Everyone experiences stress from time to time. When most people think about stress, the first thing that comes to mind is the feeling of mental tension in the face of life’s challenges. But stress is much more broad than that. It is the body’s normal response to anything that throws it out of balance. It has a physical response (sweaty skin and racing heart) and an emotional response (worry, excitement, or frustration), and it can be caused by a variety of triggers ranging from “negative” events (big work deadline) to “positive” events (exciting vacation) to physical activity or injury and stimulating substances like caffeine, nicotine, or others. 

Stress can actually be helpful in small doses, like to help meet a deadline or to avoid danger, but chronic stress can negatively affect your health and well-being. That means that managing stress, so that it doesn’t become chronic, is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. 

The Fitbit Stress Management experience helps you to develop greater awareness of both your physical signs of stress and your moods, so that you can begin to understand how your stress typically presents and what may trigger it. In addition, it helps you to identify and focus on behaviors that may help to decrease both your physical and psychological stress response. Below are some common ways to manage stress or build resilience to future stress events.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. Meditation, as most of us know, is a way to practice and cultivate mindfulness. Engaging in brief mindfulness meditation practice for as little as ten minutes a day can help you bring a present-moment focus and sense of calm to the rest of your day. Read more posts on how to cultivate mindfulness here.  

Practicing mindfulness can help you sleep better, improve resilience to stress, enhance your ability to focus, and lower your heart disease risk. Research has also shown mindfulness meditation can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Plus, meditation changes our brain and biology in positive ways, improving mental and physical health. Sustained mindfulness practice over time has been shown to change the way your brain responds to emotional stressors enabling you to face challenges with more calm, clarity, and focus. 

How Fitbit can help: Set a weekly target in the Fitbit app of days per week to practice mindfulness. Access different types of mindfulness and meditation sessions from the Discover and Mindfulness sections and track your progress. Bookmark your favorites for easy access to sessions you like best. 

You can see how your HR (and EDA if applicable) change throughout your sessions and reflect on your stress level. Depending on your Fitbit device, you can also leverage the Relax app for guided breathing or the EDA Scan app to learn more about your body during a mindfulness or meditation session. 

Mood logging

Identifying your moods can improve your understanding of what triggers your emotions. It can help to decrease the intensity of your emotions, in addition to the stress on your body from the adverse experience and help you influence those emotions.

Said differently, taking a step back from feeling ‘stressed’ to really hone in on your feelings—anger, worry, excitement—can help you reframe the situation in a way that puts you in more control. Emotional awareness has been shown to help strengthen your brain and build resilience to future stress. 

How Fitbit can help: Log your mood after mindfulness sessions as well. You may start to identify trends to help you better manage stress. See how your moods vary throughout the day and whether they align with your Stress Management Score. You may identify trends which can influence your future behavior.

Active Zone Minutes

The positive impact of physical activity on both the emotional and physical components of stress is exciting. As little as 10 minutes of exercise is enough to improve mood, and 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity can improve mood for up to 24 hours. 

Exercise also helps to fight depression and may be as effective as antidepressant medications. It also lowers stress hormones that are part of the physical stress response and lowers blood pressure.

The impact of physical activity is fascinating because it is actually a trigger of physical signs of stress in the short-term, but it counteracts many of the factors that impose long-term stress upon our minds and bodies. In essence, it is believed that it trains the body to more effectively handle stress by challenging it with small bouts. It increases blood flow in the brain and stimulates the release of hormones and chemical messengers like endorphins, endocannabinoids, and serotonin that stimulate brain function and enhance our mood. Its beneficial effects are even more broad than improving mood with improvements in alertness, cognition, memory, sleep, and well-being. It also boosts metabolism, reduces fatigue, and combats inflammation.

How Fitbit can help: Fitbit’s Active Zone Minutes (AZM’s) feature allows you to track the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity that you get, regardless of the way you like to exercise, as it uses the same definitions for heart rate zones as the national guidelines for physical activity. 

Set a goal to make improvements in your AZM’s and challenge your friends through one of our games, leverage our wide variety of workout videos, or take advantage of any of our other physical activity features.

Steps

If walking is your preferred exercise, the news is good, because even small amounts of movement are better for your body, and your stress, then none. Even a short bout of walking, e.g. 10 minutes, can improve mood. 

It is not just the physical activity component of walking that provides the benefit, but also the impact of being in nature, as the effects on reducing stress are greatest when walking in a natural environment compared to urban areas. 

How Fitbit can help: Track your steps with a Fitbit device or connect your mobile phone to the app. Track steps. Set goals. Get reminders. You can also participate in walking challenges with friends and leverage the Reminders to Move feature to help break up periods of inactivity in your day.  

Sleep

21 percent of adults say they feel more stressed when they don’t get enough sleep. In order to get all of the physical and mental benefits of sleep, experts suggest that most individuals prioritize at least 7 hours of sleep per night. 

Sleep not only gives your mind and body an opportunity to rest and recover, but also allows your brain some time to disconnect and perform the essential processes necessary for working through life’s complex issues and doing a bit of housekeeping that helps you prepare for the next day’s challenges. 

