STRESS-LESS GUIDE
WINTER WALK: Gentle exercise and having fun are great stress relievers it regularly. Have a laugh – catch up with friends, go to a comedy show or just dance around the house to great tunes. Fun is a fine stress reliever. Exercise at least three times a week. When you exercise, your brain releases hormones that help you cope better with stress. Schedule it into your week, just like any other event. Think of it as an important appointment you need to keep for your wellbeing. It can help to make plans with friends.
Ditch the gruelling workouts. The sort of testing workout that some of us turn to when stressed such as marathon training, doing heavy weights or cramming high-intensity workouts in around work, can be counterproductive. Exercising vigorously is a stressor in itself and your cortisol levels will be higher at the end of a workout.
There’s evidence that doing intense exercise straight after an episode of acute stress can raise the risk of a heart attack. Instead, detach your mind by doing a mentally intense activity. Then move into a lower-intensity activity for a longer period such as a long, brisk walk or a good yoga class. Go for a walk after meals. Gentle activity such as a 15-minute walk helps your body to regulate its insulin production, which can be disturbed by stress. Break up sedentary work with a five-minute walk or three minutes of squats and calf raises every half hour. Get enough shut-eye. It helps to go to bed and get up at roughly the same time. Set an alarm for bedtime if necessary and start your wind-down routine at the same time every evening.
Cut stimulation. Switch all screens off before you start your wind-down and avoid exercising too close to bedtime. Avoid caffeine after 3pm if it affects your sleep – it can take eight hours to quit your system. A carbohydrate-rich meal can help to boost serotonin levels. So eat bread, cereal, rice, pasta, legumes, fruit and dairy foods regularly but choose wholegrains where possible for more sustained energy release.
Protein-rich foods, such as turkey, chicken, beef, nuts, milk, cheese and eggs, contain an amino acid called tryptophan which, in combination with carbohydrates, may help to promote sleep. Anti-inflammatory foods including flavones (found in celery, peppers and thyme), isoflavones (in beans), betacarotene (carrots and sweet potatoes), turmeric and green/black tea, can offset the effects of stress. The health of your microbiome (the 10 trillion bacteria, viruses and fungi in your gut) is linked to your immune system. Add good bacteria by eating live yogurt daily. Vitamins B6, B12 and folate help the body to produce neurotransmitters. Eat potatoes, salmon, chicken, broccoli and bananas for B6. For B12 choose meat, fish, eggs and dairy (or take a supplement if vegan) and spinach, broccoli, oranges, legumes and wholegrains for folate. If you power through stressful days on black coffee or tea, consider swapping to matcha, the green Japanese tea, shown to improve emotional regulation and reduce psycho-social stress. The full version of this article appears in the December edition of Healthy Food Guide, which is on sale now. For more health advice visit healthyfood. co.uk