have already eaten too much) and gross and like you would rather nap than work.

But if you do happen to find yourself in my situation, try focusing on slowing down your breathing for 5-10 minutes. I just did it for 5 and it made me feel infinitely better. Slowing down your breathing engages your relaxation response, and your digestion activates when you're relaxing. So breathing should help move things along.

Alternatively, you could rub your belly for a while. I don't known that it helps but it sure feels nice.

The Push-up Race

Happy Tuesday! Once again it is Less Stress in the Office Day, or whatever I decided to call it last week. Today's time tested office technique (wow, unintentional alliteration) is the Push-up Race.

Exercise is clearly one of the best ways to relieve stress. There's just no arguing about that. People who exercise regularly are generally more balanced than people who don't. That said, I am terrible at exercising. I don't make the time to do it, and for the most part, when I do do it, I don't enjoy it. I am certain the runner's high is a myth created by Nike.

But I have felt a little something good after finishing other sorts of exercise. For example, when I am feeling energetic and I do my yoga video it is pretty painful during, but afterwards it feels great (By the way, this dvd is really good and recommended by my yoga instructor friend. If you are looking to do yoga in your home I recommend this).

The point of all this is the push-up race.

Today I will race against Fred. First, it is important to even the playing field. In this example fred will be doing one-armed push-ups and I will be doing girl push-ups (on my knees). We have found out this is the most fair because I am quite slow (but getting faster).

Then race to 20. First one there wins. Count out loud.

What good will this do you? You will get up from your desk for a second and get your blood going. You will think about something other than work. You might even laugh. And, if you do this with some regularity you might actually improve your upper body strength. All good things.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Salute to the MTA: The Importance of Thank You

No one ever thanks the MTA. You hear plenty about how crowded the subways are, or how slow, or how much people don't like their commute, but no one ever says "Thanks, MTA! I got to work on time today!" or "Thanks a bunch for being way cheaper and faster than a cab ride!" or "Thank you MTA! I got a seat and it was wonderful!" Nope. I am willing to bet that the thanks they get are few and far between.

So I am here to say thank you. As an accidental participant in the customer service world I have come to see that complaints are a lot more common than compliments, and that can get pretty stressful. But frankly, for all the crap you put up with (like people holding the doors open and throwing trash everywhere), you guys at the MTA do a good job. You're not always perfect, but who is? You clearly work hard. So thanks!!

See how easy that was?

This brings me to the tip of the day. Say Thank You! And throw a smile in there too if you can. Say it whenever someone does something nice for you just like your mom taught you when you were 3. The same rules apply now. Not only will saying thank you lead to happier less stressed out people everywhere, I am pretty sure the world would be a better place if people used those 2 words a little bit more.

The Water Competition

Tuesday at Medium Wellness is "Less Stress in the Office Day." This means every Tuesday I will share one of the many stress reduction methods we use in my office here in nyc. I promise that everything I recommend will be a tried and true (and healthy - so going to the bar, while it may be effective - and we definitely do it here - doesn't count) by the folks here at my company.

This weeks tip is the water competition.

You need at least 2 people. And water. So if you work alone, sorry, you'll just have to play against an imaginary friend. Here's what to do. First, you and your coworker each get a water bottle. Any size will do, you just have to know how many fluid ounces it holds. Actually, its better if they are different sizes, especially if you sit near each other because that makes it tougher to know who is winning. So for instance, today I will be using a 14oz. Nalgene and Fred will be using a 33 oz. Poland Spring bottle (I clearly deserve bonus points for caring more about the environment but there are no bonus points in this game. oh well)

Second, fill your bottles.

Third, start drinking. Don' refill until you have completely finished the bottle. Then be sure to fill it all the way up. No point in cheating in this particular competition.

Fourth, keep a tally of how many bottles of water you drink throughout the day. At the end of the day, whoever has consumed more water total wins! Here we play for pride and bragging rights and just in the spirit of general dorkiness, but if you want to play for something else, that's totally your call. The rules are not set in stone.

Anyway, no matter who wins you will spend the day very hydrated (be prepared to have to pee a lot) and that is good for you! Hopefully it will also help you to remember to hydrate yourself on non-competing days as well.

The New York Times Said So....

...so it must be true!

