Tips to Instantly Free Yourself of Stress

Have you ever had one of those moments where everything started to spiral out of control and stress and anxiety became so overwhelming that you couldn’t calm yourself? Living in a fast paced world, these have become common feeling these days. Juggling family, work, school, and social obligations can become more than we can handle sometimes.

I received a frantic email from a client a few weeks back saying to call her office number ASAP because she thought she might be having a serious anxiety attack and might be in need of medical care. She had lost her cell phone, was overburdened with work, her nanny for her baby was sick and had to go home and her marriage was struggling. She felt that her whole life was spiraling out of control so fast that she needed to be medicated in order to calm down and regain control. I promptly called her back and walked her through some instant stress and anxiety tips that she put in place right then and there to provide some instant relief and avoid that trip to the hospital (= way more stressful!!).

She laughed at me (which is stress reduction tip number one: laugh) because my first suggestion was to find someone at work she knew, liked, and trusted enough to give her a great big, long hug. You may be laughing, too, but studies conducted by the University of Vienna show a tight hug can increase your levels of oxytocin, a stress reducing hormone. If a hug is not in the cards, here are some other tips you can try to get that anxiety and stress level down in a hurry.

Tips to Instantly Free Yourself of Stress:

Yogic Breathing Exercises:

Focused, deep, abdominal breathing helps to quickly calm the stress response by bringing awareness away from your stress and current situation and back to your body. The American Institute of Stress recommends visualizing cool air flowing in through inhalation from your feet to your lungs and as you exhale visualize this air leaving in reverse from your lungs back down through feet and out of body.

Lavender or Citrus Essential Oil:

Studies show that inhalation of certain smells such as lavender and citrus can significantly reduce stress levels. Taking a big whiff of fresh lavender with your eyes closed, this amazingly simple stress reliever goes to work.

Positive Verbal Affirmations:

Positive affirmations: “everything is OK”, “stress is leaving my body”, or “I am in control of my life and well-being” can have an empowering effect on reducing stress and anxiety. Often this anxiety gets out of control when you feel powerless and out of control. By bringing a sense of control back to your current situation and repeating these affirmations like a mantra, as many times as needed, can help instantly calm the mind and reduce anxiety.

Regular Exercise: 

Almost everybody knows that exercise increases blood flow to the brain and helps stimulate endorphins, your feel good chemicals. Not only that, exercise can also help bring focus back on the body and keep you away from stress, just as meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises do.

Chamomile Tea: 

This wonderfully mild herb has been shown to have mild sedative properties to induce relaxation and alleviate stress. So brew up a nice warm cup of tea and take a moment alone to drink in its benefits.

Self-Acupressure: 

Have you ever noticed under a stressful situation that you find yourself rubbing your hands or temples? One of my favorite acupressure points to self-stimulate in times of stress is known as “union valley” It’s located in the soft spot of the webbing between your thumb and pointer fingers and when pressed you will notice tenderness.

Listen to Music:

In a recent article published by The Huffington Post, the author states that certain types of music can reduce cortisol levels and help to calm people down in stressful situations. I know that personally this has worked very well for me in the past.

Lay with Legs up on Wall:

Laying on the floor with your legs up the wall is an incredibly restorative yoga pose with the ability to calm the nervous system and decrease anxiety within about 5 minutes. It helps to calm and relax your adrenals, calm the mind, and release tension.

Remember that stress can only be present if you allow it to be. There are many tools available to stop stress and anxiety in its tracks. Find what works for you - and don’t wait until the stress level is out of control. As soon as you start to feel it come on take a moment to yourself to try one of these techniques. 

~Thanks to Brandy Augustine PhD

Tricks for Eating Less

It's not just the food.....Here are some of the provocative findings about portion control from the research of Cornell University’s Brian Wansink:

