The Power of Sleep

Sleep is an amazing thing that most of us don't think much about and certainly don't pay enough attention to, nor appreciate enough, and yet most of us are sleep deprived most of time...

As with anything in my life and my body I am putting myself through a current experiment with food, well more the, lack of some foods. I have been without alcohol or coffee for 2 weeks now. I am actively trying to find answers to a few things: 
• why my liver doesn't seem to be processing as well as it could
• why my cells aren't at optimal turnover and rejuvenation, given my age and good health
• paying more attention to how certain foods on the Eat Right for Your Blood Type diet do or don't effect me. 
All of this inquisitive investigation came from a visit with a new naturopathic doctor I met last month. She mentioned how impressed she is with all the lifestyle and dietary changes I have made over the years. So, unlike most of the patients that go to see her, we were able to talk about optimal health with a fine tooth comb and evaluate the nitty gritty of my diet and lifestyle. As always, I came home and did some research since I am an info junky, and now I am giving some of her ideas a whirl, plus adding in some extras of my own, including: eating my largest meal at lunch time, actively getting vegetables into each meal, drinking only 1 cup of green tea in the morning (that's all I want and need, as compared to my 2 cups of coffee), starting each morning with hot water and lemon, probiotics and yoga, having breakfast everyday (which happened naturally as soon as I cut out the coffee, I am naturally hungry within the first couple hours of waking).

Per the ND's suggestion, I read up on Dr. D'Adamo's Blood Type Diet approach to eating. Of course I know it. I have learned about it, in fact, I did a report on it in school, way back when (again another hint in my academic career that nutrition was the path for me - duh!). Without thinking much of it I haven't had chicken in a month. Crazy, right!? I don't think I ever thought to cut out something so benign and common in my diet. (I guess I've cut out chicken before on the vegan diet, but all I could think about was eggs, read that funny post here.). B blood types should avoid chicken, oddly enough there is a lectins in chicken, that Bs specifically do not assimilate well. I roasted a chicken with veggies the other night, man was it good. But the gas that immediately came after - yeah, not so much. I didn't eat the chicken for a day. Then had a very small amount yesterday, again, gassyness. Weird? Right? Who the hell ever heard of chicken making them fart? But something may be there. Maybe the blood type diet theory is onto something. I eat relatively close to it already, given a few changes, and switching out avoids for highly beneficial foods as a B. From a scientific standpoint it makes sense. We all evolved from certain regions in the world. And based on those regions we had limited resources to food. So our bodies adapted and evolved only knowing, eating, assimilating certain foods, it is in our DNA. It was not like it is now, where we have a global food marketplace and everyone eats everything. The Blood Type Diet focuses on our ancestry. Our blood types are a clue to our regional heritage and with that knowledge knowing how to eat based on how our ancestors ate and is optimal for our DNA. Interesting indeed!

I woke up this morning impressed by my quality of sleep lately. I have always valued my sleep. It is super important to me to get enough quality sleep. In fact, it is even more important for anyone around me that I get enough sleep. I am wretched if I don't. A couple years ago A and I stopped sleeping in the same bed and room because both of our qualities of sleep were being effected negatively that it was causing tension in our relationship. We both have different needs when it comes to the quality of our sleep; down to a difference in blankets, temperature of the room, waking in the middle of the night for water or to pee, lighting, moving too much; let me tell you it is amazing given our many, many sleep-need differences that we slept in the same bed as long as we did. It is not a reflection of the quality of your relationship if you do not sleep in the same bed, by the way! If anything, sleeping in the same bed may be some of the problems in your relationship. Just consider it.

It has always been a bit harder for me to fall asleep. I have to read in order to fall asleep. It is rare that I can crawl into bed and fall asleep. Typically I read for 30 minutes and then fall asleep. God be with you if you wake me up in the middle of the night. Man am I cranky. That also means I do not wake up in the middle of the night. I don't get up to pee or drink water. Occasionally I wake up because of stress and too many thoughts (but not nearly like I used to). And I used to wake up regularly on my period, but not since I started using the Diva Cup. I kid you not, it has changed my periods forever! And for the last 6 months, I have been waking around 3 am most nights, and that was because of my liver. So, now that I am addressing that, no more waking in the middle of the night and I am so stoked about that. I also wake up slowly in the morning. Not groggy per say, just everything moves slow. I don't like to be jolted awake, I hate alarms for that reason. I like to lay in bed, stretch, keep my ear plugs in long after my eyes are open. I like to be silent in the morning, with little talking or interaction, except maybe with Addi, our golden boxer. That is one of the few times in the day she is cuddly, so sometimes she gets in bed with me as I read or write early in the morning.

