How do you feel about killing two birds with one stone? Well, as a busy professional, I know I could use all the time I can get, and with foam roller exercises you can do just that!

Foam roller exercises are like a massage and a workout in one.

[Everyone can use a little relief. Why not get some while you exercise?]

Keep reading to find out how to take advantage of this…

I’ll be the first to admit complete skepticism about this ancient cross-legged activity but through a little reading and practising it’s probably the simplest and most effective way to reduce and/or manage stress in my life currently.

The benefits are numerous and if you don’t have a daily practice established yet, I strongly encourage it based on the following reasons:

During meditation the heart rate and breathing slow down, your blood pressure normalizes, you use oxygen more efficiently, and you sweat less. Also, your adrenal glands produce less cortisol, your mind ages at a slower rate, and your immune function improves. It is also known to help improve creativity (think Steve Martin as the new age Boss in Baby Mama)!

So, now that you know the benefits, you have no excuses to not give it a try?

5 Easy Steps to Meditation:

How we spend our time is just as important as how we spend our money. You have a finite amount of both so most of us know that to stay financially well, we need to set a household budget. The same practice can be applied to the game of life where we are juggling multiple roles and we need to schedule our time and allocate that time according to what’s most important to us. Although many commitments you may have are worthy of your time and speak to your goals or ideals, it can be difficult to say no to them. But too many of these commitments can cause unnecessary stress.

Here are 15 questions to consider when examining your own work/life schedule:

During times of stress, our health can be severely affected depending on how intense we are feeling by these external stressors. These events can alter our entire body including our appetites, energy levels, breathing quality and especially our sleeping patterns. So what can we do to stay calm during these stressful moments? One of the best things we can do for ourselves is to prepare for these inevitable moments and get a minimum of 7 hours of quality rest each night. If we feel rested, we’re less likely to be exhausted and apprehensive during the day so that we have the energy and clarity to resolve our problems. Here are 4 tips to help you achieve this restful sleep.

Does concern for the economy have you tossing and turning? Stress can have a big impact on how well you sleep. It’s often suggested that we need a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep every night. How many of us can honestly remember getting that much sleep in one night?

To help you reclaim some of those ZZZs, try these suggestions:

1. Do a little yoga before bed to relax and gain balance. A light walk on a treadmill to burn off any negative energy accumulated from the days activities works well too.

2. Lie in bed and breathe slowly, allowing your abdomen and chest muscles to relax. Concentrate on your breathing and you’ll soon find yourself on top of pillow mountain.

3. Read a book. Something light-hearted that doesn’t require you to increase your mental compacity (this is not the time for advanced calculus or newspaper reading as it might make you more

Rushing to the mall for last minute Christmas gifts, attending parties or functions, cooking holiday dinner are just some of the things that keep us busy and feeling stressed out during the holiday season. It doesn’t sound like much of a holiday does it? Frankly, for most it’s just a continuation of the rest of the year on a schedule that leaves us mentally drained. Remember, the MIND is as important as the BODY so here are five ways to keep holiday stress to a minimum so that you enjoy and get into the holiday spirit:

1. Leave work at work! Last day at the office so why are you bringing your work home with you? It will still be there when you come back so why