Search Results for: blog bust your stress

Re-Thinking Stress

We all know that stress is bad for us, but as single parents, it often comes with the territory. Trying to juggle working and being a mother takes a lot out of you and at the end of the day you find yourself overworked and exhausted. The times you are feeling the most stress are often the times when you are unable to find happiness, but that’s not all, when you are under an intense amount of stress your body kicks into action and produces cortisol. Cortisol isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it is what gives our body the fight-or-flight … Continue reading →

Fitness Journal – Your Mood – Part 5

Continuing on with my series on creating a fitness journal, we are now going to look at the importance of tracking your mood and improving it. If you are keeping a fitness journal, you should have a section where you note how you are feeling. Your mood can change the course of your day. But there are ways to improve it. However before we get to that, let’s think about why we would want to keep track of it. Understanding your overall health includes how you feel on a daily basis. Are there certain days of the week where your … Continue reading →

Protect Yourself From Holiday Crime

The holiday season is a time of hustle, bustle, stress, and happiness. It’s a perfect time for criminals to prey on the unsuspecting. Don’t let your guard down. Your Car Keep your doors locked and valuables out of sight. That may seem like common sense, but all too often crimes of opportunity are committed against unlocked doors. Keep temptation to a minimum by keeping your possessions hidden. When you stop to pump gas, keep your purse or wallet on the floor in the back seat; criminals have been known to open the passenger door and help themselves while you’re otherwise … Continue reading →

How to Make Your Own Maternity Jeans

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It’s easy enough to go to a maternity clothing store and pick up a pair of jeans, but you’re limited to the brands they offer and you’ll end up paying the higher price. With basic sewing skills, a favorite pair of jeans and a stretch camisole, you can create your own maternity jeans for a fraction of the cost. You will need a sewing machine, a pair of jeans, scissors and a camisole you don’t mind ruining. Pick a pair of jeans that fit when the fly is open. Remember that your hips might spread a little bit during your … Continue reading →

Giving Yourself Holiday Recovery Time

I have the unfortunate habit of getting sick over the holidays. It’s almost like my body knows that there are a few days off in my future, and saves up the sickness for those days so I don’t miss whatever important things are going on before and afterwards. On the positive side, it does kind of ensure that I use my holiday time for resting and taking good care of myself. Holidays (and vacations) can be wonderful and fun… but they can also be hectic and stressful. Travel can be full of worries, anxiety, and questions: will you make that … Continue reading →

Stress and Teens

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Teenagers are under a lot of stress. I’m more than a decade out of my teens and can still remember worrying about grades, going off to college, choosing a major, keeping in touch with my friends, leaving home, and a hundred other things. Kids and adults share a lot of the same sources of stress — moving, the death of a family member, family financial problems, dealing with peers. But teens also have some unique sources of stress, including: Changes in their bodies The transition between childhood and adulthood Overloading on extra-curricular activities Figuring out what comes after high school … Continue reading →

Are Your Kids Afraid of Fireworks?

How many of you plan to pack up the kids and head out to your city’s annual Fourth of July fireworks show tonight? If you have a young child like mine, you might be considering an alternative plan. When my daughter was a toddler we did the whole Independence Day celebration u-rah-rah complete with a picnic at the local park, sparklers and patriotic attire. If you live in a small community, then you know prime fireworks seats go fast. Fast, as in, if you don’t have your spot secured with police tape (or barbed wire), blankets and coolers, at least … Continue reading →

Beat Stress with Playtime!

Are you allowed to have playtime every day? I am. I play with my dogs… but I also take work breaks to play computer games. It sounds counter-productive, right? But a quick game break actually helps me refocus on my work. Studies from East Carolina University back me up on the computer games. Recent research has shown that video games are great for stress relief! Just fifteen minutes of play can help improve mood, relieve tension, and increase your ability to focus. Stress isn’t just mental. It can have a physical impact on you, too. Taking a few minutes to … Continue reading →

Is Your Toddler Clingy? It Could Be the Holidays

If you feel as though your toddler is attached at the hip, or maybe your leg, it could be the holiday season. Here is what may be causing the clinging and some ways for you both to cope. The holiday season is a wonderful time, but it can easily leave a toddler overwhelmed. The schedule could be overturned, leaving normal nap times, meal times and bedtimes all askew. There may be holiday traveling and visiting that can upset a toddler’s routine. And chances are that all of those family members that you haven’t seen in a while are new strangers … Continue reading →

What Is a Stress Fracture?

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After my mysterious foot pain while walking the dogs, I was afraid I might have a stress fracture in my right foot. I’m pretty sure I just stepped wrong, but I’m still curious about stress fractures. A stress fracture is an overuse injury. In a normal fracture, a sudden, high force event (like a fall) breaks the bone. In a stress fracture, the forces involved are lower but happen repeatedly for a long period of time. You could also call a stress fracture a “fatigue fracture”. They are most often seen in athletes who run and jump on hard surfaces. … Continue reading →