I typically go to bed between 10-11 p,m, and wake anywhere between 6 and 8 a.m. For the last 2 weeks though, I have been up no later than 7:30 bright eyed and bushy tailed. Still not jumping out of bed and talking a mile a minute (like a certain someone else in my house ;) ), but I am waking very mentally clear and excited and energized for the day. I am eager to write first thing in the morning and eager to do yoga in my PJs and bathrobe. Normally I would get up, go get my coffee and lounge on the couch for an hour or so, depending on the day's agenda. But these last couple of weeks I am excited and energized to get up to start moving my body at 6 am! Speaking of moving, it is amazing my poop lately (yep, I went there, you can always count on me to talk about poop) it just falls out as soon as I wake up. No I am not pooping in my bed, don't worry! But seriously, I open my eyes, I fart once or twice and then I need to poop. And it just slides right out. Boom, done easy, clean. So cool! 

If you had asked me over a month ago if my sleep was good, I would have said yes. In fact, I think I even wrote on my intake forms for my visit with the ND that yes, my sleep is good. But now, having such a close comparison, wow, what a difference! I am sleeping so much better now. My sleep is deeper and better quality. I am waking refreshed and energized and eager to move first thing in the morning, which is new for me. I have always had to wait to do my yoga until an hour or two after I woke up, because otherwise I would get nauseous. Now I am eager to get on my mat. I make my cup of green tea and roll my mat out. I sit with my tea for awhile, and then I slowly start stretching, which turns into a full yoga routine, always ending with inversions in my aerial silk. Never have I been able to do inversions in the morning soon after waking without extreme nausea. It is really fascinating. Similarly in the past, if I have to get up early, like 4 or 5 a.m. I woke up nauseous. Now, part of me is wondering if that was a condition of my lifestyle habits and it's effect on my sleep, more than the hour of the morning. Hmmm....

Bathrobe yoga is the best!

I haven't used an alarm in over a year. I am waking naturally. I have historically fought waking up. I can feel it coming in a semi-conscious state. I can feel my body waking, my eyes fluttering, but I would resist as long as possible. Holding my pee as long as possible, forcing my eyes shut as long as possible, just for a few extra minutes of sleep. But these last 2 weeks. I wake up, eyes wide open, no resistance. I have clear, energized, exciting, creative thoughts and I am excited to start moving and creating and being in the day. Also I have spent a large part of my adult life waking up for coffee. I love coffee. I think coffee is a justifiably wonderful reason to get up in the morning, because I thought it would wake me up and give me that energized feeling, which I am waking up with now, still in bed, without the coffee. It is interesting to watch A get up and his first train of thought is coffee, in a semi-awake zombie state. I have done that same zombie shuffle most of my life too. I now have the comparison as a helpful reminder that I have the power to control what I put in my body and the where-with-all to pay attention to how foods make me feel and sleep. If the goal is optimal health, to live longer, healthier and to feel good, for me that is the most important; I want to feel good every day, why not take the steps towards improving the feel-goodness of life. And what's even more amazing is you don't know until you know, until you have the comparison in a point of your life where you felt like crap and each step you make towards feeling amazing.

Like I said, I would have said with conviction that yes, I sleep great, but I didn't know. Something didn't click until now. And yes, I have given up both coffee and alcohol, many times before in my journey, and yes at the same time, but for some reason this is different. It feels different. And it is so clear that I should have done this 6 months ago when my intuition was telling me that I could be sleeping better and that my liver needed additional support.

