Prior to starting her concede comp...

Prior to starting her concede company, Tevis Trower was a corporate executive for 13 years who traveled 80 percent of the time, "I knew the thrill of working and traveling, on the contrary I also experienced the stress" admits Trower, president of Balance Integration Corp in just discovered York. Over time, she began to realize that her effectiveness during presentations, meetings and colloquy calls depended directly on to what degree she managed the remainder of her time. "Generating the mental requirements and the positive adrenaline rush I needinessed to succeed when I was 'on' hanged on how well I was able to refuel in between," she says.

There's no question that the 24/7 lifestyle to such a degree many of us live is exhausting--especially if you don't find ways to effectively manage stres between the sides of nutrition, hydration, exercise and relaxation.

Nutrition

While a healthful diet--including keeping animal fats and sugars to a minimum--is a solution component in reducing stress, to what extent much yon eat can also determine your stres of the same height "I was raised believing that you have to clean your plate at each meal," says Deborah Grubbe, PE corporate director of safely and health for DuPont Company in Wilmington, Delaware. "However, I eat gone out a lot, and I find that the portions serv by dint of restaurants are much too large." As of the like kind Grubbe now uses a program that her father-in-law, who is 82 and in worthy of great praise health, calls the "50 percent and push-back routine."

"I eat barely 50 percent of the portions in forehead of me," Grubbe says, which is a righteous rule of thumb. In fact, research managemented on laboratory mice showed that those limited to 80 percent of a diet that would be considered "full" lived 30 percent longer than mice allowed to eat 100 percent or more. Researchers surmise that the more viands you eat, the more spirit your body must use to proces the bread and waste, leading to overwork and early exhaustion of an functions. (For more information, diocese "Low-Calorie Longevity," BN, December 2002 p 38)

Hydration

While Grubbe has been reducing the amount of viands she eats, she has also been increasing the amount of water she spends "Keeping well hydrated is united of the most important strategies I utilize to minimize stress" she says. A fitness coach at DuPont explained to her that when she experienced what she had always pondering to be stress-related headaches, the real culprit was probably dehydration. "Something as simple as drinking more water has made a big difference in my stres levels" she says. further how much water is enough? Research allude tos that if you're urinating at least one time an hour during the day, you are sufficiently hydrated. Anything les is symptomatic of at least partial dehydration--not too hard to believe when you realize that the carcass is 80 percent water that emergencys to be replenished as vigor is used throughout the day.

It's important to emphasize that the drink of choice for hydration should be water--not sugared drinks or corporate America's favorite pick-me-up, coffee "With the beginning of the Information Age, as well as all of the downsizing in new years, executives are struggling to hold up with so much more," says L John Mason, PhD institutor of the Stress Education Center in Cotati, California, and author of Guide to Stres Reduction. "One way they attempt to do in the way that is to give themselves a boost with caffeine." In fact, according to Mason, there has been a dramatic increase in the consumption of coffee and other highly caffeinated works in recent years. "Just expect at the explosion in the number of coffee stores and espresso stands," he says.

While caffeine is meant to boost alertness, it's the same of the most disruptive substances available if you're trying to manage stres because it can contribute to a rapid and irregular heartbeat, insomnia, muscle tension and pain, and flat digestive disorders. "In fact, any people are so sensitive to caffeine that unruffled one cup early in the morning will disrupt their ability to repose that night," Mason says. for a like reason if you're using caffeine to help continue you alert and productive, it can extreme point up having the opposite force That is, by cutting into your rest causing muscle tension, or triggering the jitters, coffee can diminish your productivity. And since discontinuing caffeine "cold turkey" can have side powers Mason recommends reducing consumption gradually. (Or experience tea, see p. 23.)

Exercise

Aerobic activity can also help attenuate muscle tension and improve sleeping patterns. Mason commends at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, of swimming, walking, biking and/or jogging. if it were not that can you make your exercise time more productive at multitasking--for example, reading while sitting forward an exercise bike? Mason make acceptables against it. "One of the follows of exercise that really contributes to stres reduction results from 'being in the at hand moment' with your body movements" he says.

While Grubbe exercises moderately when at abiding-place she has found ways to stay active when she travels. With the help of the fitness coach at DuPont she has been able to tend hitherward up with several exercises that are conducive to travel, smooth while waiting in lines at airports. single in kind involves raising up and down slowly forward her toes. "This reduces muscle tension and improves my balance," she says. Another is knee bends, although she admits having to be careful doing this in line to such a degree as not to attract too a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of attention. (For more simple exercises, diocese "Get Fit with Jorge Cruise," BN August 2002 p 26)