Naturally Beating Stress!!!

Circuit breaker

Get your mind off the problem, it's not going anywhere, but you can. Take the dog for a mini walk. Revisit your funniest emails. Listen to your favourite song. Google a beach in Tahiti. Make your self a cup of herbal tea.

Avoid caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant that increases adrenaline in the body, the very hormone you are looking to reduce. Avoid coffee (decaf is OK), colas, guarana, chocolate, and more than 2 cups of tea daily.

Eat small meals often

Maintaining steady blood sugar levels is key to stabilizing mood. Ensure you have a small meal every 2-3 hours that contains protein. For example, a hard-boiled egg and lettuce, 10-12 almonds, a small can of tuna and brown rice.

Herbs for stress

Herbs that calm include passionflower, St. John's wort, kava, oats, damiana, chamomile. Those that reduce the effects of stress on the body include Licorice, Siberian ginseng, rhodiola and withania.

Breathe

The more anxious you become, breathing becomes shallower and higher in the chest. Consciously lengthen your breath, breathing deeper into the belly. Count to three on the in-breath, and four on the out-breath.

Talk to yourself

Affirmations are positive, self-affirming messages to self. In the case of anxiety, calming and positive is required. Try "All will be well", or "I always cope, just breathe and relax".

Tell someone who cares

Phone your mum or a friend. Acknowledging you are finding a situation stressful, and being heard and understood by someone who cares for you, even if they can't physically help, will reduce stress levels.

Aromatherapy

The sense of smell bypasses the cognitive brain (the bit that does the worrying). Light some incense e.g. nag champa or sandalwood. Burn some aromatherapy oils such as lavender or rose. Or just wear your favourite perfume or cologne.

Cocooning

In the moment you feel totally overwhelmed, gently place both palms side by side on your face, fingers gently resting on your closed eyelids. This cocoons and quietens the mind, until you feel more centred and ready to face the world again.

TUDCA - THE BENEFITS ARE ENDLESS!

LAXOGENIN - RECOVERY & GROWTH...NATURALLY!

Laxogenin, known chemically as 5 Alpha Hydroxy Laxogenin, is a naturally occurring plant based steroidal sapogenin found in Smilax Sieboldii - a plant related to asparagus that is native to China & Japan. 

Laxogenin promotes growth and vitality in plants and posseses a similar anabolic/androgenic ratio to the popular oral anabolic steroid, Anavar.

What Does It Do?

Laxogenin directly increases protein synthesis and nitrogen retention, while simultaneously decreasing protein breakdown and inhibiting the stress hormone, cortisol. As such, Laxogenin helps create the ideal anabolic environment for improving body composition; increasing muscle mass and decreasing body fat.

Laxogenin has been anecdotally reported to rapidly increase strength, increase muscle growth and recovery, and improve resistance to fatigue.

Importantly, although Laxogenin is a plant based steroid, it does not act via hormonal pathways in the human body and does not interfere with natural hormone production. In particular, it has no effect on the hypothalamus-pituitary-testicular-axis or estrogen levels, nor does it suppress luteinizing hormone like many popular anabolic steroids. Furthermore it does not put excess strain on the liver!

QUICK TIPS TO START YOUR DAY RIGHT!

Work, eat, sleep, shuttle kids, take dog to vet, gym, work, eat, sleep. Sound familiar?  We all get caught in the daily grind but here are a few tips to start your day off right!

• Make sure you stay properly hydrated by drinking water and liquids throughout the day. But let thirst be your guide - drinking too much water can actually do more harm than good by flushing important nutrients from your system. Also remember that alcohol and caffeine can actually dehydrate you.

• Don't skip breakfast. If you do this, you start off the day on the wrong foot. Have something quick and healthy, which takes no time to prepare, like yogurt and muesli and fresh fruit.

• Take that multivitamin! This doesn't mean you shouldn't eat your five fruit and veg a day, but it is preferable to not getting any vitamins at all.

• Ditch the fast food breakfasts. Yes, they are fast and they fill a gap when you are on the run, but they all contain enormous amounts of fat, very little fiber, and bluntly put, they clog up your digestive system and your arteries. If you are hungry and on the run, opt for yogurt, granola or fresh fruit.

Breathe and Breathe deeply. Do this regularly and you will decrease your stress levels as you provide your body with more much-needed oxygen!

MIND RACING? - 4 NATURAL WAYS TO RELAX!

