Crafting Secrets

Halloween is a time when one can experiment with creative craft ideas to make wonderful decorations for the house. It is an opportunity to dabble in the wonderful world of art and craft. Making the Halloween decorations is not only a fun activity; it gives your house a festive look. One need not be an expert in art to make these decorations. All you need is loads of imagination, creativity and a few items available around the house and you are ready to get going. Some simple ideas are given below to get you started.

One of the easiest Halloween decorations to make is creepy candles. You will need candles, sequins, beads, colored threads and any other trinkets that take your fancy.
The candles should be of dark colors, you could go for the Halloween colors of black and orange. With the help of simple white glue, stick these trinkets around the candles in any manner you like. You may have to use tweezers to stick the small items onto the candle. Table sprinkles in the form of ghosts, pumpkins, witches or bats can be used to give that creepy look. Place these decorated candles around the house and watch them light up the evening!

Another art and craft Halloween decoration is the creepy balloon ghost, which is very easy to make. All you need is white balloons and plastic grocery bags. The bags should be plain with no writing on them. Here is how to create a spooky ghost: Cut off the handles of the grocery bag. Leaving the bottom of the bag intact, with the help of scissors, cut the bag into dangling strips up to about an inch from the bottom seam. In the same manner cut up another grocery bag. Fill up the balloon with air and knot it up. Tape the seam of one bag to the front and the other to the back, leaving the knot on top. Paint a scary face of the ghost on the balloon and tie a string to the knot. Hang up these creepy balloons to trees in the yard. You may also put a few bells to the end of the strips, so that they make a sound with the movement of the wind. Enjoy the haunting chimes of the ghosts moving around in your yard!

Halloween decorations can be a good way to bond with family and friends. It can be a fun activity done together, enjoying each other’s company and getting to know the creativity of your children, while experimenting with these decorations. Although Halloween art and craft decorations may be difficult to make, the possibilities are endless, limited only by your imagination and creativity.

This year Presidents Day falls on February 16. Many schools use the time before Presidents Day to educate young children about presidents past and present and the workings of the United States Government. Patriotic crafts for children are a great way to teach them about the history of President’s Day . Make these great patriotic homemade crafts with your own child at home and spend time with them talking about what it means to be an American!

Patriotic Crafts for Children

George Washington Powdered Wig

Dress-up like the birthday boy himself – our very first president George Washington – with this fun and educational project.

Materials:

Approximately half a bag of cotton balls per wig
Paper painter’s cap
Black ribbon
White craft glue
Safety scissors

Steps:

Give the painter’s hat a little more shape by stuffing some rags or towels inside it to make it stand as though it will when placed on your child’s head.
Glue cotton balls directly to the hat as if they were the curls of a wig. Cover the entire hat.
Cut enough of the ribbon to tie a small bow. Glue the bow to the cotton balls as if a ponytail that would hang over the nape of the neck.
Let your child wear and feel like a true American patriot.

Obama Symbol Paper Plate

Help your child join in the excitement and celebration of our new President with this easy and cheap President’s Day craft idea.

Materials:

Paper Plate
A copy or pattern of the Obama “O” logo
Acrylic paint in red, white, and blue
paintbrush

Steps:

Draw the Obama “o” pattern on the paper plate. The middle part of the plate should become the white of the O inside the outer ridge.
Paint the top portion of the outer ridge blue and the horizontal stripes red and white like the American flag.
Allow to dry completely. Have your child learn a few facts about President Obama. Discuss with them the historical importance of his election to office.

Presidents Day Facts:

Presidents Day, also known as Washington’s Birthday or Washington and Lincoln Day, is a United States Federal Holiday, celebrated the third Monday of February.

Presidents’ Day is also known as a day to celebrate General Washington’s creation of the first military badge of merit for the common soldier – the Purple Heart – which was revived on Washington’s 200th birthday in 1932. Many people honor US veterans over Washington’s birthday weekend.

In New Mexico, President’s Day, as a state government paid holiday, is observed on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Because Presidents Day is not the official name for the federal holiday, many spellings are accepted with no right or wrong. President’s Day, Presidents Day, and Presidents’ Day are all commonly used spellings of the holiday’s name.

Summer will be here soon enough, and your kids will be thrilled with being out of school and playing outside. Well, at least for a few days anyway. Once the newness of summer has worn off and the reality of boredom sinks in, your once happy campers can turn into ‘mom I’m bored’ monsters. What’s a parent to do to help ease the pain of ‘nothing to do’? Planning summer craft projects in advance is an idea that smart parents may make use of. Who knows, perhaps the kiddos will even learn a thing or two at the same time.

