Bust Stress – Get Back to the Basics!

You’re in the middle of fiscal planning, annual reviews are due for you and your team, everyone at the office is sick and the holidays are right around the corner now!

I get it, life can be really stressful. Weeks fly right by without you even remembering where the time went.

Stop living like this, it’s time to take back control over your life.

Try these 4 tactics to de-stress during your next crazy workday:

1. Just breathe!

When stress hits us hard, we tense up and often start shallow breathing. Stop this! These shallow, small puffs of air don’t give us nearly enough oxygen to maximize our body’s performance. Belly breathing is the best breathing you can do to stay grounded during the really stressful days.

2. Move around.

As a personal trainer, of course I’m going to reiterate the importance of fitness! Physical activity feels good to both the mind and the body. Just standing up from your desk for a couple of minutes each hour, will make your back, hips and butt feel so much better. Make a game with your team to see who can consistently get the most steps during each work day. You can get 10K steps in before you even leave the office, by following these 4 tips:

1. Park in the furthest parking space available to you.
2. Walk around you entire office building once before entering it. Do this again at lunch and at the end of your day.
3. Use the water cooler and bathroom furthest from you desk.
4. Climb the stairs to your office suite versus taking the elevator.

3. Get unplugged.

Step away from your desk for at least 20 – 30 minutes over the lunch hour. Head outside to your cafeteria or to the nearest plaza. Do not bring your work phone with you. The constant ‘dings’ that alert us every minute a new message enters our inbox, put us in a constant state of stress. Take this time to really unplug from technology. You will feel better and more energized when you come back to your desk.

4. Protect your gut.

Healthy, whole foods will give you the energy you need to make it through a stressful day. Veggies are particularly important. They give you the vitamins and minerals you need, in addition to being stock full of fibre to help keep your system moving.

When you consume foods filled with probiotics, you are increasing the count and strength of your healthy gut bacteria. A healthy gut can improve your mood, strengthen your immune system and reduce inflammation. Some of my favourite fermented foods are sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir and miso.

To Sum it Up…

We all lead fast-paced, stressful lives. Unless you take back control over your day, things won’t slow down. Focus on your breathing, move more, unplug and eat better and you will improve how you respond to stressful days. Please share any other stress management tips that have worked for you during a stressful workday.