But seriously, in the new NYT health blog "Well" friday's post was about stress. Since all of the posts here are about stress (in one way or another) its nice to see that the Times agrees that its a worthy focus point.

They also recommend the book "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" by Robert Sapolsky, and I think that is a fantastic call. It's a great description of how stress affects all of the body's systems and its a fun read - not too scientific, but he doesn't over simplify either.

Side note: Zebras are effing amazing looking! I would like to visit Africa.

Its a been a couple of weeks since I posted and what was the reason? Stress. Not anxiety-ish stress where I cant fall asleep at night because something is worrying me, but rather too-much-to-do-and-no-time-to-relax stress and so things I care about start to be taken for granted.

Often the first things that get knocked off the to do list when we have a lot going on is time for exercise and time for relaxation (and apparently blogging. oops). But this is exactly the opposite of what we should do. If you make the time for 15 minutes of relaxation a day - whether its meditating, or going for a quick run, doing breathing exercises, or even stretching - you will actually be more productive and feel better at the end of a long day.

Some ways to fit relaxation in:
- relax on the subway (if you can get a seat) or the train. Listen to music that relaxes you and focus on breathing slowly over the course of the ride. It may not seem like the most relaxing setting but it works for me.

- relax for 15 minutes before bed. Before bed is a great time to relax since you're headed to sleep anyway. Turn off the TV, get off the phone, stop talking to your roommate or husband or whoever, and just take 15 minutes to be calm.

- break it into 5 minute segments. You don't have to do all your relaxation at once. It still counts if you break it up. At my job I hear a lot of people say "I don't have 15 minutes!" And I know they really are busy. But 5 minutes here and there? Everyone can do that if they decide they want to. And don't forget, it will actually improve your focus and productivity during the rest of your busy busy day.

- put it on the actual list. If you actually have a To Do list like I do, add it. And then cross it off once you have done your relaxation. Anything that helps you to make it a part of the routine...

Turns out sleep IS good for you

In case there was any doubt in your mind about whether sleeping more is better than sleeping less, a study at University of Warwick and University College London with over 10,000 participants has pretty much cleared that up. Basically what they found is that people who went from sleeping about 7 hours a night to about 5 hours a night doubled their chances of dying from a heart problem.

So I know sometimes when you're busy sleep is the first thing to get knocked off the To Do list, but keep it on there. Being well rested will lead to more productivity, a better attitude toward the things that are stressing you out, and, apparently, less dying.

Stretch

Try stretching for 10 minutes before bed every night. It should make it a little easier to fall asleep. Do it for a week and see how it feels.

Actually, if you really want to make it a habit, do it for 3 weeks straight. According to my dentist, it takes 21 days (and you have to do whatever the action is every day) to form a habit. And he seems like a pretty knowledgeable guy. While we are on the subject of my dentist, flossing is important, too. You can floss right before you stretch!

Stretching relieves muscle tension, improves blood flow, and reduces stress. And, if you stretch every day, you'll get more flexible. Who knows, maybe some day you'll be able to do a split! and that would be cool, too.

The picture above is my favorite stretch. In yoga its called pigeon postion and it feels awesome. Here's how to do it.

Of course, always be careful when you're stretching. Don't push yourself too hard or do anything that feels painful.

Things to be happy about on Monday

I feel like, for the most part, people don't like Monday. Eff that. Why not start the week off being happy? So here are the top 5 things to be happy about on Monday.

1. Monday is a day for starting over. You can have a completely new attitude this week and it will be awesome.
2. This particular Monday is one day deeper into September which means it is one day closer to fall which is a lovely season and a time for wearing sweaters. This makes me happy.
3. You have renewed energy to do all the tasks you so couldn't bring yourself to do on Friday.
4. And for things that are hard to do, you have a whole week ahead of you to work on them. no rushing on Monday.
5. And of course, you get to hear about your coworkers weekends in the morning. This can be interesting, and, if nothing else, is a wonderful procrastination tool.

So happy Monday!

What is so healthy about being a smoker

Take a five minute break and go outside. This is why smokers are healthy. I mean, smoking isn’t healthy. Don't get me wrong. But taking a cigarette break is. Take 5-7 minutes and go outside. Even better, go outside and focus on your breathing and not thinking about work for those 5-7 minutes! Just be away from your desk and your computer. Looking at blogs does not count as a break. Sorry.