Even if it’s time for bed, it can be challenging to fall asleep if you’re not physically and mentally ready. It can be helpful to start by allowing at least an hour of buffer before your sleep period to get ready for bed. However, adding practices to your pre-bedtime routines that help quiet the mind and calm the body can serve to prepare you for an on-time sleep. If a racing mind is disrupting your sleep, you can consider trying a meditative practice, like mindfulness or guided imagery, to help focus your mind and keep it from spinning off in random directions. In contrast, if you’re feeling too energized to drift off, then things like breathing exercises, sleep yoga, or progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) might be the signal your body needs to know that it’s time for rest. 

How Fitbit can help: Check out the Sleep section in the app to learn more about how you’re sleeping so you know where you can improve. Try meditations designed specifically to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. Learn if noise or snoring is impacting your sleep quality so you can take steps to mitigate its impact. Set bedtime reminders and use Smart Wake as a less jarring alarm clock.

Nutrition

Dietary patterns emphasizing whole foods (fruits and vegetables, nuts, fish) and minimizing processed foods and animal products are associated with lower risk of depression, anxiety, and stress. 

However, stress can trigger our drive for comfort food, including excess sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets such as baked goods. Trying to balance these competing triggers can be difficult. Try to be mindful about your eating habits and their relationship to stress so that you can work on developing habits to maintain healthy eating. 

How Fitbit can help: Try food logging in the Fitbit app to learn more about your food choices and their nutritional value. Try to limit highly processed foods and focus on whole foods, including fruits and vegetables, for optimal physical and emotional health. 

The post These Healthy Habits Will Help You Build Your Resilience to Stress appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

There’s so much to enjoy about traveling somewhere new. And we know that spending time grounding ourselves in the outdoors can help reduce stress levels as well. So why not do both? Whether it’s embarking on an adventure tour, hiking or climbing new terrain, hitting a picturesque golf course, or more, there are plenty of outdoor summer activities you can try out on your next vacation. Let’s get a little adventurous, shall we? 

Try an adventure tour

Ziplining. Whether you’re speeding along zipline cables set miles above the mountains, rainforest, desert, or an expansive body of water, one thing is for sure—ziplining really is an adventure like no other. And what better way to get a feel for scenic surroundings than with a bird’s-eye view? 

If you’re feeling particularly daring, you can try doing tight, fast spins or even flips as you’re zooming down the line. Just be sure to okay this with your tour guide first. 

Trekking, hiking, and/or mountain climbing. One of the best ways to explore a new destination is to make your way through it on foot with the help of a friendly tour guide. Maybe you’ll opt to trek through a rainforest locale, or if you’ve got a little more experience, climb mountainous terrain. 

Of course, you can always opt to hike or climb on your own instead; consider syncing it up with a camping (or glamping!) trip to make the most of the great outdoors. 

In some destinations, you can sign up to partake in a “night walk” or tour, which, depending on where you are, can be just as intrepid as it sounds—and a great way to experience local wildlife of the nocturnal variety. (We recommend doing an activity like this with a guide.) 

Whitewater rafting. River or whitewater rafting is another great option for those seeking a sense of adventure during their travels. Whether you’re looking for a family-friendly ride with the kiddos, or seeking out a more thrilling trip with a group of experienced rafters, this is another activity that will require a guide. 

And the good news? In some places you can go rafting from spring all the way through to the end of October. 

Snorkeling or scuba diving. For those without a scuba diving certification (and perhaps with a healthy fear of deep water), but still wanting to get a glimpse of things beneath the surface, snorkeling may be the way to go. Whether you make a day trip by boat to a well-known snorkeling spot, or rent some gear near your vacation rental or hotel/resort stay, there’s always something to be said for checking out the world that exists beneath the waves. 

If you are dive certified, you may want to plan your trip around it! From exploring coral reefs and spotting a variety of exotic wildlife—seals, manta rays, and even humpbacks and whale sharks, depending on your location and the time of year—to cenote diving or exploring shipwrecks, there’s no shortage of incredible underwater sights to see. 

Or, if you’re looking for something a little more leisurely . . . 

Golfing. Planning a road trip? You may want to bring your golf clubs along with you. Tack on an extra day to play a course, or choose a stay-and-play resort, and work on that swing while taking in scenic views and solid green designs. 

(Don’t have your own set of clubs, or don’t have room to bring them along on your trip? You can always rent from the range. If you want more options than what may be available there, try searching online for a company that allows you to pick from a selection of newer models, as opposed to whatever’s still available.)  

Kayaking or canoeing. As it turns out, kayaking through a national wildlife refuge and/or biodiverse region is one of the most exciting outdoor activities you can partake in while traveling. Of course, the kind of wildlife—including endangered species—you may see depends on the locale, and what kind of area you’re paddling through (tidal wetlands? Marsh? Lake? All kinds of marine ecosystems abound in these waterways). 

And, though it’s less intensive than white water rafting, it’s still a workout—note how your arms feel after hours of paddling! 

If you want something especially unforgettable, try opting for a bioluminescent tour. These nighttime kayak tours spotlight the natural phenomena of bioluminescent plankton, which give off a neon blue glow in summer months—most especially at the time of a new moon, when they’re not competing with the luminosity of a full moon. Talk about a dream come true!  

Stargazing. Speaking of captivating sights, here’s one that typically doesn’t require too much planning (unless you’re chasing an eclipse or meteor shower!). When it comes to stargazing, best results, of course, come about in places with less light pollution. 

