Slim for Life (24 page)

Here are a few pointers to help you get your z’s:

Take a break. Don’t fall victim to the idea that you can’t unplug or be away from your work. Taking time away from your routine allows the body to replenish and repair itself. The Mind-Body Center at the University of Pittsburgh surveyed 1,399 participants recruited for studies on cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and other conditions and found that leisure activities, including taking
vacations, contributed to higher positive emotional levels and less depression among the participants. Other benefits include lower blood pressure and smaller waistlines. Women especially seem to benefit from taking vacations. According to a 2005 study conducted by Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin, women who vacationed less frequently than once every two years were more likely to suffer from depression and increased stress than women who took vacations at least twice a year. Take your vacations. There really isn’t more to say than this.

Believe it or not, there are certain foods you can consume that will soothe your nerves and help keep stress hormones in check. Try to incorporate these mellowing foods into your diet as often as possible:

For those of you who don’t know,
homeopathy is a system of medicine that’s based on the doctrine “like cures like.” Essentially, homeopathic practitioners believe that a substance that causes the symptoms of a disease in healthy people will cure that disease in sick people by triggering the body’s natural system of healing. While many in modern medicine say it’s quackery, many others swear by it. My thoughts: if there’s research that supports it—and there is—what’s the harm of trying it? A study at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, found homeopathy effective in helping to quell stress and treat anxiety disorders.

Look for stress formulas such as Nerve Tonic (from Hyland) or Sedalia (from Boiron) in your health-food store and follow the directions carefully—this is very important when using homeopathics. Many stores that sell homeopathics have salespeople who have had training in recommending remedies, so be sure to ask. Better yet, if you have the money, consult a licensed homeopath. To find one near you, contact the National Center for Homeopathy at
www.healthy.net
.

Smiling is a two-way mechanism. We smile when we’re relaxed and happy, but smiling can also make us
feel
relaxed and happy. It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg scenario. Smiling transmits nerve impulses from the facial muscles to the limbic system, a key emotional center in the brain, tilting the neurochemical balance toward calm. That’s fancy scientist talk. Just smile, as often as possible. Obviously I don’t want you to cloak your emotions or fake your feelings. But when you’re in a neutral head space (meaning you’re not mad, not happy, and not sad), make an effort to shift your mood with a grin. It will only boost your state of mind and lift the mood of those around you.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “
Laughter is the best medicine.” Considering all the positive effects laughter has on our bodies, it’s daily becoming more evident how true a statement this really is. Laughter is a top stress antidote. Over the short term, it can induce physical changes in your body that stimulate circulation to the heart, lungs, and muscles; it also triggers muscle relaxation to help destress you. Laughter reduces the level of fattening stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine (adrenaline), while simultaneously increasing levels of stress-busting hormones like endorphins and neurotransmitters. Laughter has been found to benefit the way blood flows around the body, reducing potential risk of heart disease. Corresponding research suggests that 15 minutes of daily, hearty laughter is just as important for your heart as 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week. Over the long term, a daily laugh or two can boost your immune system, decrease your blood sugar levels, and help you sleep.

And here’s the bonus: laughing burns calories. Think of a good laugh session as a spontaneous workout. Maciej Buchowski, a
researcher from Vanderbilt University, found from his caloric-expenditure study that you burn 50 calories by laughing for 10 to 15 minutes. Beyond being great for your weight and health, laughing just feels good. Research has proven that people who watch funny films, which cause them to laugh out loud, experience an increase in blood flow and heart rate and a massive jump in endorphins.

Whenever you need to tickle your funny bone, go see a funny movie or rewatch your favorites. I always go back to
There’s Something About Mary, Liar Liar,
and
When Harry Met Sally.
Go see a stand-up comic whom you love. Eddie Izzard and Ellen DeGeneres do it for me every time. And socialize more with your funniest friends. I’ve cultivated a cast of characters in my life who keep me in stiches on a regular basis. If all else fails, try joining a
Laughter Yoga club. Dr. Madan Kataria, a physican from Mumbai, created the novel idea of combining unconditional laughter with yogic breathing. You’ll feel so ridiculous, I guarantee you won’t be able to help but crack up. There are now more than six thousand Laughter Yoga clubs in about sixty countries. Clubs are free and run by volunteers. To find one near you, log on to
www.laughteryoga.org
.

We talked in
Chapter 5
about creating mantras, changing your vernacular, and “flipping the script,” and now, yes, I’m going Stuart Smalley on you and asking you to do
affirmations. Cheesy as they may be, affirmations are a good way to silence your internal critic—you know, that voice in your head that beats you up, thinks the worst, and really stresses you out. These inner monologues can have a tremendous negative effect on our lives. Creating short, positive statements will challenge, undermine, and replace these negative beliefs with a healthy, optimistic attitude that steers you toward success. The next time you feel as if your life is one disaster after another, repeat 10 times, “Everything will be okay. I can handle this.”
Remember, thoughts are
things
with dynamic power. Use them to your advantage.