There's all sorts of research that shows that people are more productive when they take breaks. I know, you're too busy. but really, you're not. I promise it will improve your mood and your productivity and probably a lot of other things.

Note: In case it wasn't clear, this post is not meant to be an endorsement of smoking cigarettes. That's bad for you. And my official stance is don't do it (but man do smokers look cool).

The hot bath

Take a hot bath. This wellness tip is old school. It comes straight from my mamma, a healthy, and relaxed, and lovely woman. She is all about the bath. And when I freak out about something stressful or overwhelming in my life, she reminds me to take a bath. So if you have one. Clean it. And then use it. It feels good.

(as far as I know there have not been any studies backing up the stress-relieving properties of the hot bath. But to be fair, I haven't looked . If I find one, I will post it.)

3. Remember to breathe

Often we forget to breathe. It may sound ridiculous but we do. So just try to become more conscious of your breathing. Especially when you are stressed out or upset, but really any time. Just pay attention to it and slow it down. Breathe in for 4 seconds and out for 5.
Focus on that instead of whatever stressful thought was just running through your head.
Focus on your breathing while you're driving to work.
While you're talking on the phone.
While you're sitting in a meeting.
Focus on it whenever it occurs to you. Breathing is important after all.

Thats it for this one for now.

2. Walk

This guy is walking a dinosaur. Some people have dogs to take for walks. But for those of us who don’t (or those of us who wish we did but live in teeny apartments that barely fit 2 people and would certainly not fit a dog as well), we should walk anyway.

You can take the stairs instead of the elevator at work (if you work on a reasonably low floor, clearly. Don’t go nuts), or get off the subway one stop early and walk the rest of the way to work. I actually did this yesterday morning. I learned a couple things. 1. If you’re going to get off the subway early, do it on a day you’re wearing comfortable shoes. 2. My purse is effing heavy.

Note: If you don’t live in a big city where walking is often a reasonable option that doesn’t mean you should skip this one. Walk 10 or 15 minutes down the road and then turn around and come back. You can do it while you’re talking on the phone to someone instead of sitting on the couch. That way you're just fitting it into your life.

Remember, walking is good for you.

1. Water

Seriously. Drink water.

By the time you start to feel thirsty you are already slightly dehydrated. So drink water. Keep a water bottle on your desk. Refill it every time you are bored, or need a break, or its empty.

Times to drink water:
Whenever you eat.
Before and after (and during) exercise.
Definitely when you're drinking alcohol.

It doesn't take a lot of time and its easy to fit into your routine. And if the Mayo Clinic says to do it then its probably a good idea.

Cake for dinner

I remember very clearly the moment I realized I could have cake for dinner. Helen and I were walking through the west village and she pointed it out to me. "You know what's wonderful about being a grown-up? You can eat cake for dinner if you want." Amazing! and absolutely correct. She had, in fact has cake for dinner just the night before. And it was awesome.

The thing about cake for dinner, is that it represents the good stuff and the bad stuff all at once. It represents independence and a belief in doing whatever makes you happy. Actually, thats pretty much all it represents. But if you were to eat cake for dinner every night, and you can if you want to when you're a grown-up and its kind of awesome, then that would represent an indifference to how all that cake might be affecting you down the road. Not that anyone eats cake every night. Maybe someone does. But the point is that sometimes we form habits in the interest of saving time, or having a good time, or because we feel indestructible. And those habits may actually be harming us.

Don't get me wrong. I am not against the principle of cake for dinner. That's not what this site is about. This site is about finding the balance in between cake for dinner every night, and no cake at all. Or, more generally, fitting wellness into your busy, crazy, hectic, fun life. Without drastically changing your way of life. Or becoming a health nut. Or even joining the gym (if you want to join the gym, though, thats cool too).

This site is for people who want to be a bit healthier than they are. Whether you work 100 hours a week, or spend every night out with your friends at the bars, or every night awake with the kids who just wont sleep, you dont have time to take care of you. Its just not the top priority. Here you will find tips and ideas - little things you can do to improve your mental and physical wellbeing. Nothing too time consuming, and you can take it or leave it. But hopefully over time, if you try these things out you'll notice that you feel more energetic, more positive, and maybe even feel like you have more time for doing the things you love.

One more thing I should note - I am just figuring all this stuff out for myself. So bear with me. I'll try everything I suggest. We'll see what happens...