We undervalue the importance of sleep in our society. We overvalue busyness and waking up early, as signs of being more productive, but how efficient really is that perceived productivity if the quality of our sleep is crap? I think it is worth investigating. Poor sleep effects our brains, our bodies, our hormones, weight gain, brain clarity, creativity, digestion, productivity throughout the day, our cravings - particularly for sugar and carbohydrates (Let's take a further look at that: we are nation of obese people consuming massive amounts of processed sugar and carbs, and we all feel pressure to work hard, longer and more productively and yet no one is questioning why we all need, no crave, coffee, sugar and carbs - perhaps we should be talking about the quality of our sleep more than the perceived productivity we are all so eagerly chasing), the foods we eat, the amount of food we eat, our reaction times (there is a reason sleep deprivation is a form of torture) our moods, our tempers, yes, even our relationships, ever notice how much more annoying your husband, or kids, or the barista behind the coffee counter are after a crappy night's sleep? Sleep is really important! I cannot stress this enough and it is something in your life that you have power to change, make better or worse, and even make ideal, based on your lifestyle choices and diet.

Don't take my word for it, put yourself through a sleep experiment, you will be amazed!

Movement with Intent

I am not initially sure what drew me to to my yoga mat. It certainly wasn't my childhood experiences with yoga. Yoga sucked when I was a kid. All the loud breathing and ohm-ing and laying on the floor for no reason. I wanted to run around outside.

For years my athletic ability has been hard, fast and competitive. Push harder, be stronger, test the limits of my body, stamina and endurance.

I think I even may have been drawn to yoga as an adult because of the fancy poses. I really, really wanted to master a headstand, handstand and crow pose. All of which I can do, but I've realized that's not it. I also started to turn to yoga for my nagging sciatica and psoas troubles. Regular practice has made the nag non-existent, well that, and a new bed! Seriously, totally digressing here, I thought I was just working out too hard, sitting too long or holding my pigeon pose for too long. Nope! It was my bed. A recent trip to CO shed some light on the potential that my bed might be the issue. I had little to no pain while traveling and sleeping in foreign beds, yet as soon as I got home, bam, sciatica and psoas nag back in full force. We all underestimate the value of a quality bed and in turn quality sleep. If you wake up stiff or with aches and pains, consider a new bed. Seriously! So simple, but literally transformative. For months I was thinking my issues were getting worse. Each morning I was so stiff and achy.  'I must be getting old.' Nope, got a new bed; all aches and pains gone. It just occurred to me this morning that I haven't paid any notice to my sciatica in weeks! When it used to be a daily constant nag. Craziness I tell you.

OK, digressing aside, something has changed with my approach to movement. Sure there will be days where I want to do a sweaty spin session or go for a run, but lately, I would rather be more in touch with what my body is telling me than how hard my mind wants to push. 

My yoga practice lately has been more meditative and spiritual than fancy and bendy. I am more interested in poses that restore me and center me, than standing on my head. My new alter is bring a new spiritual awareness that I have never felt so strongly. 

Something has shifted and I can't even really put words to properly describe the shift. But the take-away I hope to share, is listening to your body. So many of us need to push harder, be stronger, sweat more, but there is something about connecting with your body, soul and spirit in your movement. Sure you can sweat. But do what feels good, not what you "should" be doing, not another rep to finish the round or holding chaturanga until you collapse.

There is something to be said about movement with intent, with love, and I think that is the true practice, move your body because you love it, not because you want to punish it, or yourself. Sit still and listen to your breathing because you want a deeper connection with loving yourself.

Sometimes the harder we push the more resistance we get, maybe stop pushing so hard. Maybe surrender. I know, it's hard and surrender is scary, but so is learning to love self. Surrendering to yourself and then "shoulds" and the self-competition is healing. Don't worry if your definition of "exercise" is the same as anyone else's. And also allow it to change. As a person who has spent years pushing my body as hard as possible until it ached, I think there might be something to listening, embracing, loving, accepting and moving my body and mind to connect more to my heart. Move with the intent to love self. And listen to your body, it will tell you the movement you need.

Yoga Heals

I am feeling so inspired and in awe of my practice, I just finished up and am now writing from my mat.

I haven't been doing much of anything good-for-me-wise for months, as such last post clearly depicted. With such shenanigans came no proper yoga practice of any kind. I have casually stretched here and there, did a couple of headstands and handstands for kicks (I can FINALLY do a hand stand unassisted and away from a wall - yay me!) but proper, meditative, centering, good release, zen yoga - no way Jose.

