I’ve been trying to look online to find out who, with all of their new-age well-meaning intentions, decided September would be the month to clean out your mental closet.  I couldn’t find it, but what I DID learn was that October is “Emotional Intelligence” month.  Oh boy, can’t wait to write about that one.  Perhaps I’ll throw in some colorful stories of my college days to truly illustrate the importance of “emotional intelligence,” for my readers.  Some of which involve me climbing out my bedroom window onto the roof of my apartment building, drowning my sorrows-of-the-day in pint after pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.  Still others involve explaining to my landlord that I still deserve my security deposit even though there is a gaping hole the size of my fist in the drywall in my room.  Alas, I’ll keep you wanting and focus on September for now.

Some articles I’ve found have called September “self-help” month. Some call it “self-awareness” and still others call it “self-improvement” month.  Whichever way you cut it, there’s a reason that the self-help section is so popular at your local Border’s or Barnes & Noble.  It seems people are always trying to push themselves to improve.  I am quite drawn to the self-help section myself.  I mean who isn’t drawn to the volumes of information promising to teach you everything from how to lose weight or boost your GMAT score, to how to improve your sex life or become a better parent?  Truth is, we could all improve upon something.

I read an interesting article on a blog recently that argued against the whole idea of “self-improvement,” because it implies something is wrong with you in the first place.  Well, I hate to be blunt (if you know me you know that’s only half true), but there is something wrong with you.  I mean, there’s got to be something, right?

Most of us are stressing about our jobs or money to some extent or another.  And most of us have a voice inside, whether you’re realize it or not, that’s always making you aware of your weight.  (And NO it’s not just this blog that’s making you aware of it.)  Am I getting too fat?  Am I exercising enough?  If I eat this piece of cake for Gwen’s going away party at work, how much running do I have to do later?  Do I even have time to run?  Am I eating well enough?  Is there too much sodium in this Lean Cuisine? (By the way, this last one is easy – the answer is always YES.)

I think most people are always searching for a way to improve their current situation.  So maybe we all stop a moment and indulge the idea of “self-awareness” this September.  Take a moment, if you are the type to keep pushing yourself, to recognize and reward yourself for always trying to be better.  If you have had your head down for a while, grinding away at life, take a second to stop and look around.  Are you content with your current situation?  Is there anything you could change?  Maybe that involves big things like your job or your weight or your relationship with your partner.  But it could be bite-sized things too – maybe you can commit to thinking more positively, or making time for breakfast, or giving yourself an extra ten minutes in the shower in the morning.  Consider it a 9-month check in on your New Year’s resolution.  (If you can even remember them at this point.)

So this September, as the leaves are falling and you’re cursing Mother Nature for not giving you weather hot enough for a summer anyway (oh wait that’s only if you live in Chicago) think about you.  Think about what makes you happy and make a pact to draw more of THAT, whatever it is, into your life.

Athletes who wear the Phiten products have found that they tire less easily and recover faster from intense physical activity.  If you’re interested, you can buy directly from their site or I know that any sporting good store (Sports Authority, Dick’s, Eastbay catalog, etc.) carries them.  The prices are pretty reasonable, between $10-$35, and they offer them in pretty much any color!

There is a lot of information out there about what we should eat to be healthy, how much we should work out, how much sunscreen we should apply at ALL TIMES in order to avoid the sun’s damaging rays.  It’s a lot to keep in your head, and if you fall short (which we all do), you end up feeling more guilty than anything.

That’s why I breathed a sigh of relief when I read this article from Prevention magazine.   It’s a quick read and you’ll be glad you checked it out.  How can people who are busy or just plain unmotivated still reap the benefits of healthy eating and exercise?  It can be done!  The key message here:  believe that every little bit counts.

Here’s an example.  The “gold standard” of daily fruit and vegetable consumption is 9 servings.  I don’t know about you, but when I see something like that I picture myself eating a piece of fruit or a veggie once every hour while at work.  People would think I was nuts…and beyond that, it would just never happen.  Of course you could double-up your servings during a meal…but even that would be a challenge.  So how can you ever feel like you’ve getting enough fruits and veggies to make a positive impact?  The article says that actually, 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day is “good enough.”  Anything on top of that is gravy.  So sure, strive for 9 servings.  But if you make it to 5 you’re still doing alright.

Here are some other interesting health mantras that the article explores:

Cardio – Gold standard is 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.  Good enough?  17 minutes a day – broken up throughout your day if you need to.

Sunscreen – Gold standard: Apply SPF 30 or higher several times a day.  Good enough? Throw on some moisturizer in the morning that contains SPF 15 (unless you’re spending the day at the beach, of course.).

Strength training – Gold standard: 2 or 3 times a week.  Good enough?  Once a week.  (A little digression here: I recently starting taking a half hour strength conditioning class at my gym once a week.  I’ve been attending consistently for about six weeks and have seen marked improvement in my upper and lower body strength.  I’m able to lift more than I was at the beginning of the class, and I surprised myself at how many push-ups I could do without fatigue during last week’s class.  I’ve been getting a few compliments here and there that I look “tone,” although I actually haven’t lost any weight.  Again, this is only a half hour class once a week.  Case in point that every little bit counts.)

Read more here – you’ll feel better about the small improvements you can accomplish throughout your day in regards to your health and overall fitness.

