Stressed out? Now’s the time to take care of your health

Bad food and no exercise take a toll on the body.

NEW YORK (AP) — 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 unhealthful habits across the country.

Stressed workers often reach for calorie-rich foods, skip the gym after a taxing day or forgo meals because of heavy workloads. Or they indulge in other bad-for-you behavior such as 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.

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.”

Stress can take 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.

Some ingredients for happy, productive workers include a flexible work-life balance, employee recognition programs and an atmosphere that lets employees take part in decisions, he said.

“It’s about looking at the big system, creating a workplace that puts a variety of components in place,” Ballard said.

For individuals, reducing stress means “controlling the things you can control,” said Marlene Clark, a dietitian with Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.