Title: The Impact of Stress: 2011
Headings: The Impact of Stress
The Impact of Stress
Stress Continues to Be a Burden
What’s Causing Stress in America
Stress Management Strategies Rooted in Sedentary Activities
The Emotional and Physical Toll of Stress
Finding Time for a Healthy Lifestyle

Content: Finding Time for a Healthy Lifestyle
Clearly, there’s still room for improvement when it comes to making changes to improve one’s health. Americans continue to rank key behaviors such as exercise and eating a healthy diet as less important than other activities. Eating well and exercising (54 percent each) are ranked at the bottom in terms of importance when compared with other aspects of well-being, including good family relationships (76 percent), managing stress (61 percent), getting enough sleep (60 percent), good friendships (60 percent) and doing well in career or studies (59 percent). These actions are also rated lowest for achievement; only 27 percent of Americans believe they are doing a very good/excellent job at performing them. However, eating a healthier diet (77 percent), exercising more (75 percent) and losing weight (66 percent) are the most common behavior changes adults reported they have attempted in the past 5 years. Second only to willpower (27 percent), lack of time was mentioned by 26 percent of adults as a barrier preventing them from creating lifestyle and behavior changes. In fact, lack of time has been mentioned as a barrier by more adults year after year (20 percent in 2009 and 22 percent in 2010). Date created: 2011