Stress is a killer! We have all heard this before, have we not? Most of us have experienced it at one point in our lives or another. Typically it is that one thing in our lives that is out of sync with the rest of the glorious parts of our lives. We all have elements in our lives that give us a little heartburn, and coping with it is not always easy. There are many factors to weigh in: our mental state, our nutrition levels, our exercise level, and even social interaction.

Sometimes all we need is a good venting system or sounding board to work out our issues. We don't necessarily need feedback, but knowing that a person is listening and responds actively helps (at least something with a pulse). However, there are elements that we can employ to help us with our daily states of mind.

This starts with proper nutrition. Our body works on cycles and proper nutrition is necessary throughout the day. We have three- to five-hour cycles in which our body starts to run low on proper nutrients and energy. Eating smaller meals helps our bodies function on a more optimal level. In turn, it affects the blood to our brains and nutrients carried for the proper synaptic response. Without this, we can have mood swings, become irritable, or even hostile. This is a response to the lack of getting the proper nutrients our bodies and brains need to function.

If we eat large meals, then our body kicks into overdrive to process the food consumed. Again, we have less going on upstairs and signals to shut down occur. Ever felt sleepy after eating? This is a direct response to our bodies processing larger meals. Instead, stick to lighter meals, make sure they are packed with nutrition, and then snack on a carrot or apple between those smaller meals.

It's true, this brings you one step closer to mitigating how our bodies deal with stress. Get the proper nutrition to your body/brain and you will deal with the issue with greater ease. Now let's go one step further. Our body needs to expend energy, so you are getting the proper nutrition. However, you may not be burning it off. Our bodies will stockpile this energy.

Burning energy

Burning energy is necessary to rid the body of a whole host of calories and stockpiles of the not-so-wanted waste products. One such waste product during the time of stress is high levels of cortisol, which has a direct impact on our fight-or-flight responses. If we have too much of it, then we may bunch up like a ball and can experience a whole host of unwanted psychological and physiological issues, including migraines, irritability, or muscle cramps. 

Exercise on a regular basis will reduce the buildup in your bloodstream (not just cortisol). It will build your coronary heart muscles and increase the blood flow to the brain. Wow, are you thinking optimally again? Proper exercise also helps to relieve stress, ward away ailment, and others. Don't overdo it, though. Remember too much of a good thing can be bad.

TotalWaveFitness Exercise Machine

My workout of choice while locked away in the house is the TotalWave Fitness. I get a total body workout and bust those obliques in the process (you know that pesky side fat that everyone complains about but do little to get rid of). The added benefit? I don't have to spend an hour walking to get the same calorie-burning workout, and I have worked on all the muscle groups, not just one. It also acts as an HIIT Trainer, building my endurance and cardio all at once. I can go at my own pace depending on the day and it keeps my mind engaged as I am thinking about the exercise and position and not about some stressor. The TotalWave is like surfing or skiing, where you are free of your problems and the only issue is the task at hand. A bonus is that it is for all ages and requires no special skills, although you do get better as you use the machine, and learn new positions and exercises (no position or exercise is wrong if it works a body part).

When I am not confined to a building, I love to go for a bike ride. One hour can burn up to 700 calories. The same can be said for the TotalWave. But, getting out in the sun has its own benefits as you build up much-needed Vitamin D, which is similar to photosynthesis. Our bodies need the rays, so get some and moderate that as well.

Lastly, we need sleep. This is a time for our brains and bodies to relax. We receive a chemical transmitter that keeps us from acting out our dreams and allows those muscles to mend and replenish nutrients. Without sleep, we have plenty of chemicals built up in our system (remember cortisol). We need to release and cleanse our bodies of these. Much like meditation, it puts our bodies in a release state.

Let your body do its thing. It needs a break, and we all know how we love our sleep. All these things can help mitigate and even lessen stressors. Often, if we are able to deal with our problems in a clear state of mind, then we do not dwell on the issues and make that anthill into a mountain to overcome. By maintaining our mind and body balance, life seems to get a bit better, and in even sweeter ways we may not notice.

Along with our TotalWave Fitness Machine, we believe in the whole body experience. However, the same mundane experience is not our way. We like to shake things up and challenge the status quo. You may believe you are counting the calories correctly, but there are reasons you are probably not capturing them all.