Trying to please everyone is a surefire way to get seriously overwhelmed and stressed out. It’s perfectly acceptable to have limits, and frankly, you should have them. You don’t have to be everyone’s hero to have value in their eyes or in the eyes of the world. Every single
Biggest Loser
contestant I’ve ever had tells me they took care of their entire family as a kid and that they continue to be everyone else’s caretaker as adults. Obviously, it hasn’t served them well—if anything, it has played a huge role in their self-neglect. Learn to say no. I get that it may make you feel really uncomfortable and that you think it’s nearly impossible, but once you go out on a limb and try it, you’ll see that the world won’t end. Quite the contrary, you’ll probably feel great, having made a little time for yourself for a change. I know I always get resentful when I commit to things at my own expense—miss my workouts or lose sleep because of an overly packed schedule. Screw that. Here are two simple tips to help you break the “Just say no” ice:

1. Be sympathetic but firm. This gives the person the signal that you care but won’t cave to pressure. You’re showing that you won’t change your mind. Simply say “I’m sorry. I’d love to help, but I’m just swamped right now.”

2. You don’t owe an explanation—less is more. “I’m crazy busy. Wish I could but I can’t.” Keep it that simple. We build up too many barriers in our minds about saying no.

Remember, saying no doesn’t mean you’re being disagreeable, causing conflict, burning a bridge, or being rude. It simply means
you don’t have the time. Say it nicely and respectfully, and all will work out fine.

Play with
aromatherapy again, but this time use it for relaxation purposes. The following essential oils are all soothing: anise, basil, bay, chamomile, eucalyptus, lavender, rose, and thyme. Choose one you love, and place it in a little tray by your bedside, on your desk, or even on your temples for an instant calming effect.

If
sex has been at the bottom of your to-do list for too long, move it to the top. Sex improves every aspect of your life—emotional, mental, and physical.

Doing “the dirty” boosts confidence, improves intimacy, and increases levels of endorphins, those mood-boosting chemicals in the brain. It’s flat out one of the best total-body relaxers. It will raise your heartbeat to aerobic levels and burn an average of 200 calories during a 30-minute “session.” This translates into losing about a pound for every 17.5 times you have sex. Not too shabby. Researchers report that sex reduces food cravings and stimulates chemicals in the body that help control ap
petite, subsequently facilitating your ability to reduce calorie intake. And depending upon your positions and routine, you can build muscle from frequent sex. I think listing positions here, with corresponding muscle groups, would be going a bit overboard (although I actually considered it). Just use your imagination and get creative; I bet you can get a total-body workout in as a bonus to great sex. So what are you waiting for? Get busy.

You don’t have to jettison your old best friend, but studies show that owning a pet can help you lose weight, lower blood pressure,
and reduce stress levels. These are not small side effects but rather dramatic ones. For each of these issues, pets may be even better than drugs. (This is probably why I have three dogs, two horses, and a bird.) A study at the University of Buffalo compared two groups of hypertensive New York stockbrokers: one group had no pets, while the other group took in dogs or cats after being petless for five years. Those with pets were found to have lower blood pressure and heart rates than those without. The researcher seemed to find that the drugs normally used to control and reduce blood pressure weren’t quite as effective as animals. (The great part about this story is that many in the petless group went out and got pets after they heard the results.)

Another study, conducted at the University of Missouri at Columbia, discovered that obese, sedentary individuals who walked a dog—their own or one they borrowed—for 20 minutes 5 days a week, lost more weight than those who walked alone. They lost 14 more pounds per person over a one-year period without even dieting. And one more: researchers at the University of Victoria in British Columbia found that of 351 participants, those who owned dogs walked, on average, 300 minutes per week, while nondog owners walked only 168 minutes a week.

Okay, this is probably more research than you ever wanted to hear, and I’m sorry to bombard you, but I’m pretty passionate about this one. If you already own a pet—a dog or otherwise—you already know you can’t live without it. If you don’t, consider
adopting
one. You’ll be saving a life, and it can do miracles for your health, mental state, and waistline.

Meditation has been shown to have a wealth of health benefits, and it can calm your mind and reduce your stress. It requires you to tap all the self-regulation systems and self-monitoring mechanisms in your brain—the prefrontal cortex (which helps you make smart
choices) and the anterior cingulate cortex (which
helps you become aware of when you’re making these choices and when you aren’t). The more you activate these systems, the stronger they will become and the less impulsive and calmer you will become. Regular meditation allows you to literally build your willpower.

Here’s a simple exercise: Meditate for 5 minutes every day this week. What does that mean exactly? Just sit quietly with your eyes closed and focus on your breathing. Inhale as deeply as possible in and out through your nose. Feel your breath fill your lungs and expand your belly on the inhale, then deflate like a balloon on the exhale. While 5 minutes of this might seem like an eternity at first, fight your way through it. Your brain will want to wander. That’s okay—just pull it back to your breath when it does. It’s amazing how much more relaxed you will feel when it’s over. It gets easier every time you do it.