On a cruise? Carve out some time to admire the night sky while out on the water, from a setting where dry land is a distant afterthought. Or, plan a camping trip to a place far removed from the sounds and scenes of humanity to really ground yourself in the splendor of the constellations.

The post Outdoor Activities You Can Try While Traveling appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

“Eat your veggies!” That’s a classic piece of nutritional advice you’ve probably heard since you were a kid. But what about “eat your sea veggies”? For thousands of years coastal communities in Japan, Scandinavia, Ireland, and Scotland and the islands of the Pacific and Caribbean have been eating these tasty seaweeds and coastal marsh succulents. 

Prized by chefs for their rich briney flavors, kelps are popular in hearty dashi broths like ramen and miso. Sea beans can be added to stir fries or lightly sauteed with butter and herbs. Dulse, an attractive red leafy seaweed, makes a wonderful salad or side vegetable—and, when dried, the powder has a “bacon-like” flavor. Nori is another red leafy seaweed which is dried and used to wrap sushi and other food for a brackish-edible casing. 

For these traditional diets, sea vegetables are celebrated for their nutrition. They are low in fat, rich in fiber, essential vitamins, and minerals.    

Good for you sea veggies

Sea vegetables are nutritious, explains Elliott Torsney, registered dietitian nutritionist, RDN, and certified diabetes educator. “They’re rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and iodine,” he says. 

Torsney highlighted additional nutrition benefits of sea vegetables: 

Rich in vitamins A, C, E, and K, all essential nutrients to help the body function properly
A good source of folate, zinc, sodium, calcium, and magnesium

High in dietary fiber, especially soluble fiber known for its glycemic effects on blood sugars

If you’re looking for food that’s not only good for you but also good for the planet, sea greens fit the bill.

They have a smaller carbon footprint than land vegetables, are low waste, and are easy to grow.

That said, it is important to note that since sea vegetables contain such a rich source of iodine, consider your overall sources of iodine (e.g. iodized salt, fish and seafood, dairy products) so as not to consume too much. Excess iodine can cause metabolic imbalances.

Exploring the variety of sea vegetables

“Sea greens” aren’t only green, explains registered dietitian Jenna Volpe. These veggies can be found in red, brown, yellow, or even pink colors. They’re often referred to as seaweed, Volpe adds. “Some different examples of edible sea greens include nori, kelp, kombu, wakame, dulse, and Irish moss.” 

And while  many people may be unfamiliar with the algae by name, many have had some at some point. For example, miso soup contains wakame seaweed, and many sushi rolls are wrapped with nori.  

Different sea vegetables have subtle flavor differences. Sea lettuce, like land lettuce, is mild and neutral, while arame is slightly sweet. The key is to explore and find the texture and flavor you like.

Like many vegetables, sea greens can be simple to prepare. Enjoy them raw in salads or smoothies, or saute or stir fry them separately or in a meal. While some specialty and online stores carry fresh seaweed, grocery chains have begun stocking dried and powdered sea greens and sea green products (i.e., roasted snacks). 

Volpe suggests more ways to incorporate the nutritional benefits of sea greens into the diet:

Add dried sea greens into salads
Eat or make sushi weekly or several times a month to have nori
Sprinkle dried kelp flakes into meals
Snack on mineral-dense nori “seaweed sticks”
Add powdered sea greens into smoothies

Scientists have tested sea vegetables from all over the world for heavy metals and other contaminants, and everywhere they consistently find that most species contain lead, cadmium, and arsenic. The majority of seaweed products on the market today likely contain traces of one or all three of these metals. Levels may vary between species, but even within the same species they differ depending on local factors such as temperature, salinity, water acidity, and influence from rivers, human populations, and pollution from industry.

Sea vegetables are a tasty, easy way to enhance the variety of vegetables in your diet. Try adding some to your plate (or cup) today, and absorb the benefits of this nutritional powerhouse from the sea.

The post Good for You and the Planet: The Truth About Sea Veggies appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

In our new monthly profile series, Fitbit is seeking to amplify diversity in the world of wellness and fitness by featuring the voices of POC trail-blazers at the helm of these industries—industries that have discredited voices like theirs for too long. 

For our July profile, we’re highlighting the incredible work of Dr. Stacie C. C. Graham and her new book Yoga As Resistance: Equity and Inclusion On and Off The Mat. We’re excited to share the conversation we had with Dr. Graham about how she got started in wellness; her brand, OYA; and her book.

Originally from Miami, FL, and now based in London, UK, Dr. Stacie C. C. Graham has a varied professional background. However, one constant has been her work as a management and strategy consultant. She’s also a certified coach, mindfulness instructor, and E-RYT 500 (a yoga instructor who has taught at least 2,000 hours—500 of these hours being after completing the 500-hour certification, and has a minimum of four years of teaching experience).

Dr. Graham shared that her vision is a world where there is a collective agreement and awareness that every human (or even sentient) being has the right to be well. “The understanding of being well must be generative, non-linear, and inclusive of people of different abilities,” she says.

As to how she got her start in wellness, she told us that as a young athlete she suffered from a recurrent injury and was eventually recommended to try yoga. “Outside of physical practice, I also developed a mindfulness practice in parallel,” she says. “It was not until many years later that I learned more about the origins of both yoga and mindfulness and found my own path to aligning these practices.”