Since the weather is perfect for getting out and exploring nature, kids can find objects like seeds, leaves, grass, flowers and other items to use in making a nature collage. All they have to do is glue the found craft bits onto a stiff piece of cardboard. They can add any other items they want to make the collage colorful and interesting. Spraying the collage with paint can add color and variety too. How about spraying some glue on and then sprinkling glitter on the collage? Another idea for using the nature items they collect is to arrange dried flowers into special arrangements for mom.

Naturally, if kids collect wild flowers they’ll need a wonderful homemade vase to arrange them in. Making a simple vase is a great summer craft idea. Kids can make a nice, simple vase from a recycled tin can. Soup cans and small coffee cans work well for homemade vases. The best tin cans have smooth outsides and aren’t too wide. Make sure you trim off any sharp points or edges that may still be on the can opening. Kids can cut a piece of colorful construction paper to fit around the outside of the can and then glue it to the can after they’ve decorated it in anyway they wish. Stickers, markers, crayons, paint, glue and glitter…the list goes on. A great idea for decorating the vase is by drawing a wonderful summer scene on the construction paper. They can also add their name, glue dried pasta, beans or seeds on the paper. Let it all dry well before gluing to the can. However they may want to decorate their vase is up to them. All that’s left is adding some water and flowers or their dried wildflowers.

Kids can make containers and vases from empty jars as well. Canning jars make great vases, but any old recycled jar works well. Make sure to clean it really well. Let the kiddos get their hands wet by cleaning the jars themselves. After the jar is dry, add pretty ribbon around the mouth. Kids will love painting on the glass jar and maybe adding glitter, beads and buttons too.

Tin can and glass jar vases have multiple uses other than containers for flowers. Kids can put in pencils, pens and markers or any small item they want to put add.

These are just a few basic and simple craft ideas that you can help your kids make this summer. There are literally boundless ideas for summer kid crafting. You can spend some fun time with your children while preventing the boredom monster from showing itself too soon. Not only will you and your kids have fun, but you’ll have some adorable items to display in your home or give as gifts to family and friends. Your kids can learn some new crafting skills and have the satisfaction of accomplishment at the same time. Stay cool and happy crafting this summer!

Most craft ideas are geared to individuals, whether kids or adults. Sometimes you’d like to have a craft idea that works for a group of kids working together. Making a mural together is an idea that works for a group. By working together, you are creating something to decorate a shared area. Individual crafts can be displayed, but one unique item is often more effective than a group of items that are almost identical. In addition, sometimes kids’ crafts, like it or not, just become clutter when they are taken home, and it isn’t long before Mom throws it out. This craft idea of making a group mural can be displayed for several weeks and will not become clutter in anyone’s home.

The basic materials for a kids’ group mural is freezer paper. Freezer paper is about 18 inches wide, and it is very tough. One side is plastic coated. That is the side that is designed to be placed against the food. You will have better luck drawing on and gluing things onto the other side. Class or group murals can feature a number of different design elements. You can mix up some finger paint and let the children make hand prints (or even foot prints!) on the paper. You can let them scour old cast-off magazines and color catalogs for pictures they like and let them cut the pictures out and glue them on. They can add scribbles, designs, signatures, slogans, or pictures using markers, crayons, or gel pens. They can attach stickers to the mural as well. This craft idea is very flexible!

For making the mural, choose a topic that relates to the group in some way. If the group are girl scouts, for instance, and have been learning to camp, the mural can feature pictures of items related to camping. If you’ve been learning about dinosaurs, you can use them as a theme. If you want a really messy project that makes a cute mural for fall, mix up finger paint in fall colors. The children can each make a tree by first laying their forearm in brown paint. Then they lay their arm on the paper to make the trunk of the tree. They should spread out their fingers so their arm print has five short branches at the top. To make the leaves, the children make fingerprints all around the top of the tree using paints in other fall colors. If you add a few drops of dishwashing detergent to finger paint when mixing it up, it will be easier to clean off the children’s arms. Do make sure they have old clothes or smocks for this craft idea.

