Hello and I am so thankful you are here reading!

Do you all remember that commercial growing up?!?  I get it now. With three boys and a couple businesses and just being plain busy. I get it!

One of my intentions for 2015 is to manage my stress better.  In the gym I am always trying to put mental state before physcial skill with my members and myself.  I am super good/bad at keeping things in and bottling emotions up and then having them explode when I can’t take it anymore.  Something I am really working on is communication, stress reduction, and being grateful for where I am at right now.

Here are some things to know about stress.  There are two types of stress.  Eustress is a stress that is short term, it motivates and focuses us, feels great and causes positive adaptations in our body.  Distress on the other hand is usually long term/ chronic, outside our bodies coping capabilities, drains us, feels very unpleasant and can lead to health problems ( aka negative adaptations). 

Our bodies can not tell where the stress is coming from.  Our work, our food choices, our workout, or our relationships.  We need to be very aware and mindful to keep our food choices and workouts in a eustress state and keep our distress under control to feel and perform our best!  

Strive to feel strong during your workout.  Do not over train and under eat.  Your recovery is so important. Sometimes I think even more important than the actual workout!  Eat foods that make you feel better, keep your energy up and cravings down.  Walk and move more throughout your day. Get 8 hours a restful sleep at night, take hot baths, and enjoy time with family and friends to help combat the distress in your life.

Let me know your favorite way to keep stress in check?