I am not sure why of all recent days, today was a day where my mat was calling me. It isn't particularly nice out (I love practicing outside when the weather permits), it actually looks like heavens are about to open up and downpour, it is kinda muggy and I was getting chewed by bugs (hence why I moved inside), but I needed yoga today. My body and mind ached for it. Do you ever get that?

My body has been stiff and tight beyond belief the last week. I thought maybe it was sympathy aches for A because his sciatica is flared up right now (and try as I might I can't get him to do yoga), but when it was more than my temperamental sciatica, I knew it was more than just ghost pain. (Side note: my sciatica is completely nonexistent when I practice regularly, in fact yoga is the ONLY thing that has ever made it go away completely for long periods of time.)

It is funny psychologically for me, muscle pain is good, I have always been a glutton for punishment when it comes to exercise. I love the burn, the lactic acid build up and the muscle ache for days - it makes me feel like a hard-ass, bad-ass. But my most recent aches are not good aches, my tendinitis is flaring up, my wrist aches, my neck aches, my sciatica just feels icky and irritated, my shoulders get tight (and no I am not an 80 year old woman with arthritis, even though it may sounds like it). I know when I am ohh, ahh, ugh - yoga is needed. Yoga heals all. I think everyone and anyone can and should do yoga. I am amazed by how little aches and pains I have when I practice regularly and similarly how quickly the aches and pains dissipate as soon as I spend a few minutes on my mat.

Sure I want to push through, push harder, do the difficult poses, well at least my hard-ass, competitive brain does, but no, I consciously chose a lighter practice, especially when I haven't been on my mat in over a month. I did the poses I wanted to do and some of those that brought the ache to the forefront. At first I was tight all over, my toes, my neck, my wrists, back, hips, but slowly and surely, everything loosened up and started to feel amazing. That lingering, subtle ache that has been threatening to get worse for days disappeared. I could feel each body part, muscle and tendon loosen up. The trick is not to overdo it. We think oh this must be good, so more should be better. That is not the case. There is such a thing as overstretching a muscle and that could lead to serious injury. So know when to ease up and even stop your practice.

I know I have to consciously ease back in and turn off my self judgement and doubt - to expect to get back on your mat after months of no association and whip out flying pigeon is just setting yourself up for failure and probably injury. Be easy on yourself. Practice where you are at, not where you "think you should be," you silly goose you haven't done yoga regularly for months (that is to me, not you (unless you are like me, then - please be kind to yourself and your practice)).

(The funny thing is I did a headstand at the end of my practice and my legs literally floated up over my body so quickly and effortlessly it startled me, I was prepared for a little struggle and some major core engagement, I almost lost my balance as my legs flailed around, haha, like riding a bike I guess ;) )

Yoga truly blows my mind. I am perpetually challenged and humbled by my practice. How I try to avoid it and yet my body and mind crave it. And how I keep brushing it off like "eh, I don't need no stinkin' yoga" and yet as soon as I surrender I feel all shiny and new again.

I can't wait for my practice tomorrow.

Namaste.

Exactly! I Could Not Have Written This Any Better if I Tried!

Thanks @yoga_girl! Took the words right out of mouth and heart.......

TRUTH

MY BODY.

15 JULY, 2015

The strength I have on the mat and the space I’ve created in my body is a result of a lot of hard work, but mostly…a lot of letting go. We hold so much emotion physically. Practicing yoga is releasing—that’s why it’s so difficult! Not because we move in different ways or inhale to lift this and exhale to lower that. It’s scratching at the surface of what you don’t want to see; it’s unveiling all the fears and judgments you have about yourself buried deep inside. It’s connecting to what’s really true. And yes, along the way we might pick up some strength and flexibility and handstands and backbends and arm balances—this is a bonus. It’s not why we keep returning to the mat, every damn day. It’s not the purpose of this practice. As I move deeper and deeper into backbends, I move deeper and deeper into self-love. As I build strength to balance steadily on my hands, I build strength to face whatever the world throws at me. As I release tension from the hips, shoulders, hamstrings, I release fear, frustration, sadness. Little by little…I release the need to control. As I learn to surrender on the mat, I learn to surrender to the present moment. This is the practice. It’s accessible to you, to everyone, right here, right now—but you have to do the work. No one is going to do it for you. Don’t hold back. Today is a beautiful day for a new beginning.