Little preschoolers will like making a mural with an animal theme. You should probably find and cut out animal magazine pictures to start with, and then let the children choose the ones they like for gluing down. Glue sticks are neat to use with small children. They will paste some of the pictures upside down. Expect it and do not scold them. It is the process that is important in this craft idea. The children can also use animal cookie cutters dipped in finger paint to stamp animals on the mural, too. You may need to tape the paper to the table so it doesn’t slide around while the children work.

An elaborate form of this craft idea that adults often make is a quilt around a theme. Each person in the group creates a quilt square to represent some aspect of what the group stands for. These quilt squares can be colored with fabric pens or crafted of patchwork or applique. Again, the craft idea is to build group solidarity and not to highlight one artist’s skills over another. When the quilt top is completed, it can be a group project to tie it or quilt it. It can be hung in a special central location or given to an appreciated leader or member.

Craft making is a great way to spend time with your children or the entire family. It is also a great way to develop your kids’ creativity and interpersonal skills.

Craft making involves several types of work but is fun and enjoyable. Making crafts involve stylish designs. The ideas on what project to do are just endless, and there are also numerous magazines that can help you choose what you like to make. The craft for kids are simpler and normally consist of basic steps only.

Craft projects allow students to unleash their creativity and create something new. It can develop the interpersonal skills and develop motor skills in a child. It is a very effective way to teach children many things in life and this method is commonly adapted in many schools.

Some of the basic crafting projects that children can do in school are a homework bulletin board, buddy pens, school coin keeper and beady buddies. Other suggestions are backpack tags, wizard book box and CD locker magnets. You can also add the weekly reusable calendar, trading card folder and pencil wands.

Preschool craft ideas for kids are a great way to teach kids to develop their skills, identify objects and also use their creativity. It helps kids to unleash their talent in different fields, like drawing, painting, or sketching. It can also be a great and enjoyable learning experience for them. And best of all, they are having fun.

Crafting projects for kids include worksheets, printable crafts and other educational resources suitable for their age. They are very basic activities that give preschoolers an opportunity to learn how to count, read, and identify the colors of the rainbow.

It is a good way to develop motor skills. They learn muscle control so they could handle pencils and crayons. Their hand strokes improve as their grips become steadier and their hand muscles more relaxed. It develops hand and brain coordination.

One popular and effective crafts for preschoolers are dots to dots. It involves tracing one dot to the other with straight and curved lines. This also teaches kids how to count. They should trace the dots according to number to form the right image in the end.

Other simple craft activities would include coloring pictures, tracing dashed lines to form different shapes, folding papers to make paper boats or airplanes, and making soap bubbles.

A good way to celebrate a kid’s birthday is to have a craft session with them. Gather the kids and hand them with a set of materials they would need. Together, they can make birthday paper hats or paper cupcakes. Also, the family of the celebrant may also opt to make birthday invitations instead of buying pre-made invitation cards.

Craft ideas are one of the activities that your kids will enjoy. You should provide the right craft that can caters to your kids’ abilities and interests. Making crafts that are complicated, easy or too simple can discourage your kid or they may even find it a bore.

Listed below are several craft ideas you can make with your children:

Leaf Print
The materials you need are several leaves, a piece of paper and crayons, water color or paint. Place a piece of paper flat on top of a table. Put the leaf under the flat paper. Apply some water color or paint on your leaf and print it on the paper. If you are using crayons, shade the print of the leaf on the paper. The result is a stenciled leaf print on the paper.

Binoculars
Materials for this craft are two cardboard spools of empty tissue rolls, a string or yarn, glue and two paper rolls (approximately 4 to 5 inches). First, glue together the two rolls facing each side. Make a hole on each side of the binoculars and then tie the string or yarn through the holes.

Hobbies and crafts are very popular activities these days and what better time then Halloween to get creative. In this article we look at some simple Halloween craft ideas you can create your self or you can involve the children and use some of the Halloween craft ideas for them.

Creating Halloween craft ideas with kids

Kids like to create their own scary props and they also like to make things that are in season. So with Easter let them help with coloring the eggs, and other themed crafts and with Halloween its great to let them help out with making the decorations. But there are also great Halloween coloring pages if you need something quick to keep them busy.

Most of the things you need for Halloween craft ideas for kids you will probably already have in your house and the things you do need to buy will not be expensive at all. Just choose crafts that are simple enough for their age to handle and they will be fine. Make sure you put down a lot of old newspapers for them to work on and prevent a mess.