Now with a successful brand and a new book, Yoga as Resistance: Equity and Inclusion On and Off the Mat, under her belt, Dr. Graham continues to make waves in the industry for Black and POC women. Keep reading for a deep dive into her impressive work.

FITBIT: Can you tell us about your brand, OYA?

DR. GRAHAM: I founded OYA: Body-Mind-Spirit Retreats in 2016. It is a holistic wellness brand offering weeklong, weekend, and day retreats for Black women and women of color. After hosting a digital Circle of Sisterhood to offer support during lockdowns and sheltering in place due to the pandemic, we also recently launched permanent virtual spaces for movement, mindfulness, and breathwork. 

I work with a faculty that is made up of women who are representative of the people whose needs we are striving to meet. Our faculty consists of people from different backgrounds with respect to our intersectional social identity categories. We recognize that our target audience serves as the largest group of caretakers of the world. They are often so busy taking care of everyone else, that there is no time left to take care of themselves. OYA Retreats is committed to creating experiences and spaces in which Black women and women of color can simply be. 

We can discuss our challenges with more ease and understanding. We can feel seen and heard. OYA faculty offer tools and practices that our community members can integrate into their daily lives. We love a spa day! But OYA Retreats is focused on the integration piece. It’s not an away day. It’s a type of self-care that we can practice every day if we are willing to prioritize our wellbeing.

FITBIT: OYA is dedicated to underrepresented communities typically underserved by the mainstream wellness industry. What drew you to this work?

DR. GRAHAM: It was not something I spent a lot of time thinking about and planning. I had done so much of my own work in many different communities, and I was always the “only one”—it didn’t matter which spiritual retreat or yoga space I was attending. If I was somewhere in Europe or North America, I most always found myself to be the only Black woman or Black person or person of color. That is really challenging when trying to participate in deep spiritual and healing practice. Eventually enough was enough. 

At the time, my yearning was to create spaces for these folks, because I see them. I want to honor them. I want to celebrate them. I want to hold them in whatever way I can. It was only later that I made the connection to my own experiences (yes, this might seem very obvious, but it wasn’t for me initially!).

FITBIT: Why, in your view, is it so important for there to be communities like yours that are intended for Black women and women of color?

DR. GRAHAM: If we are the majority group of caretakers, and we aren’t taking care of ourselves, what does that mean for those in our care? Collectively, we have so much work to do. If we look at what is taking place around the globe, and in the US specifically, we can see that people and the planet are not well. The climate crisis is real, and the people disproportionately affected are Black people and people of color. Populist politics in the US and Europe is putting Black people and people of color under intensified threat. Systemic oppression affects our bodies in ways that modern science is only catching up to in recent years. 

For example, Black women are three to four times more likely in the US and five times more likely in the UK to die from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications than white women. A significant number of those deaths are preventable. Studies clearly indicate that these outcomes are related to the adversity that is specific to their race and gender. That’s why we emphasize holistic, integrated wellness. It’s not just about a workout, and it’s definitely not about losing weight. It’s about finding calm in the chaos. It’s about expression of grief. It’s about releasing shame. It’s about knowing and finding joy in the body.

FITBIT: How do you hope to inspire and motivate others in your community with OYA and your other work?

DR. GRAHAM: I’m not really motivated by inspiring others. More than anything, I hope that my work encourages and empowers people to trust themselves more, to love themselves unconditionally, to seek, build, and nurture community.

FITBIT: What are some core themes and takeaways that you’d like to share from your book, Yoga as Resistance: Equity and Inclusion On and Off the Mat?

DR. GRAHAM: I don’t want to give too much away. There is a whole chapter dedicated to the TL;DR folks. The greatest takeaways would be that we all play a role in oppressive systems and—intentionally or unintentionally—replicate them in our actions. Thus, we all have a role to play in undoing them. It’s possible to participate in the yoga “industry” and, at the same time, minimize the harm we cause people of South Asian heritage, who have grown up in these wisdom and faith traditions. It’s possible to create spaces in which everyone—no matter how they show up—can fully participate. No one person can do it alone, yet no one person is too insignificant for their actions to matter.

The post Dr. Stacie C. C. Graham on Her Brand OYA, New Book Release, and More appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

Do you struggle to drink enough water? That doesn’t mean you have to walk around parched. There are plenty of other ways to hydrate beyond plain water. ”Considering hydration impacts virtually every physiological function in the body,” says Heather Mangieri, MS, RDN, a sports dietitian and author of Fueling Young Athletes. “People that walk around in a state of mild dehydration have no idea how much better they could feel if they just consumed more fluids.”

Here’s what you can do to make staying hydrated easy. 

Elevate your water experience 

Spa waters have long been the mainstay of wellness resorts, and for good reason; adding simple combinations of seasonal or frozen fruits, sliced vegetables, or infusing with fresh herbs can create a refreshing hydration experience. Getting kids involved with picking the fruit and vegetable combinations for the family is also a great way to get them excited about drinking more water and may even reduce the requests for soda and other sweetened beverages!