The Power of Yoga

I wrote this post a few weeks ago, but never completed it. Today's post and this one seemed to go together: 

I am amazed by yoga and how much I love it.

This was not always the case however. I remember as a kid my Mom dragging me to yoga classes. I would begrudgingly go, whining, half-ass attempting down dog, which inevitably led to my nose running, which meant for all the people in the class looking for silence and focus, were subject to my incessant sniffling. And shavasana, forget about it, I would get so bored laying there. Why did I have to go to a class to lay on the floor?! It made no sense to my 10 year old self. I wanted to be outside running around, not in a stuffy room with a lot of people barefoot, breathing the same air and being extremely quiet. I really disliked yoga along with some other things Mom made me do, like gardening and drinking wheatgrass.

Now that I am adult though, I have been practicing daily for over 6 months, I am amazed how much it has changed my life and subsequently flummoxed by how much I thought I hated yoga as a kid.

I think yoga is much more fitting to where I am at this point in my life. I am keenly aware of what my body needs, what works and what doesn't. And with that comes focus on those things which make me feel best.

For most of my life I have just lived and consumed and enjoyed and moved through it, entirely unaware of my body responses to certain situations, consumptions and movement. I always thought pain was a sign of weakness, stillness a waste of time and food and alcohol meant to be consumed, enjoyed with abandon.

It makes sense, as kids we move through life, as quickly and as little connected as possible, we want to do it all and as quickly as possible. There is little self reflection and the concept of looking/feeling your true needs doesn't kick in until adulthood (and for some, possibly ever).

I guess Mom was right. It is funny how those things I hated as a kid, that she made me do, have come full-circle and are very enjoyable and important parts of my everyday life. Thanks Mom.

And today, as soon as I finished my practice I KNEW I had to write about it:

Today was the first time this spring that I was able to do yoga outside. It was a gorgeous, crisp, bright blue sky, spring day in the mid-60s. I even was able to sit outside during lunch today and take my sweater off. It was a perfect Maine spring day, which led to a very strong urge to do my practice outside.

Outside practice is not always an option in Maine, well I guess I could practice in snow, but teeth chattering does not seem very centering to me. As all Mainers do, we relish the days like today, where we can open all our windows, the breeze is cool but not cold, but enough to keep the bugs at bay and the sun warm enough to warm our winter-chilled bodies, but not so warm where the humidity becomes stifling.

I couldn't wait to get home from work so I could take my mat and my dog outside for a sunset practice.

While I have surely done yoga outside before, there was something about today's practice, a centering, a focus, a nimbleness that I have never had before. Possibly it is because I am at that next stage of my practice, but for some reason today it felt like because I was outside, with nature, in the grass, with my Boo basking in the afternoon sun, picking her nose up from time to time to sniff the spring air, that I had a kind of perfect yoga session.

I was able to transition effortlessly. Poses that are normally challenging were done with ease. I felt more connected to my body and subsequently to the earth that I think today I crossed over into that "zen Buddha yoga practice" phase. I have heard of this focus and centering, this grounding, of which I have felt and "experienced" before. All of which are parts of why I practice daily and turn to yoga as a centering of every part of my life, but for some reason today it was different.

Different in a way that is hard to put into words, but in a way that all felt right in the world, at least for that hour, not bothered by seasonal allergies (that have recently come on full force), but graciously consumed by the cool spring air, the bright green grass, my dog practicing her own form of dog yoga, or at least being a supporter coming to lick my ears from time to time. Today I felt grounded, centered and focused with myself and nature in a way I never have with my practice before.

I have been saying for over a half a year how much I love yoga, but today I truly love yoga (I think I might even need a shirt).

Namaste.

Sometimes she is extra helpful, like here, she decided to lay right behind me as I was in plow pose and shoulder stand, completely unaware that there is not enough space on the mat for the 2 of us

An Ode to He Who Can Eat it All

The ire of loving someone who can eat it all and in very large amounts:

Most mornings I wake and have my usual cup of green tea, he has coffee with enough cream to turn it a milky tan. He consumes the entire pot of coffee as I enjoy my one cup of tea.