Have fun and safe money with Halloween craft ideas

Homemade Halloween crafts are a great way to decorate your home in an inexpensive way. For the best Halloween craft ideas you usually don’t need to go out and buy anything special. Even if you do need to buy something it will probably not cost much. When you need to buy all sorts of decorations you will need to spend a lot of money and some will never look quit as good then when you would put some effort in yourself. In the end it will all depend on the amount of time you want to spend in making all those different Halloween craft ideas.

Halloween craft idea #1: make party invitations with your kids

Something you can make as simple or difficult as you like are invitation for your own Halloween party. You can make them yourself, make them with the kids or with the right preparations you can let the kids make them all by themselves. Making their own invitations is something most kids will love to do. A very simple idea is to trace around the hands on a brown or mustard yellow card for monsters, or green cards for witches. Silver or white cards can be used for ghost hands. The kids can stick on fingernails made from paper. Best thing is to let them be creative but you can give them hints and let them make the monster nails black or gray and witches nails can be made more colorful. Let the kids decorate the hands in their own way and let them imagine how ghost, witch or monster hands look like. When they are all done you can write the invitation on the back side.

Halloween craft idea #2: make party invitations for adults

If you are you planning an adult party however, then you should put some more effort in these Halloween craft ideas because every party starts with a great invitation. There are many ways to create great Halloween party invitations but its best to make them personal, they need to be scary and in theme but they also need to say something about the kind of party you are giving. If it is just a social gathering with friends the card should look different then when you are planning a full costume party in your fully decorated haunted house. Can you imagine the Halloween craft ideas you can come up with for the last one?

Spring and summer come and everyone starts opening their doors and windows, bringing in the fresh air. Tree leaves are full and flower blooms abound birds are singing, building nests and taking care of their chicks. I am drawn outdoors by the lure of warmer days and the call of the dirt and new sprouts. Not to mention, as a mom, the kids are clamoring for more room to play. It’s a perfect time to pull out some fun out door family crafts.

Here are a few, easy to personalize, craft ideas for summertime fun or to celebrate May Day, Mother’s Day or a holiday weekend. All craft supplies are easily attainable from craft supply stores or online suppliers. While making these crafts is a fun family activity, some are available in pre-assembled kits, or already made. Use your favorite search engine for more information on various ideas – keyword suggestions are offered below craft each idea.

1. Terra cotta clay pot bird bath. Invert terra cotta clay pots, from larger on bottom and smallest on top. Add a clay saucer (the part the pot sits in to catch the drained water). A waterproof saucer is necessary. Set the clay saucer on top of the inverted stack of pots. Paint or mosaic the pots if you feel especially creative. For more bird fun, add a mister. Birds love to play in the water. Note: Make two similar stands and use one for a bird feeder.

2. Plant and grow an herb garden. Include herbs such as basil, thyme, sage, chives and any other favorites. You’ll have fresh herbs to add to your recipes all summer long. Herbs are easy to grow, making this an easy garden for kids to help. Take it one step further and create a “kitchen garden”, including lettuce spinach, tomato, cucumber or other salad favorites.

3. Build a toad abode. Use a terra cotta pot and a rock. Invert a clay pot and prop edge on a rock. If you have a chipped pot, that would work great too and wouldn’t require propping. Paint and decorate to your liking.

4. A handmade stepping stone. Personalize with stones, marbles, or other memorable items. Make the project a tradition. Mark the stone with the year and include items to remember the year a key (house or car), a toy, etc. A footprint each year could signify the walk of life and would be fun for young children to mark their growth from summer to summer.

5. Personalized necklaces. Letter beads (for names or initials), a few spacer beads, a charm or two added to a simple chain makes a lovely, personal necklace for any mom or grandmother. For fun, make matching necklaces one for mom, grandmother, and daughters.

6. Bookmarks make a great craft for rainy days. Get creative – use paper, dried flowers, ribbons, needlepoint thread. Use beads and charms attached to chain or yarn to create a “book thong”.

7. A decorated throw pillow. A pre-made throw pillow with light colored fabric, decorated with fabric paint. Fabric glue will easily adhere buttons and other small mementos. Start from scratch and decorate your fabric before making a pillow – tie-dye, iron-on colored pictures made with fabric crayons or reverse dying using a darker fabric and bleach provide many creative ways to decorate any pillow or piece of fabric. Another variation would be decorating pillow cases.

8. A tie-dye party is fun for family or a gathering of extended family and friends. Supplies are readily available online coming in easy kits.