1. Big servings. People who were given a big bucket of (stale) popcorn ate 34 percent more than people who got a smaller bucket.
2. Fancy names. Cafeteria sales jumped by 27 percent when foods were given descriptive names like “Succulent Italian Seafood Filet” (instead of “Seafood Filet”) or “Belgian Black Forest Cake” (instead of “Chocolate Cake”).
3. More variety, more calories. People ate about 40 percent more if they had a choice of candy that came in six different colors than if the candy came in four colors.
4. Plateware matters. When people were served a brownie on a Wedgwood china plate, they rated its taste higher than when the brownie was served on a paper plate or napkin.
5. Food on the table. Men ate about 29 percent more—and women about 10 percent more—if the serving dish was left on the table (rather than the counter).
6. Who sets the pace? People ate more when they sat at a table with someone who ate quickly than with someone who ate slowly.
7. How much did I eat? People ate fewer chicken wings if they could see the bones of the wings they’d already eaten than if the bones were whisked away.
8. Healthy restaurant? People who believed that Subway meals were healthy underestimated the calories in Subway meals more than they underestimated the calories in McDonald’s meals.
9. Health halo. If a bag of M&M’s or trail mix was labeled “low-fat,” people ate more than if the label didn’t say “low-fat.
10. Exercise rewards.People ate more at dinner—and especially more dessert—after they went on a “scenic walk” than after they went on an (identical) “exercise” walk.
11. Cover up. Covering the clear window of an ice cream freezer with butcher paper led people to take 30 percent less ice cream from it.

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~Thanks to Brian Wansink 

Brian Wansink is the John S. Dyson Professor of Marketing in the Applied Economics and Management Department at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he directs the Food and Brand Lab. He was the executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion from 2007 to 2009, and is the author of Mindless Eating–Why We Eat More Than We Think(Bantam-Dell, 2006) and the forthcoming Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life (William-Morrow, 2013).

The Best Free 10-minute Online Workouts

Working out at home is a killer way to save time and money, not to mention avoid going outside when the weather is… well, you know, the way it is.

And good news: Not only can you avoid delayed subways or traffic, you can get an effective workout in in less time than it takes to blow-dry your hair.

Workouts that clock in at 10 minutes or less are super popular right now, thanks to a growing body of research that suggests working as hard as you possibly can for just a few minutes can lead to similar benefits—like increased fat burn and aerobic endurance—as longer, steady sweat sessions.

Ready to squeeze in some squats before breakfast? We scoured the internet for the best super-short workout videos from smart, star trainers and hot fitness brands, like Jillian Michaels, Anna Kaiser, and Barre3. All involve intensity—whether they target specific muscle groups like your abs or glutes or rock your whole body, head to toe.

The best part? They’re all completely free.

Try one on an extra busy day when getting to the gym is just plain impossible, or stitch a few together for an even more butt-kicking routine. Just be sure to wipe down your living room floor before your dinner guests arrive. 

Barre3 Total Body in 10 with Sadie Lincoln

The inspiring founder of top national barre brand Barre3 demonstrates how to tone your whole body quickly, using weights and a chair.

WaveShape Total Body Power Workout with Adam Rosante

Motivational master Adam Rosante, creator of WaveShape and the The People’s Bootcamp, will have you winded within a minute of his total-body strength and endurance session, which is meant to prep you for battling surf waves, or, you know, life.

10 Minute Ab-Sculpting Workout with Cassey Ho

Blogilates founder Cassey Ho is a Pilates internet sensation, and you’ll see how her fresh, energetic style really makes you sweat during this abs routine that’s anything but boring.

Full Body 10 Minute HIIT Workout with Astrid McGuire

Astrid McGuire, a badass fitness model and Barry’s Bootcamp master instructor, shows you how to get your cardio and strength training done in 10 minutes, no treadmill required, with this high-intensity interval workout via Popsugar.

CosmoBody Butt Workout with Jennifer Johnson

CosmoBody’s longer workouts involve a membership fee, but no log-in or equipment is required for this dance-inspired, tush-toning workout with powerhouse Jennifer “JJ Dancer” Johnson, from CosmoBody.

No More Trouble Zones Workout with Jillian Michaels

Celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels is the queen of online workouts. In this video from Lionsgate’s BeFit, she coaches you through a total-body sculpting sequence that targets tough-to-tone muscles.

Inner Thigh Workout with Anna Kaiser

Dance cardio queen Anna Kaiser of AKT In Motion created this quick workout for Into The Gloss that targets the inner thighs (and your sweat glands all over). Take a couple bonus minutes to stretch before jumping into the shower or your day.

~Thanks to Jamie McKillop

The Best Mandolin / Slicers for Every Budget

One of the best ways to judge if a home cook is a serious one is to check for a mandolin slicer in the kitchen. No other tool is as useful for making all the quick, clean cuts that make a finished dish look ready for its close-up.

Mandolin slicers are a fixture in restaurant and home kitchens alike for quickly slicing cucumbers for salad, shredding cabbage for slaw or potatoes for chips or au gratins. All but the simplest versions come with interchangeable blades that can create julienne slices, crinkle cuts, matchsticks and more.

