Stay in Tip-Top Shape Despite the Long Hours

It’s not new to hear that overworking and being forever stressed can take a serious and detrimental toll on your health, if not managed properly. Though both are unavoidable when it comes to work, its effects can be used to your advantage or disadvantage. Yes, that’s right! Despite the inevitability of being faced with both, you can always choose to unwind and relieve your stress whenever you have the time. Apart from this, you can also practice a number of small, simple steps in order to conquer stress, and live out a healthy lifestyle.

A few alterations in eating habits and making time for de-stressing treatments will not only sharpen the saw, but also keep your mind fresh and alert. You’ll be surprised at what these little things can do to make your every day more alive and more energetic.

Eat Right

When home, instead of lounging around on your La-Z-Boy and refreshing your Facebook home page, get cooking in your kitchen and replace your unhealthy fast-food lunches with freshly prepared homemade meals. When we talk about prepared food, we don’t mean frying a box of breaded chicken fingers or heating a can of processed meat! Cook your own healthy lunch using fresh ingredients, wheat-based products such as breads and pasta, and stay away from the unhealthy stuff! You’ll be surprised at the calories and money you’ll be saving from preparing your meals at home vis-à-vis eating lunch from a Styrofoam pack.

For starters, try a simple yet healthy sandwich loaded with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, grilled chicken breast with lemon and rosemary, and maybe a slice of cheddar on some whole wheat bread. Hold the mayo! Once you get the hang of preparing these light, tasty, and filling dishes, perhaps you can advance to more sophisticated ones such as baked salmon with a simple Mediterranean salad. The Internet is a melting pot of healthy recipes ready to be explored and recreated by you! For starters, you can check out www.lifeafterbreakfast.com by Alessa Lanot, the owner of Pipino Vegetarian Restaurant in Teacher’s Village, Quezon City, or www.pepper.ph, a feisty food blog for the adventurous foodie. There are thousands of easy and mouthwatering dishes that can keep you in top shape and at the same time, fill you with the right vitamins and minerals to get you through your day. Because these meals aren’t as heavy, you will probably feel hungry during the afternoon. Instead of reaching for a bag of chips, fuel your fire by snacking on some granola and bananas.

Greasy and oily food not only contributes to the unwanted fatty buildup, but can also affect your mood. These oils, especially unhealthy ones found in fast food such as lard (or pig fat), can make you more tired and affect your cognitive abilities. Not to mention, frequent consumption of unhealthy oils can increase the risk of heart disease, and can do major damage to your skin and blood circulation. It won’t hurt to have fast food every once in a while, but three times a week might just be crossing the line.

Also, don’t forget to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day. Not only will it help your digestive system, but it also has a lot of cleansing qualities that can help flush out any toxins in your body. Sugar-filled drinks and caffeine-loaded beverages can perk you up, but remember that once the high is gone, you can actually feel more lethargic than you did before you got your fix.

Treat Yourself

A simple way to unwind and ease your body from the stress is by treating yourself to a massage. Make time to pamper yourself during the weekend by indulging in some detoxifying treatments. There are many places in the Philippines where you can avail of some of the most relaxing massages. Spas have been mushrooming over the past few years, offering a wide selection of services that range from the traditional Swedish massage to the more complex Thai massages. Massages can now be availed of in an instant, thanks to these spas that can be found on almost every street in the Metro.

But if you’re more of the type who’s into lavish and indulgent self-pampering getaways, then you might want to try out the Nurture Spa Village located in Tagaytay or The Farm at San Benito, Batangas. Given the serene and tranquil environment away from the hustle and bustle of the city, your experience will definitely be a most relaxing one, given their wide array of wellness treatments (massages, facials, walking tours, breathing and meditation exercises, etc) that will certainly soothe your mind and calm your nerves.

If you are looking for a more medical approach to your detoxification and stress relief, then you might want to pay a visit to the Vital Life Center located at Rockwell-Meralco Business Center located in Ortigas, and engage yourself in a number of their rejuvenating services such as their Chinese Mandarin Treatments, as well as a number of medically-treated wellness packages.

There are also a number of detox treatments that you can create in your own kitchen! All you need are fresh and natural (and sometimes, organic) ingredients to replenish and rejuvenate your body. Detoxification has the ability to improve your overall health, as well as allow your systems to function at their optimum levels.

For your skin, you can use some natural ingredients like coffee grains or ground oats, sugar, salt, coupled with a liquid base such as glycerin or olive oil and come up with an exfoliation scrub that can rid your body of oil and other toxins.

Another way to detoxify is to simply add lemon juice to your water. This can break down fat molecules that can clog your blood circulation system, and cleanse your digestive organs as well. Choosing the right foods such as beets, carrots, apples, and garlic in your meals can also contribute to healthy detoxification.

Exercise Right

Lastly, it is important to engage in some form of physical activity in order to get your blood flowing and your joints moving. One of the most popular wellness exercises that is perfect for any busy body is Chair Yoga.

This form of yoga is extremely simple and can be done anywhere as long as you have a chair. It involves a series of exercises involving the assumption of various poses done either sitting in a chair or standing while using the chair as a support. One of these is the Lotus Preparation where you simply raise one leg, cross your arms, and focus on your breathing. Yoga can prevent your joints from stiffening, and can help keep the air flowing throughout your body.

Chair yoga can be done right at your home after work, or in the morning in order to jumpstart your day. Yoga is probably the best form of exercise that can ease both your mind and body and prepare it for the busy day ahead. Quiet reflection always helps in opening your soul and relieving you from stress.

There are also other forms of exercise that you can engage in, depending on your interests. A popular exercise also that helps you lose calories by unwinding is Zumba, which is a dance-inspired group workout. Boxing is also a great way to release your stress and earn a great bod for yourself! Instead of hitting the gym and doing a routine workout, explore other ways to get your body engaged and get rid of your stress. By continuously keeping your body active, you’re sure to feel more energetic and alive during a workday. Interesting enough, it can also prevent you from feeling lethargic and sleepy. So get pumped up and exercise!