There are so many fun activities to be done outdoors during nice weather. For more ideas, or to submit your own, visit http://www.mommamuse.com/2006/04/21/summertime-craft-ideas/ .

crafting is the best way to nurture your child’s creativity.It has many positive sides to deal with. Easy kids crafts and fun craft ideas can even solve many problems as they involve spending more time together with your family.When your kids are back from school give them something interesting to work on.

Myriads websites are out there to offer you free crafts ideas that you can engage your kids with. Good parenting implies teaching children social responsibilities and moral values that start from home.Children always look for their parents’ support and trust which in turn,boost their confidence.Completing a craft project successfully provides them with a sense of achievement.In the time of economic crisis you can teach your kid to grow more practical with some frugal yet fun crafts ideas.

Look for some easy projects that are appropriate for your child’s age.You will find countless.From match sticks to colored rubber bands anything that apparently seems of little use can be used to create something unique and invaluable.Assign kids some greetings card making or friendship box making project that they can gift their friends or teacher or the baby sitter. Cards made with colorful glittery hearts can be nice valentine gifts for their friends while Snowman cards ideally express the warmth of heartfelt wish during the winter.

Even if your budget has been curtailed homemade crafts are the best ways to show you still care.With your kids you too can learn some fantastic easy and cost effective crafts.Learn the art of gift decorating that conveys you care in a special way for special persons in your life.Take out your pencils,scissors,craft glue,ribbons,construction papers,stickers and paper glitters to make beautiful gift wraps in playful mood. There are numbers of options available online.

As for working moms,they do not have much time to take up knitting projects.But crochet items are quick and easy ways to improve your style quotient.From vintage caps to Bohemian scarves crochet your winter accessories to customize your dressing. Kids are going to love the patch work ponchos made with crochet.Crochet accessories definitely help to add some unique fashion elements to your wardrobe. Teenagers can easily pick up with crochet.Teach them how to knit multi-colored friendship cuff,head pieces,bags and various other accessories with crochet.

Apart from seeking online help you and your kids can join a craft group whether local or online. These craft groups offer their members easy access to many useful resources that are treasure trove of fun craft ideas.Joining craft community opens up a new horizon by providing opportunities to ask questions on projects,seeking experts’ advice as well as sharing your own ideas and experiences with others.

Participating in group craft projects with your family can be great fun during the holidays.In group activities you may have to work on time bound projects like making scarves for each one of your family within a month.This kind of healthy competition helps to inculcate creativeness, sportsman spirit as well as perseverance in kids.All these qualities sum up to good personality.So,start crafting today and enjoy together as a family.Anything done for your family is worth doing.

I am going on a missions trip overseas and planning ten art projects for an orphanage to do. I would like most of them to be related to Bible lessons. There are more than 200 kids there, and the materials cannot be too large because I will need to travel with them. Any ideas?

Maybe a Crucifix made of card or clay,which the children could decorate to their own personal taste with paint,plastic gems,beads that can be threaded onto gold coloured wire that can,in turn,be wound around the Crucifix for sculptural effect. If you use clay,the children could actually press beads,small mirrors and gemstones etc into the clay. The Crucifix could then be used to decorate a room as well as providing spiritual protection for the home…Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.

Stressed out? No Need to Resort to Binge Eating!

From the moment the buzzing alarm clock jolts us out of a sound sleep, most of us whiz through the day under stressful conditions. Finally, after everyone else has gone to bed, curling up on the couch with a pint of ice cream seems to be the best way to unwind.

Yet even when we know in our minds that ‘comfort foods’ won’t solve our problems, many of us still find ourselves overeating when we’re under stress. There are reasons for this and ways you can resist the urge to binge.

Responding to Stress

Why does feeling stressed cause us to overeat? For one, eating is an effective way to temporarily forget about our problems. When we focus on food, we escape from our problems, at least for a little while. We’ve probably learned from past situations that food enables us to do this. And so eating distracts us during times of stress, and it feels good. Think about it, how many times have you run out of the office to grab some candy when you’re having trouble tackling a problem at work, or meeting a deadline?

There are physiological explanations as to why we feel calmer when we eat. As blood flows from the brain to the stomach for digestion, we start to feel at ease, and ultimately relaxed.

When we gorge ourselves with food, we escape in a somewhat ‘unconscious’ way. Binging on very large amounts of carbohydrates produces a ’sugar high,’ which can result in a ‘numb’ feeling, taking us away from what we really feel.