The typical mandolin slicer has either an all-metal or a plastic frame with stainless steel blades. They are held at an angle; some come with fold-out legs that hold them upright and some with a container that collects the food. You'll find mandolines with straight, V-shaped or diagonal blades (the latter two tend to do best with softer, more fragile foods like tomatoes).

Most importantly, all mandolins come with a food holder or some sort of finger guard. Some are easier to use than others, but use them you should, because these blades are sharp—just ask any seasoned chef for a horror story or three. (If you really find using the food holder awkward, invest in a cut-resistant glove.)

We risked our fingertips to try out an array of slicers at various price points to choose the four with the best performance and design. To put the models to the test, we sliced a variety of foods, from delicate tomatoes to hard sweet potatoes. We sliced at various thicknesses and tried out the different slicing blades, and kept tabs on how comfortable and easy each one was to use.

OXO SteeL Chef's Mandolin Slicer

OXO SteeL Chef's Mandolin Slicer, $100
Why We Like It: OXO has a number of different slicers, but this one, its priciest, is the most well designed of any we've tried, from OXO or any other brand. The slicer comes with two double-sided cutting blades: The primary blade has a straight edge and reverses to a finely serrated edge designed for softer foods, and the other blade can make either crinkle or ruffle cuts (you can actually use these to make waffle cuts by passing the food over the blade, rotating it a quarter turn, and passing it over again—it works!). These blades are easy to change—they slide in and out of a slot on the side of the body. A knob on the side not only adjust the thickness (from 1/16 to ⅜ of an inch, with about 18 increments in between) but also flips up the thick or thin julienne blades. The straight edge cut just about everything easily and cleanly, and most foods were also easy to julienne. The food holder is comfortable to grip, although when cutting fries, it leaves a fairly big chunk of food that the blades can't reach uncut.

The Drawbacks: Both white and sweet potatoes were nearly impossible to cut with the wide julienne blade. And though we liked the little sheath that fits the blade that's not being used, we wish both of them could fit in there so that the slicer could be stored more safely.

Swissmar Borner V-Prep Mandolin Slicer

Swissmar Borner V-Prep Mandolin Slicer, $45
Why We Like It: Don't worry about cutting your finger while reaching into a drawer—the Swissmar Borner V-Prep Mandolin Slicer and all its accessory blades come neatly boxed in a plastic container. While in use, the slicer fits on top of the container base so that the food collects inside. A panel in this slicer flips over to change the thickness of the cuts, or can be replaced with two differently sized shredding blades to julienne. The V-shaped cutting blade worked great on even supersoft tomatoes, but cheese didn't slice cleanly. White potatoes were easy to slice and cut into french fries, but sweet potatoes got stuck in the blade unless we pushed down hard.

The Drawbacks: The fact that this slicer has only two thickness options (1.7 and 5 mm slices) could be limiting. And the food holder was significantly smaller than the blade, which meant that it was hard to use for large items like tomatoes.

Benriner Japanese Mandolin Slicer

Benriner Japanese Mandolin Slicer, $52
Why We Like It: This Japanese slicer can often be found for dirt cheap at Asian department stores or supermarkets, and for simple slicing tasks, it's just as effective as pricier models. It comes with three toothed blades for making various widths of julienne cuts that are slipped into a groove in front of the cutting blade; two bolts are tightened to hold them in place. Another bolt on the underside of the body controls the size of the cuts. (You will have to make a few test slices to get the proper thickness.) The thickest will be about ⅜ of an inch; the thinnest is virtually paper thin. The blade is set at an angle, which helps cut the food with very little effort; even sweet potatoes sliced smoothly. And the diagonal blade also worked well for softer foods, since so little force was required.

The Drawbacks: The food guard is the most ineffective of any of the mandolins we tried. And forget about making french fries with this guy.

Kyocera Adjustable Mandolin Slicer

Kyocera Adjustable Mandolin Slicer, $25
Why We Like It: Kyocera is known for its ceramic cutlery, so it's no surprise that it incorporated a ceramic blade into its mandolin—a smart move since ceramic is known for retaining its sharpness over a long time. This is a no-frills, easy-to-use slicer for someone who doesn't need the julienne cutters or crinkle-cut blades. The turn of a rod on the underside adjusts the thickness, but there are just four settings, from .5 mm to 3 mm (each setting is labeled, which is nice). We also liked how the base has a little notch, so you can fit it onto the side of a bowl to collect the slices.

