April 15th - It's Coming..Make it less stressful!

One of the most stressful days of the year is the day federal taxes are due - the dreaded April 15th.  It stresses me out every year but it shouldn't.  It is more, I think, the way I approach it than the day itself.  I traditionally haven't followed the steps that I'm going to suggest here but I will in the future.  Experts who suggest ways to reduce the stress of doing your taxes typically recommend the following:

1.  Start early - The sooner that  you get it done, the less time that you spend with the thought of it as a looming stressful deadline.  Even if you don't file (because you owe) until the last minute, at least you won't have the burden upon you.
2.  Take baby steps/break it down into small pieces - Just like a big work project, breaking your tax preparation and filing into small and manageable steps will make the process much more tolerable.  Instead of cramming it all into one weekend day, extend it over a much longer period and do a little bit at a time.  Set a schedule and do a little bit each day during that time period until it is done.  Today is only January 28th so there is plenty of time to do this even this year.
3.  Make it fun - Fun? Taxes? Well, you can at least try.  Put on some of your favorite music, put out some aromatherapy candles, get yourself some healthy snacks and get to it.  Also - reward yourself for accomplishing the steps along the way.  Only you can make it resemble something that is truly fun so give it a shot.
4.  Have someone else do it - Only you know your own tax situation, your ability to do your taxes, your frustration level on projects like this, etc.  Knowing these things and considering the benefit that you may be able to recognize by having a professional prepare your taxes - the cost may just be outweighed by the benefits - particularly if the professional is able to minimize your tax liability in ways that you can only imagine doing yourself.
5.  Plan for next year - Learn from your own mistakes and plan for an easier next year.  By this I mean that if you do not already have a working system in place, set up an organized system for keeping better records during the year (your business expenses, your charitable contributions, your medical expenses, your various tax forms that employers and others send to you, etc.).  Also, based on either the analysis you receive from TurboTax (or whatever you use) or from your CPA or tax preparer - take the necessary steps this year to either decrease the amount you owe or increase your refund next year.
6.  Whatever you do - don't be late! - Even if you owe, there are ways (like payment plans) that this will work out.  You do not want to get hit with the consequences of missing the deadline and if you follow the above suggestions - there should be no reason to.

Avoid the Monday Blues

I thought about writing today about the benefits to your health and overall wellness of NOT working on the weekends.  There is alot of research out there about the health benefits of NOT working on the weekends (and when I say work - I mean at your full-time job) and an equal amount of research on "disconnecting" (meaning the benefits to your health of staying away from your laptop, Blackberry, iPhone, etc. for periods of time).  I'll come back to that though.  Since today is Monday and I know that I certainly can be prone to the "Monday Blues" - I decided to go in search of and find some research and recommendations on combating the "Monday Blues."

Although we are 1 week past what researchers suggest is the most depressing day of the year (the third Monday in January) - there are multiple research findings that suggest that any Monday can trigger the "Monday Blues."  Whether it is the research that suggests that people show biological signs of stress when they start anticipating the workday or the research that found that most workers don't smile until about 11:16 on Mondays or the Japanese research finding the highest suicide levels on Mondays - it is clear that "Monday Blues" do exist.  What can you do about it?  I read some recommendations from Laura Schwecheri on Greatist.com from about a year ago that bear repeating.

1.  Don't live for the weekends - don't only look forward to the weekends; plan something fun during the week to do like a movie night.  This way - you spread out the joy.
2.  Relax!! - Don't go out both nights on the weekend.  Stay in at least one night and chill.  Being on the go too much on the weekend and not getting enough sleep will only stress you out more.
3.  Don't sleep in - Try sticking to the same sleep schedule all week to feel your best.
4.  Plan ahead Sunday night - Pick out your clothes for Monday and make your lunch for Monday on Sunday night.
5.  Go to bed early Sunday night - Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep in preparation for Monday.
6.  Eat breakfast Monday morning
7.  Listen to music - Music boost mood so listen to some music while you get ready for work on Monday morning.  Pick your favor artist.
8.  Hit the (early-bird) gym - Get an early Monday a.m. workout.  Exercise increases your endorphin levels and will boost your mood.
9.  Look snazzy - Wear your best outfit on Monday so you look your best - it will help you feel your best.
10.  Smile - We've all heard how many muscles it takes to smile and how many MORE muscles it takes to frown or scowl so just go ahead and smile all morning and all day.
11.  Treat your self - Give yourself something to look forward to either Monday afternoon or Monday night. Whatever it is that you know will inspire and excite you - plan it for sometime on Monday.  You will look forward to it.
12.  Take small breaks during the day - Get away from your desk or cubicle during the day.  Take a walk outside, avoid eating lunch at your desk or squeeze in a lunch time workout.
13.  Figure out why Mondays are blue for you - If none of the above helps, you REALLY might want to switch careers.  Life is too short to be THAT miserable.

