5 Small ACTs to Help You Chill Out

Whether it’s strain and pressure within your unit as you work long hours to prepare for deployment, a disagreement with your spouse over something trivial that boils over, or a seemingly innocent debate with a friend that goes the wrong way, we can all expect to be blindsided by heated moments. Your reactions come quickly and before you know it, your heart is racing, your face is red and you’re saying the first thing that comes to mind (and that thing may not necessarily help the situation).

While disagreement and tension are normal and can even contribute to strengthening relationships, they can surely leave their mark if not carefully addressed. Unchecked anger and unresolved issues can fester, impacting the individuals directly involved, other colleagues or family members, and the mission at-hand. By taking a moment to be proactive, you can help to keep the pot from boiling over by exploring strategies to defuse intense situations.

Just in time for warmer weather and Mental Health Month, here are 5 Small ACTs to help you chill out:

Push Pause. The moment you see potential for a situation or conversation to escalate, call a time out. A lengthy explanation isn’t needed; just step back and offer to address things once all parties involved have had a chance to clear their heads and approach the problem calmly. Even if it’s just five minutes, creating some space between yourself and the issue can help you get a grasp on how you feel, what’s truly important and how you can work with others to move forward.

Breathe. This simple act is often taken for granted, but is an important first step in trying to get your emotional and physiological responses in check when the tension is rising. Taking a deep breath (two to three second inhale and exhale) can help to induce calm in the midst of calamity. If you have a few moments to yourself and can find a quiet space, try this Quick Fix Breathing Exercise or check out the exercises on the National Center for Telehealth and Technology’s Breathe2Relax app.

Laugh. Laughter can help thwart the release of stress hormones, kick-starting the production of hormones that are responsible for positively balancing your mood and promoting relaxation. Look at a funny GIF, head to your favorite blog or talk to someone who knows how to bring a smile to your face. A quick laugh can help you change the channel if you’re focused on a negative situation and enable you to approach a solution with a smile :).

Hit the gym, the track or the trails. You may find that your most productive days in the gym or your best run happen when you need to vent some frustration. Building exercise into your daily routine can help to burn negativity and rewire your brain after tense times. Whether it’s a run with a friend or mentor, weightlifting, interval training or yoga, turn to your favorite fitness regimen to maximize the mood-boost.

Communicate. If your situation involves conflict with another person, addressing it directly can lead to finding some common ground and getting things back on track sooner. Staying silent may only feed your emotions, leading to continued drama. When talking it out, try to use a neutral tone, make eye contact and explain how you perceived the issue or what led to the misunderstanding from your perspective. State that you would like to find a resolution that works for all parties involved (which may include compromising), and then actively listen to the other person or people involved. Instead of listening with the intent to dispute, make a point or interrupt, actually hear and process what the person is saying to you. Then restate it back in your own words to ensure that you have an understanding. Clarify whenever necessary and allow for natural silence, even when it may feel awkward. This will enable you to respond appropriately and meaningfully, minimizing the potential for a heated exchange. Other forms of communication may help you chill out by expressing your feelings, including journaling or speaking with a neutral person, such as a peer support advocate.

Before you land in your next heated moment, take some time to acknowledge what actions, words, topics or gestures are most likely to provoke you. Then note how you may react when these buttons are pushed. Taking this honest look at yourself proactively can help you keep off-the-cuff reactions at bay, enabling you to navigate issues calmly, learn from them and move forward. You may not be able to control others’ behavior or external situations, but with a little prep you can control your responses to them.

BONUS: Anger affecting your daily life? Check out this article from our partners at Real Warriors to help you identify your signs of anger and learn to navigate them in a healthy way. For more information on the Real Warriors campaign, visit www.realwarriors.net.

5 Benefits of Working Out with a Buddy

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest blog post provided courtesy of Guard Your Health. More information and tools are available at www.guardyourhealth.com.

We all know that staying fit and exercising is important. We also know that staying motivated to work out on a regular basis can be hard.

That’s why finding a good workout buddy is one of the smartest fitness moves you can make. Working out with a buddy can give you:

1. MOTIVATION

When you work out by yourself, it’s easy to lose motivation. A buddy will support you and cheer you on to help you reach your fitness goals.

2. ACCOUNTABILITY

It’s easy to bail on your own workout. But it’s much harder to ditch a workout when you know you’re going to be letting someone else down. Having a reliable workout buddy will help you stick to your goals.

3. FRIENDLY COMPETITION

As humans, we like to be competitive—even if it’s just good, friendly competition among friends. A buddy will challenge and push you to do more than you might do alone.

4. COMPANIONSHIP

Working out can be boring, especially during long cardio sessions. Having a buddy to talk with while working out will make the time go by faster.

