Stressed out? Turmoil takes a toll on diet, exercise routine

NEW YORK

Breakfast is Diet Pepsi and two packets of M&M's. For lunch, macaroons and white chocolates filled with marzipan from the farmer's market near Wall Street.

After learning her job would be cut this summer, Kelly Daly started reaching more frequently for the soothing effects of sugar.

"It's a stress reliever. Especially now that a bunch of us are going to be laid off," said the 49-year-old Daly, whose job reviewing medical insurance records in Manhattan's financial district is being cut after 11 years.

As the credit and housing crises rattle Wall Street, pressures over bigger workloads, job security and shrinking nest eggs are upending diets and fueling unhealthy habits across the country.

Stressed workers often reach for calorie-rich foods, skip the gym after a taxing day or forego meals because of heavy workloads. Or they indulge in other bad-for-you behavior like smoking, drinking or staying out late.

But it is in times of duress, experts say, that minding your health is perhaps more critical than ever.

Frances Roberts ~ Associated Press Kelly Daly considered buying chocolate chip cookies April 17 at Meredith's Bread Muffin & Pies at the Bowling Green Farmers Market in New York. Like other workers worried about the struggling economy, Daly uses chocolate as a stress reliever.

"They recommend writing in a journal to abet your feelings because what you're doing is trying to feel better," said Don Miles, a certified nutritional consultant in Jackson. "Because a lot of the eating we do is tied to emotions."

Indulging in sweets will raise insulin levels, which then crash and make us want to eat more, Miles said. Instead, take a drink of water or do breathing exercises.

With sweets, "the satisfaction is instant," said Raina Childers, dietitian at HealthPoint Plaza. "But then we get upset with ourselves and it starts this negative cycle of self-abuse."

She recommended lots of water, too. "Having plenty of fluid helps with feeling good and concentration."

Eating right and getting exercise may seem burdensome and even frivolous under such circumstances, but it actually gives people a greater sense of control and calm, said registered dietitian Heather Bauer, author of "The Wall Street Diet."

"It's one less thing to stress you out," Bauer said. "If you're out of a job or in a financial slump, it can give you a sense of inspiration as well."

For Aleksandra Cogura, heftier workloads in recent months means skipping lunch. If she's lucky, she'll manage to grab breakfast on the go. Once a gym regular, she hasn't been in four months.

"I just feel like I need to complete my work," said Cogura, a 44-year-old sales analyst in publishing in Manhattan.

Stress can take more serious, physical tolls. People under great stress release hormones and nerve chemicals that weaken the immune system, rendering them more susceptible to illness, said Dr. Esther Sternberg, who studies the effects of stress at the National Institute of Mental Health. Stress can also slow the body's ability to heal wounds, she said.

That could all translate into higher worker absenteeism, and those who do show up are likely not as productive when under great stress, said David Ballard, who specializes in work stress issues at the American Psychological Association.

Southeast Missourian features editor Chris Harris contributed to this report.