Recently, I have been blogging about hyper-calorie counting, which was derived from a post about eleven reasons you are not losing weight. The post simply said you are eating more calories then you believe. I asked, "How do you get over this hump without pouring over it?" The simple answer was adding calories to what you believe you are eating or hyper-calorie counting. For those who have not heard this expression, it is simply overcounting calories stated on labels of food products.

Simply put, if you eat the following quantities:

less than 200, add another 50 calories
less than 600, add another 100 calories
between 600 and 800, add 200 calories

Avoid anything above 800 calories, as there is little to no benefit and the diminished rate of return is in effect. For example, when eating a bowl of good ice cream as opposed to a bowl of really great ice cream, the difference is negligible.

The reasoning behind this is that often, posted calories do not include veggies, condiments, seasonings, and sauces. So a 4 oz steak starts at 400calories, but by the time it's ready to eat it, it may then be 500. So now you are compensating. Fast food places are notorious for this as sandwich places say condiments are extra, along with veggies and so on.

Additionally, if you use a site that gives you calories, they rarely calculate sauces into the equation. What's more, the different sites publish different stats. The post where I derived the hyper-calorie counting concept actually stated that we simply underestimate the number of calories and this is in large part due to inconsistent results found in print. My recommendation is to go with the highest estimate, which allows you to overcount opposed to undercounting.

One of the keys here is minding your portions, equivalent to calories. You cannot eat a bowl of ice cream and call it one portion. Usually, a portion is printed on the label. With fruits and veggies, it is usually a cup, but if you don't know then look it up. If you must eat out, then do so from a place that has published data on calories and carbs. A good rule of thumb is to limit those carbs, such as grains and such. While it is next to impossible not to consume carbs, you can be conscious of it. But if you are sticking to a diet with a known calorie limit, then counting carbs is rarely an issue if you eat grains sparingly (bread and pasta are huge ones), then two to three times a week you should be okay, minding portion sizes.

Most prefab diets stick to these rules. However, you do not need those pre-packaged diets (with exception to convenience) if you set your own limits. Additionally, most of those diets lack variety, taste, and leave you craving. Newer diets on the market have recently started adding more flavor. However, if you cook with fresh garlic, cilantro, lemon, ginger, and turmeric, then you are getting great flavor while adding healthy herbs to your system (anti-inflammatories and other). Rarely do you need salts, msg, and other ingredients!

We are not really talking about carrots. However, do keep in mind it is hard to count what is in a carrot. The density and size very largely. The same can be said for any fruit or vegetable. This is why they are measured in cups and not by quantity (a cup is 8 ounces, in case you were thinking of just filling a cup).

Along with calorie counting, keeping the eye on the ball, we need to keep to portion sizes. While most fruits and vegetables are not going to make you gain a lot of weight, they can if you eat too much. This is just simply a law of intake. I hear friends say all the time you can eat as much as you want. My stance on this, and I always put it at the end of their statement, is within reason.

Don't believe the hype - all food has calories and all food counts towards your daily allowance. Of course, eating fruits and vegetables is far healthier for you than taking in empty carbs and calorie-producing fats. Additionally, it might take a lot of fruits and vegetables to hit your daily calorie target. However, keep in mind our body does need some fats as well, and varying your intake on these is necessary. Eating leaner meats over highly saturated ones is the best practice.

Does this mean you need to eliminate all high-fat foods? Not at all! In fact, there is a benefit to eating meat. Our bodies require 10 times the amount of fruits and vegetables to equal the same vitamins and nutrients that we get from meats.

Why is that? Well, the animal has already processed the food to a point where the body can readily absorb the nutrients (no conversion necessary). Simple right? In theory, it is, but there is a lot more that happens. For argument's sake lets keep it simple. So one 4 oz steak has the vitamins and minerals of an entire bag of carrots if we have to break it down and digest it into usable nutrients.

Additionally, meats have a ton or retinoids (already converted from plants and ready for introduction into your system), which is a precursor to collagen. Collagen is what gives your skin elasticity. It is also what gives us the ability to fight off harmful elements, allowing us to look youthful.