5. WORKOUT VARIETY

A buddy can share new exercises or workouts so that you can switch up your routine. This will keep your workouts fresh, as well as keep you motivated to try new moves.

So who qualifies as a good workout buddy? Here are some tips of what to look for when choosing one:

• A good attitude. You want someone who is encouraging and positive.
• A compatible style of motivation. You may need a drill sergeant to get motivated, or maybe a cheerleader.
• Similar schedules. You want someone who is dependable, as well as available to consistently work out with you at the same times.
• Similar fitness goals. You need to share similar fitness goals to be effective workout partners.
• You want someone who makes working out enjoyable and even fun.

Finding a workout buddy can be as easy as looking around the gym during your workout, or calling a fitness-minded friend.

WANT MORE?

• Check out these upper body and lower body workouts made specifically for partners.
• Try these #WarriorReady workouts with your workout buddy. Each 15-minute workout features four exercises that work your whole body and can be done anytime, anywhere.
• Get motivated together with these festive and fun workouts on Guard Your Health’s Tumblr page.

 

Navy Suicide Prevention Branch is a proud partner of Guard Your Health (www.guardyourhealth.com), a health and medical readiness campaign for Army National Guard Soldiers and their families sponsored by the Army National Guard Chief Surgeon’s Office. Guard Your Health provides Army National Guard Soldiers with the information, motivation, and support to overcome challenges and make healthy decisions for themselves, their families, and their units. To learn more about improving your health, visit the Guard Your Health website, like “Guard Your Health” on Facebook, and follow @ARNGHealth on Twitter. For more tips to max your APFT and stay mission ready, subscribe to FitText, Guard Your Health’s text message program, by texting FIT to 703-997-6747.

Launching Soon: Navy’s Behavioral Health Quick Poll

Let Your Voice Be Heard

Day-to-day Navy life can be stressful, and the 21^st Century Sailor Office’s Operational Stress Control program wants to hear about it from YOU.

This month, 42,000 Sailors will have the opportunity to participate in the Navy’s Behavioral Health Quick Poll (BHQP). Insights and feedback provided will help to shape tools that the Navy develops to promote healthy stress navigation and resilience-building.

The poll—which is approved by the Chief of Naval Operations—examines the amount and sources of stress Sailors are experiencing, how Sailors react to stress and its impacts, as well as knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about available resources.

Participation in the BHQP takes less than ten minutes. The poll consists of 17 multiple choice questions that are completed and submitted online. Sailors will be invited to participate at random using a computer-generated “token” and will be notified of their selection via email. Participation is anonymous and responses cannot be traced back to an individual.

What is OSC?

The Navy Operational Stress Control (OSC) Program seeks to create an environment where Sailors, commands and families can thrive in the midst of stressful operations. The OSC Program is governed by OPNAVINST 6520.1A and offers courses for deckplate supervisors and unit leaders to better enable them to build trusting relationships with their Sailors, identify and manage stress, build resilience and strengthen their commitment to Every Sailor, Every Day.

In addition to these courses – which are delivered via mobile training teams (MTT) at no cost to the command – the OSC Program conducts research on several key issues impacting Sailors in their personal and operational environments, such as sleep deficits and the benefits of circadian watch bills.

Know Your Zone

April is National Stress Awareness Month, and there’s no better time to check in with ourselves and each other. Adopting and incorporating ways to navigate life’s challenges in a healthy manner is a shared responsibility between Sailors, leaders and families. Participating in this year’s Behavioral Health Quick Poll is a great way to help the Navy become more aware of the stress issues that Sailors are currently facing in order to better support you, your command and your family. Together we can Be There for Every Sailor, Every Day.

For more information on the Navy OSC Program, including training and additional resources, visit http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/support/21st_Century_Sailor/osc/Pages/default.aspx.

Learn more about the Behavioral Health Quick Poll and get tips to help you and your family navigate stress by liking Navy Operational Stress Control on Facebook (www.facebook.com/navstress) and following on Twitter (www.twitter.com/navstress).

How a $20 Bar Tab can Turn into a Million Dollars-Worth of Financial Stress

Imagine you went to close out your bar tab before heading home on a Saturday night and the bartender said, “That’ll be $10,000.” You stare at the bartender, stunned. As he starts to correct his statement, you let out a sigh of relief, assured that there is no way that’s your tab. The bartender continues: “I meant $1 million.”

Research shows that the initial cost of driving under the influence (DUI) can average $10,000 – and that’s just within six months of the incident. That money may be spent on initial fees which include bail, car towing, DUI classes, court-imposed fines, attorney fees, ignition interlock devices and more. But the financial stress doesn’t stop there.