Eat more plants

“Food contains water too!” says Prest. “We get about 20 percent of our fluids from our foods.” On average, food supplies two to three cups of our daily fluid quota. And we’re not just talking soup (although it is 90 percent water). Juicy fruits and vegetables are the best sources. Popular choices like watermelon, cucumbers, berries, melons, peaches, lettuce, squash, and apples contain about 90 percent water, says Prest. Go ahead and make half your plate or snack to be fruits and vegetables for your hydration and nutrition.

Make mindful beverage choices

Non-alcoholic beverages of all types can be hydrating. Juice, soda, milk, tea and coffee contain fluids that your body can use. All can contribute to your total water intake and emerging research shows pros and cons of each.

Research shows that sugar-sweetened beverages, like fruit drinks and soda, are just as good as water for hydration but they may not be the best nutritional choice. Instead of sugar-sweetened beverages opt for freshly squeezed 100 percent fruit and vegetable juices and dilute with sparkling water or freezing into a homemade pop when hot outside; both strategies keep your portions small while still adding water into your diet.

When researchers for the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared the hydrating power of milk (whole milk and skimmed) to water and sports drinks, they found that milk was more effective at hydrating for several hours after exercise. Why is milk so helpful? Milk may not taste all that salty, but ounce-per-ounce it contains the same 100 milligrams of sodium per cup as a sports drink. And while too much sodium may not be great for your blood pressure, our bodies require this electrolyte to hold onto water. That’s not the only reason sodium can be helpful. Because it binds to water, it makes you thirsty, which explains why a salty bag of pretzels makes you want to drink up.

Turns out, there’s more. “Beverages such as milk contain other nutrients such as fat, carbohydrates, protein, and potassium which slow the rate that liquids empty from the stomach,” says Melissa Prest, DCN, RDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Because these drinks stay in the body longer than water, they may be more effective for hydration.”  

Caffeine is okay in small amounts

If you’re a coffee or tea drinker, there’s even more encouraging news for hydration. “At one time, caffeinated beverages were thought to increase fluid losses, but that’s not the case for people who regularly consume moderate amounts of caffeine,” says Mangieri. 

Yes, caffeine is a diuretic, but only at doses greater than 300 milligrams, or about three 8-ounce cups of coffee (actual levels depend on the coffee and why it is brewed). In moderate amounts, coffee is  as hydrating as water, according to the Institute of Medicine. So, no need to give up your latte. Tea contains less caffeine, black tea about half that of a regular percolated coffee and green tea a third. Decaffeinated options only contain trace levels of caffeine. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has published a comprehensive list of caffeine in popular beverages available in the USA. High intakes of caffeine can affect sleep and feelings of anxiety, experts recommend keeping your total caffeine intake per day below 400 milligrams.

Beware of the water thief, alcoholic beverages

Like other beverages, alcoholic beverages do contain high amounts of water but it is typically not enough to offset the diuretic effects of the alcohol. This means that drinking an alcoholic beverage causes your body to excrete more water through increased urination than the water in the drink. The higher the concentration of alcohol in an alcoholic beverage, the higher the effect. If having an alcoholic drink, remember to hydrate with your favorite water at the same time. 

The post Hydration: It’s Not Just About the Water You Drink appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

Sleep and stress are closely related, with one having an impact on the other. This relationship between sleep and stress goes both directions: it can be difficult to deal with everyday stresses if you’re unable to get enough quality sleep on a regular basis, but unresolved stress can interfere with your ability to get the quantity and quality of sleep you need to be prepared to conquer your days. 

Because of how sleep and stress influence each other, it’s easy to see how stress can seem out of control, caused by a never-ending cycle of high stress and poor sleep. Fortunately, there are many different ways you can work to improve your sleep and deal with life’s inevitable stressors.

Healthy sleep is helpful for managing stress

Over the years we’ve come to realize that sleep isn’t just a period where we shut down, like turning off a computer. It’s actually a very important time for our brain and body to do some much needed housekeeping. In order to manage all of the challenges we’re presented with in our days, we need adequate time on a daily basis to rest, recover, and prepare for the coming day. If you don’t allow yourself enough time to allow sleep to do its job, you can feel off during your day, because of changes in how your thinking works—from increases in how threatening and negative common things feel, to decreases in empathy and emotional regulation, to disruptions in your fear and reward systems.

When it comes to stress it seems there are a few important roles that sleep serves. The most obvious relationship between sleep and stress may be dreams. During rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep is when we tend to dream most vividly. While the purpose of dreams isn’t known for certain, it seems that the strong emotions we feel and complex storylines playing out during our dreams are an indication that our brains are solving complex problems. 

Research in human and animal experiments suggests that REM sleep is essential for emotion regulation and learning. Because longer cycles of REM sleep typically occur later in the sleep period, it’s essential to allow adequate opportunity each day to allow your brain the time it needs to get enough REM sleep.

However, we don’t only sleep to remember, but we also sleep to forget. Various stages of sleep help in this process. In addition to the learning and problem solving discussed above, REM also seems to be important in balancing the strength of connections between emotions (particularly stressful ones) and memories. 

The other major period of sleep (non-REM) also seems to be an important time for clearing out the “junk” from the day. This means not only washing away the waste products required to make memories, but also forgetting memories that are not important enough to keep. This process of strengthening connections and putting essential memories into long-term storage is balanced with wiping the slate clean for the next day, and occurs in cycles throughout your sleep. It’s important that you allow enough time for these cycles to play out naturally.

