Fitspiration 6/7/14

Many times when the decision to work out is made, it has to do with wanting to lose weight. While exercise does help us lose fat and build muscle, it is also a great stress reliever. The reason why...exercise can help us build confidence and feel more comfortable in our own skin. Stress comes from fear and anxiety of the things that we want to control, but can't because they are uncertain and unreliable. There a couple things that we can do when we feel stressed. The following ideas were a couple tips that I found in a book called “The Perfect Balance Diet” by Lissa Coffey.

• Meditation. It can help you keep your mind and emotions balanced.

• A balanced diet. Eating a balanced diet of fresh foods rather than highly processed foods can feed your body the nutrients it needs to give you energy and strength.

• Exercise. I mentioned this above, but this shows how important exercise really is. When you work out it creates endorphins which in the words of Elle Woods from Legally Blonde “make you happy”.

• Avoid caffeine. Okay. Okay. This one might seem a bit extreme for some of you coffee fanatics but sometimes when you feel stressed, it might be helpful to avoid that cup of coffee for a couple days.

So whether it's on the weekend or in the evening after work, make sure you take time to focus on you and unwind, relax, and refresh your mind and body.