April is National Stress Awareness Month and most of us are experiencing increasing stress levels. We know we should reduce our level of stress, but it can seem too hard to do when we’re just trying to keep up with everything we have to do. Here are some tips that can help you manage your stress.

1. Take 5 slow, deep breaths whenever you feel tense.
2. Get some exercise each day to boost your energy level and improve your mood.
3. Make time for relaxation. Listen to music, work in the garden, play with a pet, or do something else you enjoy.
4. Keep things in perspective. Look for the humor in situations.
5. Stretch and massage tight muscles to work out tension.
6. Talk with a trusted friend instead of keeping frustrations bottled up.
7. Plan and prioritize each day’s activities and be realistic about what you can achieve.
8. Surround yourself with positive, supportive people.
9. Look on mistakes and difficult situations as opportunities for growth.
10. Learn to accept change and be flexible.

• Review store ads and clip coupons.
• Make a shopping list and stick to it.
• Eat before you go. Don’t shop hungry.
• Try store brands.
• Buy in-season fruits and vegetables.
• Stock up on sale items.
• Buy in bulk when it’s a good value.

The key to weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight is to properly balance the calories you take in with the calories you use up in physical activity. This does not mean you should exercise more and starve yourself. “Fuel” in the form of food is required to grow and strengthen your muscles. Exercise without enough fuel puts a body in starvation mode, in which your body starts to store fat and you don’t gain muscle. This would halt your progress toward weight loss or muscle gain.

Here are some tips if losing weight is your goal.

1. Pump up your exercise program by getting more exercise whenever possible.
2. Keep a journal in which your write down EVERYTHING you eat and drink, along with the calories. Food journals are great tools that allow you to see where small changes within your diet will benefit your overall health.
3. Maintain an exercise log.
4. Instead of thinking about dieting, make a lifetime commitment to eat foods that are low in calories, fat, and suger, and high in fiber.
5. Work on managing stress so you don’t respond to it by overeating.
6. Set realistic short- and long-term weight-loss goals, and plan nonfood rewards for meeting each of them.
7. Drink plenty of water daily. Many people feel hungry when they’re actually thirsty.
8. Try to eat protein with every meal and snack. Proteins help you feel full longer than carbs.

* Remember that weight gain in the beginning of an exercise program is a good sign that you are eating enough calories to support muscle building. Muscle weighs more than fat and muscle burns more calories than fat.

Count exercises done at the office in your daily workout calculations. You can add exercise to your workday without losing time on the job. In fact, you’ll gain extra energy and lower your stress.

• Use your office chairs, walls and floors for quick tummy-toning exercises, wall stretches, Pilates, or yoga exercises.
• Whenever possible take the stairs, not the elevator.
• Walk over to co-workers to give messages or plug ideas.
• Ask a co-worker to walk with you to lunch.
• Do some funky dance steps while you file.
• Park your car farther from the office.

Play It Safe

• Check with your healthcare provider before starting an exercise program if you have a medical condition or symptoms or a health problem.
• Always breathe normally during an exercise.
• If an exercise hurts, stop immediately.

Keeping exercise fun, exciting, and convenient is the key to committing to extra physical activity daily. Within your busy life, these quick tips can help you achieve your goal of getting the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity a day.

• Take a 10-minute walk before or after each meal. Walk with your partner, children, or dog.
• Commit to another person (or a pet) to walk, run, or work out.
• Have your workout clothes and equipment in your vehicle so you are always prepared.
• Park farther from the front door of your daily shops.
• Sing and dance as you clean.
• Wash your own car.
• Do gardening or yard work.
• Fill TV commercial time with physical movement.
• Take the stairs whenever possible.
• Set up an area in your home for working out; include small weights and a mat.
• Meet your friends at the beach or walking path for a quick stroll before that coffee shop stop.
• Add a variety of physical activities that you enjoy to your day. These might include walking, playing basketball, dancing, or anything else you enjoy.
• Revise your commute to incorporate a workout before or after work.
• Make note of your commitment and reward your progress. This will keep you motivated.
• Break your exercise time into manageable time slots: three 10-minute workouts, two 15-minute workouts or, on days when you have time to go for the gold, work out for 30 minutes at a time.

Find the fun in fitness and move into a lifetime of wellness. Smile! Breathe! Enjoy. Your body, mind, and spirit will all reap the benefits of extra movement every day.

Ways to Protect Your Heart.

1. Partner with your doctor. Discuss your risks for heart disease and heart attack and what you can do to reduce them.
2. Aim for a healthy weight. Excess weight increases  your chance of developing heart disease.
3. Don’t smoke of use other tobacco products. Avoid secondhand smoke as well.
4. Have fatty fish, such as salmon or macherel, at least twice a week for its heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids.
5. Get active. Strengthen and condition your heart by exercising at least 30 minutes a day. Aerobic activities, such as brisk walking, bicycling, and swimming, are best for heart health.
6. Control your cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. Have recommended screenings on time.
7. Handle stress in healthy ways. To calm yourself quickly, take several deep breaths.
8. Choose a heart-smart diet that’s high in fiber and low in saturated fat, trans fats, cholesterol, and salt.
9. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation.
10. Learn the warning signs of a heart attack and heart disease, and don’t ignore them.

Saving money is tough; it’s like a diet. You had your fun and now you have to tighten your belt to spend less. But being disciplined with your money does not have to be boring or a drag.

Here are my ten entertaining ways to save money:

1. Put your credit cards into tubs filled with water. Freeze. For some individuals, putting their chocolate into the freezer has helped them with impulse chocolate binges. Instead of popping the mouth watering chocolate into their mouths for that moment where it melts on their tongue, a disciplined chocoholic would have to wait for the chocolate to thaw before indulging. Likewise, you can put your credit card into a storage tub and freeze it. Depending on your self control, you may have to increase the storage tub to give you ample time to get a hold of your senses.

2. Go snacking at gourmet grocery stores with food samples. You might be able to lunch your way through the shopping aisles as long as you are not too fussy about sharing your digs with other “shoppers.”

3. Check all vending machines for change that was not retrieved or loose food items. Do not get on any security guard’s ire by shaking the vending machine. However, if you keep a sharp eye out, you can sometimes find packages hanging, ready to fall out in such a way that if you buy the next one, you get the first bonus one free. After you do that, check under the machines for any more loose coins. People often don’t realize that they dropped more change than they picked up when they drop them.

4. Take extra packets of whatever the restaurant is passing out. Ketchup, salt, sugar, sugar substitute are just for starters. Non-dairy creamers, crackers, plastic utensils, napkins, nothing is too small.

5. Unplug everything in your house except when you use it. Phantom energy uses add up. Really.