Featured in ICAEW magazine, May 2011
How eating properly and keeping fit can help to make you stress-resistant
Research undertaken by Chartered Accountants’ Benevolent Association (CABA) shows that stress is the biggest problem facing most accountants in their everyday lives – and the same almost certainly applies to trainee accountants facing an ongoing round of work and exams.
But there are several things that you can do to take control of your stress levels and among the most important are following a few simple rules about diet and exercise. If you bear in mind the facts below, you will make yourself more stress-resistant.
• Diet
It is essential to eat a balanced diet that delivers all the nutrients your body needs to function at its optimum level and deal with challenging situations. The key element of this is to remember to eat your five-a-day quota of fruit and vegetables. What counts? Well, fresh, frozen, tinned or dried fruit and vegetables are the mainstays but fruit and vegetables cooked in dishes such as soups, stews or pasta dishes also are included, as is fruit juice.
• Alcohol
According to an NHS Poll in 2010, around 42% of drinkers turn to alcohol to unwind after a stressful day - but alcohol is a depressant and if you regularly exceed recommended daily guidelines you could be making your stress and your ability to cope worse.
The recommended daily guidelines for men are 3-4 units per day and for women are 2-3 units per day. It is also a good idea to have a minimum of two consecutive alcohol free days per week. One unit of alcohol is equivalent to a pint of ordinary strength beer or lager, a small glass of wine or a single pub measure of spirits.
• Caffeine
Sitting at a desk all day then revising in front of a laptop and an exercise book all evening – it is grinding work and many trainee accountants drink copious amounts of coffee and tea.
Caffeine is a stimulant and stays in your system for a long time – around 4-6 hours. It hinders your body’s natural ability to calm down, can leave you agitated and moody, ultimately results in feeling fatigued and decreases the length of your restorative sleep.
The daily recommended amount of caffeine is 300mg – equivalent to just a cup and a half of filtered coffee or three cups of instant. Tea is a better option at 50mg per cup but decaffeinated tea at 5mg is a better choice altogether.
• Exercise
Exercise is crucial to providing your body with an opportunity to burn off stress hormones and increase endorphins – your body’s natural “feel good” chemical. It is also a powerful relaxation tool and, by helping the blood flow to your brain, helps you think more clearly. You should aim for 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five days per week.
© CABA 2011