I make my typical morning smoothie, but slightly more indulgent today (hey it's the weekend) dates, almonds, raw sunflower seeds, lecithin, bee pollen, homegrown wheat grass, spirulina, flax seeds, psyllium husk, liquid minerals, cinnamon and organic almond milk. He eats leftovers from dinner out the night before of a half a steak, pepper jack cheese, mushroom, peppers and onions sandwich (mind you the half is the size of his face, you should have seen the whole!) and left over, crisped in the oven fries, 2 large glasses of local organic (at least something is!) 2% milk, as a slowly sip my health-nut smoothie.

Photo courtesy of two-views.com

I can not tell you how many times we go out to eat and he orders all to his heart's content, greasy, meaty, cheese oozy-yumminess and I get a salad. Yay salad (sarcastic font here). Oh the glory of choices, I think to myself. The joy of eating that which sounds good (and looks good), not what is good for you or really only what is available to you due to allergies.

Oh, and did I mention he never gains weight! (Yes, I do love him)

Of course, he knows, and I remind him that he should watch what he eats, but right now, at this point in his life he doesn't and decides to not worry. Although I certainly have rubbed off on him. He graciously and enthusiastically eats my vegetarian and often vegan weeknight dinners, sure he might add cheese, but at least he is getting a more balanced diet. Plus he takes his vitamins and drinks green juice when I make it for him, but I always have to laugh at our eating differences.

One of the more prominent moments from our recent travels just makes me smile: he sits in a overstuffed chair reading the morning newspaper, drinking a full-fat, double latte, eating a bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich on a fresh made New York bagel, the buttery-greasy-bacony-yummness runs down his arm and permeates the room as I transition into a crescent lunge. I did my full morning yoga practice in a bacon, gluten-y, cheese smelling room and gladly went and made my morning smoothie after. Talk about strong will (namaste, mf-ing bacon!).

Our consumption choices are different, but so is our physical makeup. He has no obvious food allergies. He burns an obscene amount of calories a day being a construction worker. And subsequently can eat that which he chooses, which is meat, fat, cheese, dairy and gluten galore. And yes there are days I am gloriously envious. But hey, I get to live vicariously through him. I can smell it, whatever it might be in all it's oozy, gluten-y, dairy goodness, enjoy watching him eat it (of which he makes looks very enjoyable), but my strong will always kicks in. I can't and choose to not consume like that. I choose health, wellness and feeling good as more important that oozy cheesy gluten, well that and I am a little partial to breathing....

He knows better and is including a more balanced consumption into his daily life (perhaps thanks to me) and maybe one day he will come fully over to my "crunchy" "rabbit food" side, but for now I will continue to practice self-control as I watch him take a bite of cheesy, meaty, gluten-y goodness, while I casually slip good, wellness food practices into his daily life.

Yoga, Wine or Sweat?

Stress management is a life challenge. Everyone is different and everyone handles stress in their own way, but management is a critical part to making it through the many stresses of life. 

Lately my day job seems to effect every part of my life. I head to work each morning, waning optimism of a new day that fades entirely by dinner time, only to wake and do it all over again the next day. With all the huge changes, personnel issues, management issues, new software installations, new programs and the generational divide between the old staff and the new, and old and new systems, I leave with my head throbbing, shoulders sore, and deep breathing attempts manifesting to a guttural moan that only perpetuates into getting worked up again, when kindly asked as I walk in the door 2 hours later than I would normally get off work, "Hey Babe, how was your day?" Unfortunately my job, at this point in time, is all consuming.

