In this part of the world, the days are getting shorter. Kids went back to school this week. The vacation mentality has been put away for another year and regular activity and work shifts back into top gear.

All this can lead to increased stress levels. Don’t compound the problem by adding poor eating habits to the mix. Here are 4 healthy-eating tips that can help keep stress levels down:

1. Eat a good breakfast, including fruit, yogurt, whole grain cereals and wheat germ. For eat-and-run mornings, grab a low sugar cereal bar, cheese and juice box. Skipping breakfast increases stress levels, reduces concentration and often causes irritability or headaches.
2. Plan nutritious lunches by stocking up on vegetables, soups, humus, chili, etc. Whole grain rolls and wraps can be stored in the freezer and pulled out in the morning, nice and fresh for lunch.
3. Reduce caffeine drinks to no more than two per day. Stimulants can make you feel edgy. Try decaffeinated drinks, juice or water instead.
4. Avoid fad diets, which will undoubtedly increase stress levels. If you have to lose weight, use a balanced system of calorie reduction by eating less and exercising more.

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

As one of the “20 percent” that would qualify as a chronic procrastinator, I can say that there is a great deal of truth the points listed. For example,

Procrastination is not a problem of time management or of planning. Procrastinators are not different in their ability to estimate time, although they are more optimistic than others. “Telling someone who procrastinates to buy a weekly planner is like telling someone with chronic depression to just cheer up,” insists Dr. Ferrari.

If you’re frustrated by your inability to make time-management systems work, the problem my not be the system. If you are a serious procrastinator, you might need a behavioural approach to change things.

Read the article: Psychology Today: Procrastination: Ten Things To Know

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

There is a need to get children (and their parents) more physically active. Often, a barrier to physical activity is the costs associated with participating in a sport or recreational activity. Getting kids active doesn’t have to be cost prohibitive. Here some affordable and fun ways to get kids active so they can enjoy the benefits of exercise.

• Make physical activity a family affair by adding exercise to the daily routine. Instead of driving kids to school, map out a route you and your child can ride bicycles or walk to school.
• Instead of watching television after dinner, take your kids to the park and throw or kick a ball. Invite your children’s friends to come along and make a game of it!
• Choose activities that are fun for the whole family, such as outdoor hikes, nature walks, or bike rides. These activities will not only help kids get active, but are a great way for families to spend time together.
• Many local community centres have recreational programs for kids of all ages as well has having facilities that the whole family can use.
• Check out organized sports programs. All kids deserve the chance to play and benefit from sport and recreation. Families unable to afford the cost of an organized sport or recreational activity should look into local programs that provide financial support to help cover registration fees, transportation and equipment.

Turn off the television and unplug the video games. Get the whole family active this summer. Your heart will thank you.

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

Instead of sitting around moaning about our circumstances, we’re taking advantage of the break. We’re tackling a few jobs around the house and playing tourist in our city. And, seeing as I’m at home, I’m blogging more than I would have on the road.

As I’m sitting here, enjoying a coffee and taking it easy, I’m thinking about stress. We all have stress; there’s no way to avoid it. In fact, some degree of stress is a good thing. Just as the stress of weights during exercise can help build muscle, so life stress can build emotional, psychological or mental “muscle”.

Stress becomes a problem when it controls us. If you want to remain balanced, you need to manage the stress in your life.

How do you do that? Here are six secrets of stress management:

1. Know yourself: If you don’t have a clear sense of who you are and what you stand for, people and circumstances will try to shape you. Trying to be someone or something you’re not is stressful.
2. Set clear goals: Define what you want or need to do. If there’s a big, undefined task looming in your subconscious, you’re going to be stressed about not getting it accomplished. Setting clear goals allows you to see the end and set the steps toward reaching the goal. Just meeting each of the milestones leading to a completed task can go a long way to reducing stress.
3. Set your priorities: You can’t do everything all at once. You can set you goals and know the steps to reach those goals, but if you don’t know where to begin, you’re going to build stress. Figure out the priorities and you’ll know where to begin.
4. Set your focus: Once you know where to begin, focus on that task. If you try and focus on more than one thing at a time, all things will suffer.
5. Delegate: You can’t do it all yourself. You can plan a major project, set all the steps, plan dates for the deliverables and then stress over all that needs doing. Get the team involved. Even Jesus enlisted 12 disciples.
6. Relax: Take a break. Successful weight-trainers know, constant stress on the muscles will soon become counter-productive and even damaging. They know their muscles need to have periods of relaxation to get the best benefit from training. Stress can compound. You need to take breaks to relax and refresh, thereby coming back stronger.

Stress is never eliminated, but it can be managed and controlled. A few simple steps and you can make stress work to your advantage.

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

There is a good article on Ergonomics, as it relates to safe computer use, from the Mechanical Engineering Department at U.C. Berkeley. They list six ways to alleviate ergonomic-related strain.

1. When working on the computer for long hours, pay attention to tension, discomfort or pain you feel and take immediate action to relieve it.
2. Make sure you move away from your computer regularly. Just move around for a few minutes, stretch, and relax. This should be done at least once per hour.
3. Adjust your chair so your feet and back are firmly supported by the floor and seat back. You should lean back in your chair a little. Arm rests can be a nuisance; they can press on the elbow or prevent you from pulling your chair forward.
4. Position the monitor so the top is about at the level of your eyes and it is straight in front of you. It should be about an arm length away.
5. The keyboard should usually be at a low height, near the height of your elbows and the mouse should be right next to the keyboard. They can be higher if you have a padded surface to rest your forearms on.
6. Try different keyboards and mice – there are many designs on the market. Find the one that works best for you.

Read the entire article: ERGONOMICS: Safe Computer Use Tips

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

If things are feeling out of control, or you’re just looking for ways to improve your wellness, this is a good place to start. Some of the tips I found particularly helpful:

• Sleep: Don’t leave home without it
• How to stop unwanted thoughts
• Attitude is everything
• Dealing with difficult people
• Relaxation techniques

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

World’s Fattest Countries from Forbes.com. Canada is number 35.

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

1. Eat Breakfast Daily
2. Don’t Skip Meals
3. Savour Every Bite
4. Control Portions
5. Buddy Up (Support)
6. Set Realistic Goals
7. Get Active
8. Weigh In Regularly
9. Make Small Changes
10. Snack Smart
11. Eat Protein at Every Meal
12. Believe in Yourself

Tags: weight+loss, fatbloggers, dieting, health, fitness

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

Tags: weight+loss, fatbloggers, dieting, health, fitness

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!

Recommended: The Zen Habits Handbook for Life!