Stress can impact sleep

Even if you realize the importance of sleep in helping you deal with stress, it can sometimes be difficult “to just sleep on it” when your stress is keeping you up. If you’re like most people, you’ve experienced the consequences of unresolved stress on your sleep quality, whether it’s difficulty falling or staying asleep, experiencing light, fitful, restless sleep, or lying awake with your mind racing. Everyone has the occasional poor night’s sleep, and some deal with such difficulties on a regular basis. 

So what’s at the heart of stress’s impact on your ability to get a sound sleep? Both physical and psychological aspects of undesirable stress can have adverse effects.

When stressed (in both healthy and unhealthy ways) your body responds by activating the autonomic nervous system, which is basically the part of your nervous system that controls all of your body’s “autopilot” functions like keeping your heart beating or managing your digestive system. 

When stressed, your nervous system switches from a “rest and digest” (parasympathetic) state into a “fight or flight” (sympathetic) state. This revved up state can be subtle, but often shows up in increased heart rate, blood pressure, breathing frequency, and other physical signals. When your body is activated like this, it can be hard to settle down into the relaxed state necessary for a sound sleep.

You also have to consider your mental reaction to stress. Our brains are wired to solve problems, but the challenges that cause stress are often a bit more complicated, taking quite a bit of time to sort out, often without a straightforward answer…or even no right answer at all. Because of this, your brain may go into overdrive trying to think through solutions. 

However, it’s important to recognize that this is a normal process for your brain. For example, have you ever been stumped by a problem only to have the answer come to you in an “Aha!” moment at a completely random time after you’ve moved on to something else? This is your brain doing its job in the background. But, when you have to listen in on a racing mind, it can be difficult to fall asleep.

Breaking the cycle

It can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to improving sleep. Sometimes the first step is determining whether stress is affecting you and your sleep. Awareness of the connection between what goes on during your day and how well you’re sleeping can go a long way in helping you identify whether or not you need to work on your stress levels and/or sleep. 

If you find that stress is interfering with getting a sound sleep, you can work on establishing some routines that address the two main consequences discussed above: physical and mental. Starting and sticking to routines that calm the body and quiet the mind can help you prepare for getting the sleep your body and brain need to tackle life’s stressors with more resilience.

The post The Relationship Between Sleep and Stress: It’s a Two-Way Street appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

These sweet potato and lentil burgers with tzatziki tick all the nutrition and taste boxes. There is now overwhelming evidence that eating a variety of plant-rich foods is one of the cornerstones of good health, as well as a key dietary change we can make to increase the resilience of our food system. A diet high in vegetables, including legumes, has been shown to reduce risk of disease and assist with weight management.

These burgers are great for vegetarians or anyone wanting to eat less meat, and anyone who loves a delicious burger! There is unquestionably an opportunity for people to embrace getting their protein from a wider variety of sources, especially plant-based proteins. We don’t need to solely eat a vegan diet, but studies show that eating less meat in favor of plant foods over the long term may improve health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, and dementia.

Legumes are rich in protein, fiber, and essential minerals and trace elements like iron and zinc so they’re a great alternative to animal proteins. And when you team them up with something as wholesome as sweet potato, you’ll boost your intake of many essential vitamins. Plus, with the addition of the tzatziki, you’ll enhance the flavor to deliver on taste. 

These burgers are not only delicious and nutritious, but I firmly believe that even the staunchest of carnivores will approve. Bon appétit.

INGREDIENTS:

For the tzatziki: 

1 medium cucumber

1 cup Greek nonfat yogurt

1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

Juice from ½ lemon

½ tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp chopped dill

Salt and pepper to taste

For the sweet potato and lentil burgers: 

500g sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes

400g tinned lentils, rinsed and drained

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

2 scallions, finely sliced

2 tbsp chopped parsley

½ tsp ground cumin

1 egg, lightly beaten

¼ cup breadcrumbs

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Burger accompaniments: whole grain rolls, sliced tomato, lettuce and pickles.

INSTRUCTIONS: 

For the tzatziki:

Coarsely grate the cucumber and squeeze out excess moisture with your hands. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until the burgers are cooked. 

For the sweet potato and lentil burgers:

Place the sweet potato in a saucepan with boiling water. Cook for 10 minutes or until the potato is tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander and transfer to a mixing bowl. Gently mash with a fork and set aside to cool.

Once the sweet potato has cooled add the lentils, carrot, spring onion, parsley, cumin, egg, and breadcrumbs and combine well.

Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Form burger mixture into patties and cook for 3 to 4 minutes each side until golden brown. Repeat the process with any remaining mixture.

Makes 6 patties.

To serve, cut the hamburger bun in half and top the hamburger base with lettuce, tomato, patty, pickled cucumbers, and a healthy dollop of tzatziki. Cover with the hamburger bun top and serve.

NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING):

For the tzatziki: 

Per serve (1oz)

Energy (kcal)
50

Protein (g)
4

Fat (g)
2.5

Saturated Fat (g)
0

Carbohydrate (g)
3

Sugars (g)
2

Fiber (g)
1

Sodium (mg)
170

For the sweet potato and lentil burgers: 

Per patty

Energy (kcal)
190

Protein (g)
7

Fat (g)
6

Saturated Fat (g)
1

Carbohydrate (g)
28

Sugars (g)
7

Fiber (g)
7

Sodium (mg)
150

The post Healthy Recipe: Sweet Potato and Lentil Burgers with Homemade Tzatziki Dip appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

Both Johnathan Burt and his brother Ryan got Fitbit Inspire 2s as Christmas presents in 2020. Truth be told, his parents felt the device would probably be more useful for Ryan, who had just started high school and was running on the cross country team. He could use the watch to time his intervals. Johnathan, who was a couple of years younger at 13 years old, had never been as athletic as his older brother. He pursued more tranquil avocations like hunting and fishing in the farmlands and wilderness around their small town of Kyle, Texas. Perhaps, his stepmother Brianna thought, the trackers would inspire a little friendly competition and encourage Jonathan to be more active. 

The gift did change Johnathan’s life, but in a way that no one in the family could have predicted. 

One day, the following spring, Johnathan and Ryan were playing video games on the family couch when they compared their heart rate readings on their trackers. The differences were surprising. Ryan’s heart was in the low 70s, but Johnathan’s was over 120 beats per minute. Why, they were curious, was there such a difference when they were both relaxing on the couch? 

Johnathan’s parents agreed the difference was worth tracking. Over the next few weeks, the brothers would compare their heart rates during the day. Time after time, Johnathan’s heart was beating much faster than his brothers—sometimes fully twice the speed. Even while he was sleeping, his heart was racing. 

Eventually, they made an appointment with the family pediatrician. After being convinced that the trackers were collecting accurate data, the pediatrician referred them to a cardiac clinic. Those doctors examined Johnathan’s heart using an echocardiogram, a device that uses sound waves to create a picture of the heart and can reveal how well blood is moving from chamber to chamber. After analyzing the images, they had a possible answer for why Johnathan’s heart was always working so hard. The doctors believed he had an Atrial Septal Defect, a small hole in his heart between the two upper chambers. 

The doctors decided to use a catheter with a tiny camera at the tip to fix the problem. A few weeks later, Johnathan went in for the procedure. They inserted a long thin, flexible tube through a blood vessel in the groin and guided it to the heart. Once there, the plan was to place a small plug in the hole. Eventually, heart tissue would grow around the edges of the plug to seal the hole. Unfortunately, what the doctors saw when they fully inserted the catheter forced them to change their plans. 

“What they discovered wasn’t just one hole in Johnathan’s heart but several, and they were larger than expected,” remembers Brianna. “The doctors described part of his heart as being like Swiss cheese.” 

When Johnathan woke up from the procedure, they had to tell him the bad news. The fix for his condition would have to be open-heart surgery. 

“It was a very stressful time,” says Brianna. “Often the doctors wanted to talk just with us adults about what was going to happen and what the risks were. Johnathan was adamant from the beginning. He told us, ‘I want to know what they are saying.’ We had to keep our emotions in check because we didn’t want to look scared in front of him. We wanted to stay positive.”

The date was set in May of 2022, about a year after he had first noticed how different his heart rate was from his brother’s. They had to open Johnathan’s chest and, for over 40 minutes, put him on a cardiopulmonary bypass machine so they could stop his heart to fix the holes.  

The morning after the surgery, the effect was already apparent. Johnathan’s heart rate was already in a normal range. He spent five days in the hospital, and it took some weeks for the incision to heal and for Johnathan to fully recover. Johnathan’s birth parents separated when he was young and he now belongs to a loving blended family with two sets of parents to help look after him. 

“We included each other in every decision and try to give each other a lot of grace,” says Brianna, who has been Johnathan’s stepmother for nearly ten years. “That was important because we needed everyone on board and to have a positive space for Johnathan’s healing.” 

Brianna believes that without his Fitbit, Johnathan would have remained unaware of his condition’s seriousness. “This was likely a defect he had from birth,” she says. “His heart function was just normal for him. It was something he had always experienced. I think that Fitbit saved his life by revealing how hard his heart was working.”

It’s been a few months since the surgery, and Johnathan’s resting heart rate is often below 60 beats per minute. Now 15 years old, he is looking forward to starting High School in the fall. He wants to join the 4H club and ROTC. His dad is in law enforcement, and he’s thinking that maybe combining his love of the outdoors with his dad’s career. Perhaps he could become a park ranger or a game warden. But that’s a long way off. For now, he’s off to a weeklong summer camp on Lake Brownwood near Abilene, where he’ll fish and ride horses and be a regular teenager enjoying a hot Texas summer. 

The post At 13, Johnathan Burt’s Fitbit Alerted Him to a Serious Medical Condition appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

When was the last time you bounced out of bed, ready to tackle the day? If the answer is “I can’t even remember,” perhaps you could use a rest day. That’s right—a day without a workout. “Anytime we’re training or being physically active, it adds strain to the body, so we need to balance that activity with rest,” says Alana Myers, MS, CPT, an ACE-certified personal trainer and health coach. “That makes it essential to listen to your body and take a day off every few training days.”

What is a rest day? 

Physically, a rest day gives your muscles time to repair, rebuild, and refuel, helping you come back even stronger, says Myers. But if you’ve been going hard to reach your goals, the idea of taking a day off can be difficult to wrap your head around. However, without sufficient downtime, you could risk overtraining, burnout, and injury. 

