Staying Healthy through Stressful Times

September is here! It's time for many of us to kick back into gear for the fall, leaving behind the lazier summer days and getting down to work. Whether it's more regular hours at your job, a return to school, or some other kind of shift in your schedule, September can be a bumpy month for healthy eating. When we get stressed, often the first thing to go is good sleep, good food, and exercise -- even though those are the very things that keep us well through periods of stress.

So how do you keep it all in balance? Start at the source. Whenever possible, find the factor of the stress you're experiencing and see what can be done to reduce that stress. Perhaps you've taken on too much in your schedule and could cut back in a few places. Or maybe there are relationships in your life that are taxing beyond what you have to give. Take a careful look at the places where stress is originating and see what you can do to eliminate those stresses as much as possible.

Where stress can't simply be cut out of your life -- which, let's face it, will be most scenarios -- look for ways to manage it. If you know that you'll be reaching for that cookie box instead of a full dinner when you're stressed and you know it'll leave you feeling worse, try keeping the foods that you don't want to be going to automatically out of sight. Put those foods -- you decide what they are -- that you want to be eating after you've already mostly filled up on a good meal in the back of the cupboard or out in the big freezer in the garage, somewhere that requires a little more effort to find them.

Keep yourself from crashing by having healthy snacks easily accessible throughout the day. Spend the extra time to pack up veggie sticks, nuts and seeds, dried fruit or other good snackables to keep your blood sugar running smooth in between meals.

Eat your complex carbohydrates: oats, whole-grain cereals and pastas, brown rice, vegetables, beans and milk all help your brain produce serotonin, the naturally occurring chemical that counteracts stress. Serotonin is also known as the "good mood" chemical and increased levels of serotonin can do a lot to help you relax.

Other good ways to build stress-busters into your diet? Pay attention to your vitamin B6 intake, which is known to help increase positive moods and relaxation. Good sources of vitamin B6 include spinach, avocado, wheat germ, bananas and tuna.

Magnesium and calcium also can do wonders for reducing your stress, as both can have a relaxing effect on the muscles. A diet very low in calcium can cause muscle tension and spasms. Calcium is a great pre-bedtime boost to help your muscles relax and get the sleep that you need to feel good. The best sources for calcium is dairy, like milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese. Magnesium can be found in almonds, green leafy vegetables like spinach, oatmeal, soy, dairy products, and whole grain cereals.

And don't forget to pay attention to your sleep and exercise habits. Luckily, moving your body during the day can do wonders for getting you to sleep at night and a good night's sleep can be just the thing you need to feel up to doing some exercise. Remember that sleep and healthy movement feed each other and do your best to keep both in your life.

If you think you're experiencing stress beyond what's manageable through diet and habit, be sure to talk to your doctor.