The Drawbacks: Again, the food holder is fairly useless—the prongs are so short it's difficult for them to grip the food. And though the slicer worked well on firm foods, it didn't hold up as much on soft stuff like tomatoes, which sliced a little raggedly, particularly on thinner settings.

~Thanks to Jessica Harlan

5 Great Uses for Tea Bags

The majority of us drink tea, and throw away the soggy tea bag without a second thought. But wait! There are things you can use them for! Here are 5 amazing things you can do with them:

1.) Stop that bruise!

Okay so you aren’t as graceful as you thought and ended up bashing into a sturdy object. You know you are going to have a gross bruise but could really do without the hassle and the pain. Now what? Well it turns out that tea contains tannoids which constricts blood vessels and reduces swelling and inflammation. Soak a black tea bag in water for five minutes and place against the area to minimize discolouration and discomfort. If a bruise does show up, it will be smaller and will heal much faster.

2.)  Super cheap sunburn relief!

Sunburns can be more than a minor irritation, they can be downright agonizing. Luckily, tannic acids in tea can help you to abate that suffering. For minor spots, briefly dip a tea bag in cold water and place on reddened areas. For all over relief, place ten tea bags in a cool bath and enjoy a nice soak.

3.) Heal those winter chapped lips!

Whether it’s from dry air, wind, or winter coldness, there is help for those chapped lips. The antioxidant polyphenols in tea can help repair damaged skin cells and increase cell renewal. Simply place a moistened tea bag on your lips for 30 seconds a day, three to five times a week or when the need arises.

 4.) Instant relief for bleeding gums!

Tender gums can be very painful. The tannoids in tea have astringent properties that can help numb the ache and remedy the bleeding quickly. It can also prevent future infections by forming a protective layer over the exposed tissue. All you need to do is place a dampened tea bag on the affected are and gently bite down.

5.) Freshen up that carpet!

Have some lingering odour on those carpets? Good news! Tea leaves absorb moisture which causes those funky odours. First, check to be sure the tea isn't a color that could stain the carpet! Split open an unused tea bag, and sprinkle the dry tea leaves over the rug(s). Let them sit for ten to fifteen minutes (depending on how strong the odour is) an vacuum them up. That’s it, smelly air is fresh again!

 These clever tea bag tips are affordable and helpful in surprising ways.

~Thanks to Samantha Hemmingway

Is Candida Causing My Health Issues?

Candida can be at the root of chronic health issues, chronic fatigue, and digestive issues. It can also be a sign that there are deeper underlying problems, such as a parasitic disease (e.g., giardiasis) or a bacterial infection (e.g. Hpylori).

What is Candida?

Candida is a microbe that falls under the category of fungal infection. There are a variety of other microbes underneath the infection umbrella, as well, that can attack the body. These include bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Any of these can be stressors for Candida or other fungal infections and can drive health problems, including a leaky gut.

There are many species of Candida, including Candida krusei and Candida albicans. Candida albicans is the more common species—it is the one that typically causes jock itch, yeast infections, athlete’s foot, nail fungus, and even dandruff.

Candida can stress many areas of the body, including the adrenal glands, liver, and brain. And Candida with other stressors, such as endotoxins, bacteria, gluten, and food allergens, in the intestines can cause a leaky gut.

Candida and the Adrenal Glands

Candida and other fungal infections put stress on our adrenal glands. Our adrenal glands sit right on top of our kidneys, and these glands deal with inflammation. The stress and inflammation caused by a Candida infection will force our adrenal glands to come to the rescue and help heal all that inflammation in the gut and the body.

The adrenals produce cortisol to get rid of a lot of this inflammation. Imagine you have a smoldering fire. The adrenals are like the fire hose, and the cortisol is the water that’s going to extinguish fire in the gut.

Candida and the Liver and Brain

Candida can produce its own toxins. For instance, bacteria produce a toxin called lipopolysaccharide, or endotoxin.Candida, and other funguses, produces mycotoxin.

Mycotoxin creates a by-product called acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is a stress on the liver. A lot of my patients say that when they eat bad, they kind of feel drunk. Typically, that’s the effect of the by-product acetaldehyde on the liver.

