Day 3....Got Stress?

I know I'm a day late in getting a post out, but I didn't want to miss a day. First, my report of food:

Breakfast:
Banana

Snack:
Almonds
Almond Joy Candy bar (Yummy chocolate, coconut, almond goodness)

Lunch:
More Veggies with rice and vegan cashew cheese sauce

Snack:
Almonds
Popcorn (microwave, w/butter)

Dinner:
Wrap with alfalfa sprouts, red bell pepper, mushroom, feta cheese, and black bean chipotle burger by Morningstar Farms.

Okay...so I definitely see where I can improve some food choices. Each day, I will make a better decision here and there. Baby steps. That's what I need, not a huge grand food makeover. I would probably resist, then rebel and binge on junk food.

On to my word of advice for the day: try as hard as possible to reduce and control the amount of stress in your life. Stress makes cortisol and cortisol is stored as belly fat. Belly fat stresses out your heart and thusly, shortens your lifespan. So.... reduce stress!

I took an online test on: www.realage.com to find out what a computer told me my "real" age was based on my answers to questions about all facets of my life. I was 31! So, not too far from my actual age, but it could be better. The #1 piece of advice/strategy they suggested to decrease my age was to decrease my stress. As a young person with a mild amount of debt, no health insurance, no permanent job, lack of exercise, interrupted sleep, less than perfect diet, etc, there are some things I can do to reduce my amount of stress. So I am slowly taking care of them. I filed my taxes yesterday (procrastinating caused me some stress). But having them done is very relieving. I continue to look for a permanent job that offers health benefits, so that will reduce some stress when it happens. And getting my debts paid off will reduce more stress. Oh, and of course, eating more healthy foods and being more active. I plan on taking my "real age" test again in a year to see what the results will be. I'm shooting for younger than my actual age.

Feel free to share your "real age".

Have a good, fun and fit day!
-Emily