I have been slacking on doing blogs...once again, I am bored with my format, and I am looking for new material!  I am currently reading a book called the List Makers Get- Healthy Guide by the Editors of Prevention.  It is a fun format of ideas for nutrition, exercise and more.  One of the lists that caught my attention has to do with stress.  This is one of the biggest concerns of many of the clients that I see (right up there with fatigue and weight loss).  According to this book, 63 percent of people believe that their lives are more stressful than five years ago.  This is not a surprise, based on the economy, what is surprising is the high number of people experiencing this stress.  According to the List Maker's book, the following is a list good reasons to try and keep your stress level to a minimum:

1. You'll Stay Healthier:  Stress can deplete your immune function.  It is problematic for both physical and emotional health.
2. You'll Lower Your Disease Risk:  "Persistent, unrelenting stress can weaken your body in such a way that you're more vulnerable to serious chronic illness."
3. You'll Eat Better, Weigh Less: Stress can throw our hormones and chemical balance out of whack, leading to weight gain.
4. You'll Exercise More:  Exercise is a great way to combat stress and improve health.
5. You'll Sleep Soundly:  Sleep is so important to overall health.  Stress causes "ANTS" - annoying negative thoughts that keep us awake at night.
6. You'll Strengthen Personal Bonds
7. You'll Be More Social
8. You'll Do Your Job Better:  Stress contributes to fatigue and difficulty with concentrating.
9. You'll Give it Your All:  "People who stress are never fully invested in what they're doing."
10. You'll Be Happy!

A great quote that I refer to when I am under too much stress is ~Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it empties today of its strength~ this is important to keep in mind, because there are so many things that we stress about that are out of our control.  Goal for today - Relax and let go of the things that are out of our control at this moment.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving - Shanna

There are a couple of areas this week that I feel like I need to improve on - driving and sleeping. 

14)  Driving - When the price of gas is close to the $4 mark per gallon, I am all of a sudden much more careful of my driving habits.  When the price is $3.50, I am unconcerned with the extra trips I take.  This makes very little sense.  I should be making an effort to save on gas no matter what the price.  I car pool for my teaching job, which is very helpful - since I work 30 miles from my home.  What I need to improve on is planning errands so that I am not making extra trips and going out of my way to pick up unnecessary items.  I also need to arrange more car pooling opportunities for my kids' activities.  These are simple changes that saves money and helps the environment.

15)  Sleeping - usually at this time of year, when the days are getting shorter, sleeping is much better.  When I find myself waking up in the middle of the night, I find that I need to evaluate my stress level.  Night time is also the time when our organs are regenerating.  If you are waking up at night between one and three in the morning, chances are pretty good that your liver and/or adrenals are working hard.  From three to five, the lungs are working hard, and from five to seven in the morning, the large intestine is regenerating.  Another thing that keeps me awake is ANTS - annoying negative thoughts.  This goes along with evaluating stress levels.  It can also go along with a lack of minerals in the diet.  Sleep is so important to health, and it is important to evaluate what is interfering with sleep to keep the immune system strong.