We all know we need to manage our stress. Stress kills. Cortisol and adrenaline are the body's hormonal defense mechanisms in times of stress, be it temporary or long term. They are produced as part of the body's fight-or-flight reaction to stressful situations. The problem with prolonged stress, your cortisol levels don't drop. Cortisol curbs functions that would be nonessential in a fight-or-flight situation such as immune system responses, suppressing the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes. This complex natural alarm system also communicates with regions of your brain that control mood, motivation and fear. In a prolonged state, cortisol causes weight gain in the abdominal area, which left ignored can cause a multitude of health problems, such as stress on internal organs by the increased abdominal fat, trouble sleeping, heart problems, digestive issues, anxiety and depression, to name a few. We have a natural alarm system that is great for one-off intense instances, but the majority of us live in a more semi-regular fluctuation of stress, often triggering our fight-or-flight system more than it was ever intended to be needed.

So it is clear that temporary stress management is important to alleviate the long term ramifications of stress because there are some major health concerns that come by ignoring stress symptoms in the short term. There are clearly more healthy ways than others to help one manage stress and we all have our preferences depending on the type of shit dealt that day. Recommendations range from stress reduction (but who really has much control over that, especially when dealing with the overhaul of a company), exercise (makes sense), eating well (I don't know about you, but when I am stressed I want to eat all my food vices at once), thinking positively (ya OK!?) and being social (this too makes sense). For my daily stress management it comes down to 3 choices; two are on the "recommended list" (yay, me), the other, not so much.

Lately, my question to myself on my drive home from work is, 'yoga, wine or sweat?'

While the default for many is often booze, it is probably the worst choice for stress management, but we all turn to it. The running joke around the office right now is, "Is it whiskey time?," which basically is any time, minus some stupid no alcohol policy while on the clock, grumble, grumble. What happened to the good-ole-days of the Mad Men era when booze was permitted and encouraged for the daily workings of an office? So, we often blow off steam after work, saddling up to the local bar, bitching about the inner-workings, or current lack thereof, in the office. It momentarily helps. And trust me, there are days, and as any office-based TV show will reiterate; a favorite line in particular - Marty Kaan from House of Lies, "I need to drunk." And some days that is just the case, drunkenness helps alleviate the stress for the evening, or at least makes the bitching more tolerable for those around you. Bitching is always more amusing and bonding when encouraged by some alcohol, you come together over a buzz, a common enemy and the camaraderie of "us against them."

But then there is the good side that kicks in, the better conscious side, on my other shoulder saying, "Well now, I know that wine sounds good, but yoga is better for you. It will calm your mind and release the tension of the day." As I say to myself, "I know, I know, I know," and suit up in my yoga gear. Yoga has amazing powers to calm my mind. The stress relief and inversions, deep breathing, all really works wonders. The clarity of mind is more than any number of glasses of wine can create, well then again, wine does the exact opposite, fuzzing the clarity of mind (but that's the purpose, right?). Sometimes I will resist the know-better of yoga practice after a long, stressful day, but every single time my better conscious wins, I am happier, calmer, relieved, less tense throughout my entire body, more than any amount of bitching or wine drinking could ever fix. So while I resist the initial "zen-Buddha," of which some days I want to say fuck zen-Buddha, the difference for me is untouchable. More often than not, my reluctance gives way to the best form of stress management I have ever known.

Sweat. Sweat for me has been a stress management tool I have relied on my whole life. When I was a frustrated teenager, I would put on my running shoes and head out the front door to run along the beach for as long as my legs would carry me. I turned to sports to alleviate some of the stresses in school, and in college my gym routine was just a valuable as my study routine. Sweating to me always meant a hardcore workout that teetered on the side of slightly masochistic. I love the labored breathing, the slow but gradual burn of working muscles, the beats blasting in my ears, the itchy trickle of sweat running down my face and back, and the residual post-workout ache the next day. Working out is one of the few times in my life that my brain completely turns off. Somehow the accomplishment of kicking my own ass to a point of exhaustion where I can't think of anything else, other than how badass I feel, makes the shitty, frustrating, pain-in-the-ass day melt away. There are just some days that no form of yoga nor massive glass of wine will do what the endorphin rush of a hardcore workout will produce, (well that and maybe getting laid, but I am not sure that sex is on the "professionally recommended stress-reducing list," but it should be!).

So drink, mediate, breathe, sweat, be positive, get laid, be zen-Buddha, eat junk, get drunk, whatever it may be, because we all have shitty days and stressful weeks, and one way or another we have to get through (just maybe have most of your stress management tools be good for you than bad, but we all have to have a few bad).