Acetaldehyde then creates a compound on the brain called salsolinol, which can affect the substantia nigra of the midbrain and the cells that produce dopamine. This can potentially cause vertigo-like symptoms, dizziness, and even Parkinson’s-like symptoms.

Candida and the Intestines

A healthy intestinal tract is lined with microvilli and contains junctions underneath that are nice and tight. These junctions are the mechanism that provides the barrier between the inside of the gut and the blood. When Candidais present in the gut, it’s going to put stress on the gut lining.

On deeper inspection, we might also find bad bacteria, parasites, and viruses. All of these things adding additional stress to a Candida infection can cause our tight junctions to open up, allowing those undigested food particles, bacteria, and even Candida to slip into the bloodstream.

If you need help getting rid of your candida, read on!

Candida Disrupts Peristalsis

The mycotoxins Candida produces will also disrupt peristalsis, a wavelike contraction in your large and small intestines that helps force out your stool. This will prevent regular bowel movements. If you’re not pushing out about twelve inches of stool every day, you’re going to start to reabsorb a lot of these toxins.

One of the big things we see with Candida is constipation due to mycotoxins, and constipation leads to autointoxication - you’re poisoning yourself, leading to more issues with leaky gut. This is one of the biggest mechanisms behind autoimmune disease, which we absolutely don’t want.

Diagnosing Candida

There are three methods we typically use to diagnose a Candida infection:

• Blood test
• Stool test
• Clinical signs and symptoms
• At-home test

A blood test tends to be a pretty good mechanism to look for the presence of Candida. When I look at the blood, I look at IgM, IgG, and IgA. IgM and IgA will reflect a more acute or active issue or infection. The blood test is an indirect measurement. It looks at the response of the immune system coming to the rescue of the infection, so it looks for the fighters that would typically attack Candida, not necessarily the actual infection.

Candida is hard to find in a stool test. We’ll try to culture the stool and see if it comes back positive. If it does, it means you definitely have a Candida or fungal issue. If it comes back negative, it doesn’t necessarily rule it out.

With both lab tests there can be a decent amount of false negatives. If it comes back negative, there’s a good chance it’s a false negative. There aren’t many false positives, so if it comes back positive, it’s there.  In my opinion, a more accurate way to diagnose a Candidainfection is through clinical signs and symptoms.

What exactly are clinical signs and symptoms? We’ll make observations and ask a variety of questions.

• Do you have a lot of flatulence, and is there a lot of odor there?
• Does your bedroom have a yeasty smell to other people?
• Do you have a history of jock itch, athlete’s foot, or yeast infections?
• Do you have skin rashes? Not psoriasis, eczema, or dermatitis—more of a blotchy kind of rash that doesn’t really rise up. That tends to be more of a fungal rash.
• Do you have orange or yellowish fingernails or toenails?
• Do you have chronic dandruff?
• Does your tongue tend to turn white? This is called thrush, and it’s the ultimate symptom. It can be a subtle white, pure white, or anything in between.

Clinical signs and symptoms are the gold standard—if we see the clinical signs and symptoms of Candida, it’s there.

You can also use free and easy at-home test to check for the presence of Candida:

Treatment Options

If you have chronic Candida or fungal issues, your diet is the best place to start. Read The Fungus Link by Doug Kaufmann. The following are the essentials for the antifungal diet:

• Good fats and proteins
• Carbohydrates primarily from nonstarchy vegetables
• Avoid most nuts (including peanuts)—almonds are OK
• Cut all grains, legumes, and dairy (except grass-fed butter)
• Eat only low-glycemic, low-sugar fruits (e.g., berries, green apples, grapefruit, lemons, and limes).
• Minimize sugar (a little is necessary because without it these funguses can form into cysts or spore-like states that make it harder to kill them)

Herbs like grapefruit seed extract, undecanoic acid, various Berberines, and oil of oregano are good options. The key is to use them in high enough dosages. Typically, taking two or three can be a great combination.

Finally, we have to make sure deeper issues, or infections, aren’t present because we can treat Candida, but it won’t do any good if you also have a more serious underlying infection, such as a Giardia parasite. You have to pull a weed out at the root. If you don’t pull it out at the root, it’s going to grow back. We have to treat the underlying issue, or you aren’t going to get better.

If you have chronic gut issues, health concerns, or adrenal fatigue that you feel could be driven by Candida, reach out and schedule a consult to learn about your options. If you need more help getting to the root cause of your chronic fungus.

~Thanks to Dr Justin Marchegiani