Info courtesy of “Unmotivated?  Nine Health Tips for the Lazy Girl,” by Camille Noe Pagan, Prevention magazine

We recently went through some pretty deep cuts at my own company, and I found myself not being able to sleep for the entire weekend leading up to “the big day.”  I went to the gym and was able to pound out an extra mile or two on the treadmill at a faster pace than normal.  This tends to be somewhat predictable for me – if I’m going through something emotionally, I tend to be able to workout harder, and I feel better afterward.  After talking through some things with some close friends and family members, I was able to sleep better, too.  We wrote a post earlier about the benefits of exercise for sleep that might be helpful to you.

Today’s work environment is especially challenging.  It seems cuts are lurking behind every corner, so we all feel the pressure to perform better and faster at work – for fear our own job could be on the line.  That means stress.  And what if you do lose your job?   Besides having to endure the pitying looks of your close friends and family, you have the stress of navigating bills, debt and finding a new job in this tough market.

Now that we’ve gone through all of the negative stuff, let’s remember that there ARE some things you can do to help relieve stress and get through these difficult times.  Whether or not you lose your job is likely far beyond  your control – and it’s best to keep that in mind.  But there are some resources out there and things you can do to help combat stress.

If you’ve been laid-off, why not try having some fun?!?  If you’ve got some savings built up, perhaps you can take some time to do things you wouldn’t normally be able to do while working 9-5.  Short on cash?  Take a day or two and relax.  You owe it to yourself.  Tell all your friends, “Hey – I’m not UNemployed.  I’m FUNemployed, baby. “  There’s a great article in Men’s Health that has some tips, if you’re so inclined.

Say you’re one of the lucky (or not so lucky, depending on your glass half-full/empty outlook) ones who “survived” the last round of cuts?  It’s stressful enough to see friends and colleagues walk away, but what about all that extra work you now have to take on?  Today at work one of my coworkers said, “Hey!  You’re lucky to have a job!” (Joking, of course.)  And I said, “Yeah!  I’m lucky enough to have eight!”  Here are some tips on making the most of your job when you are taking on extra work.

So what if you’re the one actually laying people off (*gasp!)!?  Well there’s help and resources out there for those in this position as well.  Although it certainly isn’t easy to be on the receiving end of the conversation that your position is no longer needed, it isn’t always a cake walk for those delivering the news.  Here is an interesting article about dealing with stress if you’re the one wielding the axe.

Bear in mind that getting some exercise, eating healthy, talking to friends and family, sleep, or even doing things like yoga or trying acupuncture can help relieve stress.  Good luck to you and remember that everything happens for a reason!

Getting in a workout can help you sleep better at night

I have read a lot about sleep and things that affect sleeping habits, and believe it or not, exercise is one of them. There are many different theories about the correlation between sleep and working out, and there are differing opinions on the time of day a person should exercise in order to see the most positive effects on his or her sleeping patterns.

I found this short video that gives a little insight into how and when exercise can help you get a better night’s sleep. You can check it out here. (You may have to watch a 30 second ad, first.) Bottom line is, we cannot underestimate the importance of sleep to our overall health. And if you are having a hard time trying to catch those z’s, exercise just might be your solution.

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese healing art that has been in existence for thousands of years. Here’s how it works. Fine needles are inserted into specific points of the body in order to restore and balance its natural flow of energy, or Qi (pronounced “chee”). Theoretically once the Qi is balanced, the body is better able to heal itself and returns to a state of decreased pain.

Acupuncture can help provide relief for a number of conditions such as back and neck pain, sinus congestion and allergies. It can aid in raising energy levels, lowering stress, and is even used for smoking cessation and as part of infertility treatment. Acupuncture has also been successful in relieving some of the side effects caused by HIV or medications used to treat HIV positive patients.

That all sounds great, but what about those needles? “Most people are surprised at how anti-climactic it is, ” says Dr. Ezgur. “Once the needles are inserted, it’s more of a ‘that’s it?’ because people expect much worse than it actually is.” If that doesn’t convince you, think about it this way: acupuncture needles are only about 1/100th the thickness of a needle like the one your doctor uses to give you your annual flu shot. Many people do not feel the needles being inserted at all, and if they do, the sensation is close to that of a mosquito bite.

In order to determine if acupuncture is the right treatment for you, “a practitioner should examine your condition and health history just as any medical care professional would,” Dr. Ezgur recommends. At Progressive Chiropractic, your acupuncture treatment is administered in a quiet, soothing room. After the needles are inserted, you’ll lie back and relax for about 15 to 20 minutes. The practitioner will remove the needles, and you’ll be on your way.

The number of sessions required to feel relief will vary based on the condition and how chronic that condition may be, says Dr. Ezgur. Someone being treated for sinus congestion, for example, may begin to breathe easier as soon as his or her session is over. Someone who is trying to quit smoking, on the other hand, may require anywhere from ten to 20 visits.

If you’re interested in exploring how you might benefit from acupuncture, do a little research. Find a practitioner through a referral or search in your area, making sure the doctor has been trained in acupuncture. Schedule a consult and check out the office to see that it’s somewhere you’ll feel comfortable. Once your session is complete, you’ll wonder how you ever survived with an unbalanced Qi in the first place.