When the fictitious bartender corrects himself to say $1 million, he’s referring to the bigger picture. After receiving a DUI, depending on the state, annual auto insurance rates increase significantly. In California, for example, the average Good Driver insurance discount is $1,307. After receiving a DUI, the same driver might pay up to $4,001 more. That is an annual increase of $2,694, which would likely total tens of thousands of dollars over your lifetime.  And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Say you’re planning to retire from the Navy as an E-7 at age 39. Your military retirement pension of one-half of your base pay will amount to $996,000 over 40 years. Your commissary and exchange privileges will save you an estimated $52,000 and medical insurance savings will equate to about $61,000 over that time period. That totals a real loss of $1 million over your lifetime if you are separated from the Navy for a DUI.

Knowing the financial burdens – in addition to the health, career and safety risks – would you still drink and drive? Or would you remember how hard you’ve worked to earn your living and your rank? Plan for a safe ride home before you go out for the night—and stick to it. The Keep What You’ve Earned campaign’s Pier Pressure mobile application has the tools you need to drink responsibly, including a blood alcohol content estimator, calorie calculator (which tells you how many pushups it will take to burn off those beers) and one-click access to Uber and Lyft ride-sharing apps. Pier Pressure is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Drink responsibly and keep what you’ve earned. Don’t let a $20 tab turn into a $10,000 (or $1,000,000) budget-buster. Even driving minimally buzzed can increase your risk for a car accident by 46 percent. Know your limit before you get there, don’t try to “keep up” with others and plan in advance for a safe ride home.  You’ve earned it, don’t waste it.

April is both Alcohol Awareness Month and Stress Awareness Month. For more tips on responsible drinking brought to you by Navy Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention’s Keep What You’ve Earned campaign, click here. If you think you may be struggling with alcohol, contact your local Drug and Alcohol Program Advisor (DAPA).

References:

Cost of a DUI. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www2.courtinfo.ca.gov/stopteendui/parents/cost/how-much-does-a-dui-cost.cfm

Devine, R. & Garske, M. (2014, January 16). Study: “Minimally Buzzed” Drivers Often Cause Fatal Crashes. Retrieved from http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/UCSD-Study-Minimally-Buzzed-Drivers-and-Car-Crashes-240673261.html
Marquand, B. (2016, February 3). How Much Does a DUI Cost. Retrieved from https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/insurance/cost-of-a-dui/

The Costs of Hidden Sugar

The average American eats about 5,000 tablespoons of sugar per year, amounting to roughly 152 pounds (or the weight of one person)[i].  That’s three pounds or six cups of sugar per week! Many of today’s health disparities are related to the increased consumption of added sugar and refined fats, including the rise of diabetes, hypertension and childhood obesity[ii].

Unlike naturally occurring sugar – such as the sugar found in milk or fresh fruit – added sugars are those that do not naturally occur in the food themselves. Rather, these sugars are added to a food or beverage during processing or preparation before packaging. Added sugars appear in many forms and often crop up unexpectedly, along with added fats and other harmful ingredients. We consume them so frequently that our bodies begin to crave them, deteriorating our health while boosting the packaged and fast food industry’s profit margins.

You may have experienced the power of a sugar craving and chalked the urge up to your “sweet tooth.” But you may not be aware of how addictive these sugars actually are. Studies have shown that Oreo cookies are more addictive than heroin[iii].  The brain views sugar as a reward, so the more we eat it, the more we want. Since the 1970s, added sugar intake in the United States has risen dramatically. The increased consumption of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) – the prevailing sweetener used to flavor popular beverages in the United States – has been found to mirror the growth of the obesity epidemic.

Finding ways to cut down or eliminate added sugar from your diet can be tricky if you don’t know what to look for (not all sources are as obvious as Oreos). Here are a few facts and FAQs to help you uncover hidden sugars and make more informed decisions.

Added sugars hiding out on your food labels go by different names. Here are just a few to look out for (there are more!):

Anhydrous Dextrose	Molasses
Brown Sugar	Nectars (e.g., Peach Nectar, Pear Nectar)
Confectioner’s Powdered Sugar	Pancake Syrup
Corn Syrup	Raw Sugar
Corn Syrup Solids	Sucrose
Dextrose	Sugar
Fructose	White Granulated Sugar
High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)	Cane Juice
Honey	Evaporated Corn Sweetener
Invert Sugar	Crystal Dextrose
Lactose	Glucose
Malt Syrup	Liquid Fructose
Maltose	Sugar Cane Juice
Maple Syrup	Fruit Nectar
Agave	Allulose

Know the foods that often have sugars added to them. Again, there are more! Be sure to read the labels to look for the aliases above.