It might be helpful to know that taking a rest day doesn’t have to mean solely lounging around on the couch. Rest days are about slowing down, not coming to a grinding halt. “This can look different depending on the individual,” says Myers. “For most people, active recuperation will help them recover faster and more efficiently than passive recovery.” Think walking, yoga, stretching, or a leisurely swim or bike ride. However, if you’ve been training intensely and can’t seem to bounce back, an activity-free day may be a better option.

Signs you need a rest day

Fitbit’s Daily Readiness Score aims to take the guesswork out of when you need a rest day by providing helpful insights. This metric uses a combination of heart rate variability, activity, and sleep patterns to determine if your body is up for a challenge or if you’d benefit from a little extra recovery  time. (Here’s how one Fitbit editor used Daily Readiness to optimize her workouts and improve her well-being.)

At the same time, listening to your body can provide other helpful clues, like these:

You can’t get motivated. “Usually, the first sign is feeling you need more rest or are lacking your usual motivation to work out,” says Myers. Think of this as your brain’s way of letting your body know it’s time to slow down.

You have muscle aches that won’t quit. Some post-workout soreness is completely normal. But if it lingers for days, your muscles may be trying to tell you they need more time to recoup. (Ditto if your legs feel heavy and sluggish when you work out.)

You can’t get a good night’s sleep. “Sleep recharges your batteries, facilitating tissue repair and pain elimination,” says Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, author of Fatigued to Fantastic. In moderate doses, exercise does good things for sleep, helping you nod off more quickly and snooze more soundly. But too much physical activity can interfere with the quality and quantity of sleep, robbing you of these benefits.

Appetite changes. “When someone is overtraining, the body is overloaded and unable to recover appropriately,” says Myers. “This can alter hormone levels that control appetite and satiation signals.” In your body’s quest for fuel, you may start craving sweets, carbs, or salty foods. Or, on the flip side, you may find you have little appetite at all.

Making the most of rest days

Rather than waiting until you’re totally wiped to recoup, try planning a weekly day or two of rest in advance. Skip the alarm clock and sleep in. Silence your phone or leave it in the other room. “And be sure you’re only doing things that feel good to you,” says Teitelbaum. The bills, paperwork, and laundry can wait for another day.

The post 5 Signs You Need a Rest Day appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

Energy or granola bars are a great example of a wholesome food turned unhealthy by over-processing. But when made from nutritious ingredients like whole grains, seeds, nuts and dried fruit, they can make a nourishing and filling homemade snack. This recipe plays on the nostalgic flavor of strawberries and cream by combining creamy cashews and an unusual ingredient – dehydrated strawberries! This specialty ingredient is bursting with flavor due to the concentration from dehydration. If you are finding them tricky to find in your local big box grocery store, try a health food store or online grocery store, or try making your own when strawberries are in season. They are also a great way to enjoy fresh strawberry flavor out of season. Dehydrated strawberries contain vitamin C and antioxidants. 

Homemade granola bars of any variety are a great addition into the menu for busy lifestyles. They pack well for work lunches or travel snacks. Kids love them for afterschool snacks or school lunch treats. And they make a delicious alternative to a pre-workout energy bars. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups whole grain rolled oats

Pinch salt 

1 cup of cashew nuts, raw and unsalted  

1 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened

4 tablespoons hemp hearts, shelled

1.5 cups of dehydrated strawberries, rough chopped

12 dried apricots , unsweetened and unsulfured 

6 dates, pits removed 

3 tablespoons coconut oil

2 small ripe banana (approximately 2 tbs)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon chia seed, rehydrated with 1 tablespoon water

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Preheat the oven to 325. And line a small 8” baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Begin by placing the chia seeds in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water to hydrate. Set aside.   

In a large bowl combine all your dry ingredients to a food processor and rough chop. Remove from the food processor and set aside in a medium bowl. Then add wet ingredients to the food processor including dried fruit, banana, and oil. Blend until ingredients are smooth and well combined. Then add two tablespoons of hydrated chia seeds and pulse to combine.  

Now add wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and use a spatula combine.

Place the combined mixture on the parchment paper covered baking sheet and press down with the back of a large metal spoon until mixture is evenly spread across the pan and about ½ inch thick. 

Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.

Let the bars cool and then slice them into rectangle squares. Store them in a tupperware in the refrigerator. They will store up to two weeks. 

These bars make an energy and protein rich snack, or as a convenient breakfast warmed and served with milk poured over the top.

Makes 8 servings. 

HOMEOVEN-MADE DEHYDRATED STRAWBERRIES

1 pound fresh strawberries, washed and dried

Preheat the oven to 200 on convection bake.

Slice strawberries approximately ⅛ inch thick and arrange on a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Ensure space between each slice.

Bake for about 2 hours at 200. Peel slices from the paper or mat and turn. Bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Use or allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container.  

NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING): 

Calories 350 

Protein  8 g

Total fat  17 g

Saturated fat 6 g

Cholesterol  0 mg

Carbs 42 g

Fiber 7 g

Total sugars 17 g

Added sugars 0  g

Sodium 160 mg

The post Healthy Recipe: Strawberry Cream Energy Bars appeared first on Fitbit Blog.