Have a Marvelous Monday!

Hugging and Health

It's Not Rocket Science is not all about diet and exercise.  Today - it's about hugs.  Hugs, you ask?  What do hugs have to do with health?  I just read a quote by Virginia Satir "You need four hugs a day for survival, eight for daily maintenance, and twelve hugs a day for growth."  Research has proven that hugs can help you be healthier, think and feel younger, reduce your stress, add years to your life and even slow down aging.  What is it about hugs that accomplishes these things?  So, what is the science beyond this miracle action - the hug?

Researchers at the University of Vienna concluded that oxytocin is released into the bloodstream when you hug someone who is close to you.  This lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, and can even improve memory.   In a very interesting finding by these researchers, they also discovered that the same effect is not achieved by a hug from someone you do not know or if the hug is not something that both the parties want at that time - in those cases, a different hormone (the stress hormone - cortisol) is secreted instead of oxytocin. Researchers at the University of North Carolina previously concluded that hugs increase the release of oxytocin and decrease the risk of heart disease. In addition to oxytocin, hugs also stimulate the brain to release dopamine (the pleasure hormone).  Some researchers have even concluded that hugs are more important as we age - Ohio State University psychologist Janice Kiecolt-Glaser has previously been quoted as saying "The older you are, the more fragile you are physically, so contact becomes increasingly important for good health."

So - hug your friends, your family, your pets, and others close to you at least 4 times but strive for 12 times every day.  You'll be happier and healthier as a result.

Personal Responsibility for Your Own Wellness

Only you control what you eat and how often you exercise.  When I was working on my wellness last year, I  used a personal mantra "Only I can control it."  I realized that there were some things I could not control in life but one thing I could control was every morsel that I put in my mouth and the frequency with which I laced up my running shoes and hit the street or did my crunches or pumped iron.

I was reminded of this importance of personal responsibility for one's own wellness when reading an article yesterday in the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Cindy Creasy's All You Can Eat column.  Cindy attended  a presentation that my friend Kim Williams and I gave to a small networking group of women this past Saturday.  The topics were taking steps toward vegetarianism and the benefits of following a vegetarian diet.  The article appropriately ended with a great quote from Kim:

        "I feel like it's really empowering.  Just by changing your diet, you can make a change in your health."

How true!  Remember, You Can Control It and ONLY You Can Control It.  Take the first step today.  You will feel empowered and will be making a positive change in your health.

Protein for Vegetarians/Vegans

Ever since becoming a vegetarian in July of 2012, the most common question that I get is "but, how do you get your protein." It is such a predictable question now that I probably need to include, when I tell people that I'm a vegetarian - "and..I get plenty of protein."  Here are some examples of sources of protein that vegetarians and vegans get - not even including eggs, milk, and cheese (that most vegetarians eat but vegans do not.)