Retinoid is something to keep in mind. There is a downside to fatty meats, which is saturated fat (like we haven't heard that before). You should cut as much fat away as possible as most of that fat is not the good fats. An alternative to beef and the bad fats is fish. They tend to have far and away pound for pound good fats, such as omega fat acids and far fewer saturated fats, which have essential building blocks that your body needs to thrive.

To ensure a proper diet, it does not really take much - just find your simple calculators. Here is one I use, and it is free. it calculates my age, gender, height, and weight. This little app then tells me the number of calories I need to maintain my weight, lose, or gain. This allows me to know my target. If you employ hyper-calorie counting, then it will ensure that you stay on target. If you are endeavoring to gain weight, then you could do the opposite to ensure you eat enough.

Dieting can be as easy as you want it to be, or it could be very complex. However, if you have a firm base to accomplish your goals, then you are more than halfway there. I am sure you have heard that planning is 70 percent of a project. Well, health can be viewed the same way, and if you diet properly, then you can find yourself at an optimal weight - which leads to overall health.

This simple plan is easy to follow, and it puts the simple back into health and fitness. Too many fads try to sell you on their products, but really is there some mystery sauce or science to health and fitness? Have you ever been motivated to get in shape just to find that it does not work? I have laid a simple plan that anyone can follow - please read on!

If we perceive weight loss like a job, then we have certain things that are expected of us when we go to work. We use skills and tools to accomplish our tasks in an orderly and productive fashion. We can employ skills like that in daily life as well. In fact, most of us have, and few recognize they have established routines.

I have given up on the supplement route; they do not work by themselves. However, taken for the right reasons (not weight loss), they can greatly benefit the body, such as the desiccated beef liver.

I have established seven such habits to aid me in weight loss. First, if I am hungry and I snack, I pick small portions and do not grab a can of Pringles (okay, every once in a while). I will portion out some cheese, carrots, bell peppers, or something else with a health factor to it. It is meant to bridge the gap between meal times, not be an entire meal.

A second gate I have in place is that I avoid carbs, so if its a carb load then I will reduce the intake or opt for something different. This is not to say I do not have a sandwich once or twice a week. I just swerve and go around the carbs. It doesn't mean I will not plow through them.

Third, I have done the research and found out what my target calories should be for the day. You should use a simple online calculator. It will help you discover what is needed to gain, maintain, or lose weight. Regardless of who does the carb or calorie thing, both are compensated for here.

Fourth, I watch my portions. Portion sizes are where nearly everyone who counts calories and can't lose weight goes drastically off the beaten path. Ensuring I am counting portions fairly is something that cannot be cheated. The proof is in the pudding!

Fifth, I add a few calories to whatever I eat. Most calories are counted from raw or cooked products. However, reported calories rarely compensate for added sauces or condiments, vegetables, and other sides. So if I eat up to 200 calories, then I add another 50 to the count. If I eat between 200-600 calories,  then I add 100 calories to the number and I avoid anything over 600 calories. This method ensures I do not go over my daily allotted intake. Also as you lose weight, it is a good idea to get a new caloric intake count.

Sixth, I exercise 15 minutes a day with a whole-body trainer. I do not need more than this as the machine I use - the TotalWave. It works all the muscles in the body at the same time. The TotalWave does not ignore muscle groups, so there is no need to go overboard and hit the gym for hours a week to get that full-body workout. 15 minutes a day, four times a week is all that is necessary. Exercise is 30% of dieting and fitness. If a person wants to diet healthily, then it is crucial they have the exercise component included.

Seventh, I do not expend extra money on diet aids or food plans to lose weight. It not necessary if these simple tools are implemented. There is no need for a book to tell anyone how to do it. Just stick to the outline above, and it all seems to work out.

To recap I follow this simple plan: 

1. Small portioned snacks to bridge the gaps (low cal/carb snacks)
2. Avoid carbs as much as possible
3. Know my target caloric intake for the day
4. Count portion fairly (doesn't mean I can't eat two portions - I just count them)
5. Add a small number of calories to compensate for extra additions to my food
6. Exercise 15 minutes a day or more if you are not getting all the muscle groups
7. Do not buy into diet fads promising miracle results

So now that I have put this in front of you, it's your move. What are you going to do with this information?