We’ve all had nights when we lie awake in bed, unable to quiet our racing thoughts. There are plenty of reasons why sleep may be evading you—maybe you had caffeine too late in the afternoon, for example, or you’ve been staring at your laptop screen for hours and haven’t given yourself time to wind down before bed.

These are things to keep in mind for improving future nights of sleep, of course. But what if it’s too late to make those changes tonight, and you’re already paying the wide-awake consequences? Or what if you’ve done everything “right” leading up to bedtime, and you still find yourself tossing and turning?

It can be difficult to quiet those racing thoughts, but there are some tricks that may help your brain override rumination so you can drift off to sleep. Here are a few to try next time insomnia strikes.

• Get out of bed | Staying in bed and trying to make yourself fall asleep is a bad idea, says Cormac O’Donovan, MD, associate professor of neurology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, because it may train your brain to associate your bed and your bedroom with insomnia and worries—which will only make the problem worse over time. Instead, if you lie awake for more than 20 to 30 minutes, get out of bed and do something else.

• Read a book—but nothing too exciting | You can’t stop your brain from thinking, but you can distract it by focusing on something neutral. Since digital screens can further disrupt sleep, it's recommends analog distractions whenever possible—like reading a physical book.

• Try soothing sounds | Download an app or consider buying a white noise machine to make those sounds you miss or love. They might help create an environment that’s more conducive to sleep. They may even trigger memories of more relaxing times, and help take your mind off of whatever’s worrying you in the moment!

• Focus on your breathing | Another way to quiet your thoughts can be through simple breathing exercises. Your mind is surely going to wander back to other things, but the important thing is to keep bringing it back to your breathing, in and out. Deep, slow breathing can also slow your heart rate, which can be helpful if you’re anxious or worked up about something specific.

Everyone has a sleepless night once in a while, but if you find that your thoughts are keeping you up on a regular basis, it’s time to talk to your doctor. A medical professional can help you evaluate whether any current medications or lifestyle habits are contributing to your insomnia and can also offer some solutions!

KNOCKING OUT WORKPLACE STRESS!

At work, as in life, there are many things that we cannot control.  While some stress is a normal part of work life and moderate amounts of stress can be stimulating, excessive stress can interfere with productivity and affect your physical and emotional health. The better you are at managing your own stress, the better you will perform at your job! 

1. See the big picture

Ask your boss what are your key deliverables. Be clear about your job objectives and how you can add value to your department. Don’t get bogged down by your various tasks, but prioritise and do one task at a time.

2. Take time out

Have a relaxing chat with your colleague or friend, have a stretch at the photocopy machine or head out to buy a snack. Getting a breath of fresh air will help you to cool off your feelings of stress, anger or irritation.

3. Don’t smoke, eat or have caffeine to de-stress

Nicotine is a powerful stimulant which can lead to higher, not lower, levels of anxiety. Coffee contains caffeine which can raise levels of the stress hormone cortisol. It also has a mild addictive effect. To relax your mind, drink less coffee and breathe! Stress may also make you reach for junk food, such as potato chips or doughnuts which are high caloric snacks. Where possible, try to reduce snacking. When you really must snack, eat healthily and stock up your work desk with healthy alternatives, such as:

• Soy chips
• Small packets of nuts and dried fruits like raisins
• Whole wheat crackers
• Fruits and vegetables

4. Escape for an instant

Think of one instance in your life when you were happy and relaxed. Hold that image in your mind for at least one minute. Keep a postcard or cut-out image of your favourite landscape on your wall and look at it when you are stressed.

5. Don’t be a hero

If you over-commit by taking on too many projects with unrealistic deadlines, you will not only lose credibility at work but you will also stress yourself out unnecessarily. If you can delegate or share the responsibility for some projects, go ahead.

6. Get enough rest

Give your body the sleep it needs – at least seven to nine hours a night. Your stress levels will drop when you are well rested and you will be able to take on your job challenges with more composure.

7. Get adequate exercise

Regular exercise is not only important in keeping you physically healthy but it also promotes mental well-being. Exercise produces endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that act as natural painkillers, leading to improved sleep and reduced stress levels. 

8. Don’t be so hard on yourself

Much of our stress is self-imposed. Most of us set targets regarding desired salaries or positions on the corporate ladder. When we don’t achieve our targets, we get stressed and depressed. Recognize that success is in the eye of the beholder, and that ambitions take time, opportunity and, often, luck to materialize.