S IS FOR STRESS

Stress triggers cravings, and may leave you too strung out to buy and prepare healthy foods. It can lead you to eat poorly, mindlessly and irregularly (by disrupting hunger signals), or emotionally. Plus, you lose out on sleep (see Z). Dial it down with meditation, yoga (see Y), or this breathing exercise by Michael Townsend Williams, founder of Do Breathe (dobreathe.com). 01 | Sit somewhere comfortable and, ideally, quiet (or wear headphones). 02 | Breathe deeply from your belly and through your nose, feeling the air passing through you. 03 | Count to five on each inhale and exhale. Repeat three to five times.