• Vegetables themselves - for example cooked spinach, french beans, cooked kale, and boiled peas have a fair amount of protein in them
• Non-Dairy Milk - soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk - often have more protein (and in some cases QUITE ABIT more) than regular milk
• Nut Butter like peanut butter, almond butter, and cashew butter
• Quinoa - one half cup has 8 grams of protein
• Tofu - one half cup contains 10 grams of protein
• Lentils  - one cup packs 18 grains of protein
• Beans - one cup of garbanzo beans, black beans or kidney beans has 15 grams of protein
• Tempeh - one half cup has 15 grams
• Sprouted Grain Bread
• Some Cereals - I like Kashi's Go Lean and the new Grape-Nuts FIT - Go Lean has 13 grams per cup; FIT has 6 grams
• Greek Yogurt - 13 to 18 grams of protein
• Nuts (peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, etc.) - Nuts are all good sources but peanuts have 7 grams of protein in one ounce
• Seeds like sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
• Flax seed
• Protein Powder (Vegan versions are available)

NOTE: The USDA recommendation for protein is 46 grams of protein a day for adult women and and 56 grams of protein a day for adult men.  So, with many or even all of the above as staples of a vegetarian's or vegan's diet - it doesn't take a Rocket Scientist to see that we easily get enough protein - or at least we should if we are eating healthy and know our available protein sources.

But....thanks for asking :-).

Happiness and Health

An article in the U.S. News and World Report in 2011 reported on a study which had been recently published in the journal Applied Psychology:  Health and Well-Being and reported to be the most comprehensive review to date of the evidence linking happiness to health outcomes. Authored by Ed Diener of the University of Illinois, the study reviewed more than 160 different studies of human and animal subjects.  Diener said that the general conclusion was that "..your subjective well-being-that is, feeling positive about your life, not stressed out, not depressed - contributes to both longevity and better health among healthy populations."  Apparently, most the long-term studies that the researchers reviewed found that anxiety, depression, a lack of enjoyment of daily activities, and pessimism were all associated with higher rates of disease and shorter lives. Diener said that while "happiness is no magic bullet," "the overwhelming majority of the studies support the conclusion that happiness is associated with health and longevity."  The article ended with some great "It's Not Rocket Science" advice:

**Add "Be Happy and Avoid Chronic Anger and Depression" to the four other MAJOR health recommendations that are most widely suggested:
1.Avoid Obesity
2.Eat Right
3.DON'T Smoke
4.Exercise

So, like musician Bobby McFerrin says in his 1988 song that became the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, "Don't Worry, Be Happy."  That quote originated from the Indian mystic and sage Meher Baba and is as good advice today as it was in the 1960s when it was printed up on inspiration cards and posters.

Plan It, Write It, Do It, Log It

I have read for many years that people are more likely to exercise if they write it down as part of a weekly/daily plan and/or write it down after completing the exercise.  I suggest both.  I call it "Plan It, Write It, Do It, Log It."  Just like other personal and/or work weekly or daily goals or "to do lists" or meeting/appointment scheduling, exercise takes commitment and should be written into your plan.  Call it "an appointment with yourself."  It is that important!!

Yesterday, while at Barnes and Noble, I stumbled upon a great way to follow this advice.  Published by Hinkler Books Pty Ltd out of Australia, it is called the Anatomy of Fitness: Personal Training & Workout Diary.  Not only does it have weekly and daily planning sections for you to record your exercise plans for the week and to write down exactly what you did but it also has sections for the following:

• Daily food diary including fluid intake;
• Place to record what vitamins and supplements you took;
• Personal reflections on your weekly energy level, stress level, hours of sleep, sleep quality, mood, appetite, and injuries or illnesses;
• Place to record your weekly start weight and BMI and your ending weekly weight and BMI;
• A monthly planning section; 
• A complete physical assessment section to record your measurements and physical ability at the beginning of the year and at the end of year including a place to record your own goals; 
• Sections to capture your monthly progress;
• A section to track your heart rate;
• An End of the Year Assessment; and,
• A lot of valuable information at the beginning of the publication on general health and wellness including information on BMI, strength training, cardio training including a comparison of calories you will burn doing different forms of cardio, stretching and flexibility, warming up and cooling down, setting goals and staying motivated, nutrition, a guide as to how to use the diary, and diagrams of the human body showing all of the human muscles.

Amazingly enough, it was on sale for under $6.00 and I was able to pick it up for $5.65.  

I recommend this resource highly but however you do it, start today making this important appointment with yourself.  Remember - "Plan It, Write It, Do It, Log It."