In addition, the release of cortisol from the adrenal glands into the bloodstream during stressful times causes levels of serotonin, a hormone responsible for relaxed and content feelings, to decrease. Theories based on animal studies suggest that decreased levels of serotonin causes increased cravings for carbohydrate-rich foods, and once carbohydrate-rich foods are consumed, feelings of relaxation and contentedness resume.

Immediate Solutions to Prevent Eating in Response to Stress

So what can you do when you feel the urge to binge? Well, there are lots of different things to do!
Here are 20 activities you can do instead of grabbing those cookies or chips when you feel an overwhelming desire to eat. Before you try these suggestions, however, make a deal with yourself-that is, if you wish to have a specific food, you can have it, but only after you’ve done three things on the list below.

Here are 20 Things You Can Do Instead of Eating:
1. Read a book or your favorite fitness magazine
2. Search for a Web site, on a topic that is of interest to you but that you haven’t had time to pursue
3. Go for a walk
4. Call or email a friend
5. Write in a journal
6. Go window-shopping
7. Play a game with your spouse, children, or pets, whether it’s Frisbee or fetch, checkers or chess
8. Do an exercise video, or hit the gym for aerobics, weightlifting, or yoga
9. Tackle some household chores: dust, vacuum, balance the checkbook, etc.
10. Take a long bath or shower
11. Start your holiday gift list both gifts to give, and gifts to receive
12. Alphabetize your books, CDs, videotapes, spice rack…
13. Do some outside chores: work in the garden, mow the lawn, rake leaves, or shovel snow
14. Meditate or pray
15. Work on a craft project that will keep your hands busy: knitting, needlepoint, painting, woodworking, etc.
16. Crank up your stereo and dance around the living room
17. Try on old clothes. Clothes that are now too big as well as clothes that are still too small
18. Research healthy recipes to prepare for the coming week, and make a shopping list
19. Brush your teeth, use a strong mouthwash, then pop in a piece of extra-minty gum
20. Start, or add to, a scrapbook of your weight loss journey. Include photos, motivational articles, and your own thoughts and feelings

Longer-term Solutions

The best way to decrease the urge to binge on high-calorie foods when experiencing stressful feelings is to get at the root of the problem: that is, get at the root of what’s eating you.

Figure out what is causing the stress, and address the problem immediately. For example, if you are stressed about your job, find ways to cope with the problem. This can mean talking with friends and family, or speaking with a mental health professional. Talking about a stressful situation helps us to feel calm and connected to others, which can help to relieve feelings of frustration and confusion.

Another feeling that causes stress and subsequent overeating is the feeling of helplessness, and lack of control. A good way to approach this feeling is to focus on the things that you do have control over, and can make a difference in. For example, try volunteering at a local hospital, or delivering meals to the elderly. Certainly avoiding excess calories and exercising regularly are examples of things we have control over and things that we should focus on.

Other Suggestions for Dealing With Stress Over the Long-Term.

Consume a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet, and limit alcohol and caffeine.

As mentioned above, theories suggest that the presence of carbohydrates can help to increase production of serotonin, the chemical responsible for making us feel relaxed and at ease. Whether or not this is actually true, it is probably worth a try, especially given the fact that a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet offers many other benefits, such as weight loss and protection against heart disease. For meals, choose whole-wheat pasta with shrimp and steamed vegetables, or a large baked potato with broccoli and low-fat cheddar. Fruits, pretzels, popcorn, yogurts, puddings, and energy bars are all good ideas for snacks.

As caffeine can further stimulate the central nervous system, thereby intensifying the stress response, it’s best to avoid caffeinated beverages, such as coffee and colas. In addition, alcohol intake should be minimized, as it can increase appetite and decrease control over eating behavior.

Exercise!

Research shows that exercise can help to reduce stress. It can help us to ‘vent’ negative emotions, and it helps to boost our endorphins, or ‘feel-good’ hormones, ultimately improving our mood. Exercise also decreases our appetite, helping us to consume fewer calories. Try to engage in a regular exercise routine, even if that just means going for a 10-minute walk every day. Finding exercise buddies can be a great way to connect with others and do your body good at the same time.

Incorporate relaxation techniques as part of your daily routine.

Yoga, meditation, or even deep breathing can help to take the edge off. Visualizing a peaceful place can be a soothing way to ‘escape’ from reality, for just a few needed seconds.

Glenn Freiboth
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/how-to-respond-to-stress-and-binge-eating-133733.html