Peanut Butter	Ketchup
Salad Dressing	Yogurt
Granola Bars	Frozen Meals
Spaghetti Sauce	Dried Fruit
Fruit Juice	BBQ, Sauces and Marinades
White Wine	Canned Fruit and Vegetables
Applesauce	Breakfast Cereal
Protein Drinks (including Ensure or Boost)	Soups
Breads & Crackers	Baked Beans
Pastries (Cake, Pies, Cookies, Muffins)	Energy Drinks (Monster, Red Bull)
Candy and Ice Cream	Electrolyte Drinks (Gatorade, Powerade)
Beverages (Soda/Coffee/Vitamin Water)	Flavored Potato Chips

Know how much sugar is recommended and safe to consume.
Dietitians and other health experts recommend getting ten percent or less of your daily calories from sugar. This equals 13.3 teaspoons of sugar per day if you’re consuming 2,000 calories. Beware, the average 12-ounce soda contains 16 teaspoons of sugar! Just one soda per day could lead to a weight gain of 15 pounds in a year.

Sugar does not provide any additional vitamins or minerals that assist the body in its daily functions to promote energy and a healthy lifestyle.  For example, a two-ounce chocolate bar has 30 grams of sugar and the same calories as three medium bananas. Bananas are low in fat and high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Despite containing natural sugar, bananas will satisfy your sweet craving while helping you feel fuller longer. Natural sugars found in whole fruit don’t affect the body the same way due to their naturally occurring fiber.

So, are artificial sweeteners a better swap?
Artificial sweeteners may seem like an appealing substitute for the taste of sugar without the calories, but they come with some not-so-sweet trade-offs. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), artificial sweeteners that have been approved for use and are Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) include sucralose, saccharin, acesulfame, aspartame and neotame. However, studies have shown that frequent consumption of artificial sweeteners may lead to increased weight gain and overall increase in body mass index (BMI)[iv] . The perception of saving calories from artificially sweetened snacks or sodas may lead to replacing those calories through other sources. In other words, you may give a slice of cake the greenlight because you feel like you’ve made a healthy choice by drinking a diet soda with your lunch. Additionally, artificial sweeteners may alter the way we taste food due to their intensity, which can make less sweet foods – such as fruits and vegetables – undesirable[v].

Are fat-free snacks better?
No. Typically foods are flavored three ways: with fat, sugar and sodium. So, if one of the item is removed then other two are likely increased. Fat-free cakes, cookies and ice cream can have up to twice as much sugar than the regular serving.  Looking at the food label ingredient can help determine if that food item is a smart choice.

How to read the ingredients list.
Names of ingredients are listed in the order of the amount that the food contains, from the most to the least. For example, the Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Crunch ingredients list begins with whole grain wheat, sugar, raisins, and rice. The most abundant item found is whole grain wheat, the second most abundant is sugar, then raisins and so forth. Brown sugar syrup, glycerin, corn syrup, molasses and honey are also on the list (sources of added sugar). This one cereal contains five different types of sugar or sugar-like substance. Not quite as healthy as you may have thought.

So, what can I eat?
Practice small swaps to help you see progress, such as exchanging your lunchtime soda for twelve ounces of water (sparkling water is a healthy bubbly alternative), or packing fresh fruit and nuts rather than heading to the vending machine during your mid-day slump. Weaning yourself off of sugar isn’t easy, but you can find balance by integrating more complex carbohydrates (such as whole grains) into your diet and allowing yourself a small portion of a sweet treat every once in a while rather than quitting “cold turkey.”

Sugar takes a toll on the body and mind, with the slump following a sugar rush possibly accelerating mood disorder symptoms. It’s also been shown to negatively impact memory. With excess sugar leading to short-term impacts, such as weight gain, and long-term impacts that can shorten your lifespan, such as diabetes, it’s increasingly important to pay closer attention to what you eat. For more information, check out the healthy eating resources at Navy & Marine Corps Public Health Center, NOFFS Fueling Series and eatright.org.

LT Pamela Gregory, OPNAV N17 Nutrition Program Manager, is a Registered Dietitian with nine years’ experience in counseling a wide variety of clientele on nutrition and health-related diseases/ topics. LT Gregory uses a functional nutrition approach to assist clients in their treatment phase.

 

[i] http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/nhp/documents/sugar.pdf

[ii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/

[iii] http://www.sugarscience.org/the-growing-concern-of-overconsumption/#.WJit4Gq7pIB

[iv] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3210834

[v] http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/artificial-sweeteners-sugar-free-but-at-what-cost-201207165030