4 Ways to Make Yourself Feel Better, Other Than Eat!

I don't know what you do when you're feeling frustrated, bored or upset, but a lot of women eat. Sure, a few cookies now and then aren't going to kill you, but there are so many better ways to take care of yourself!

We are always willing to justify eating crap by saying, "I had a rough day. I deserve this." Deserve what? Heart disease? Cellulite? Diabetes? Come on! Would you reward your loved ones this way? I bet not. What do I do to make myself feel better?

1. Whenever I am upset I call my best friend for validation. Just having someone listen allows me to vent and get some of those toxic angry feelings out of my body instead of me stuffing them back down with food.

2. I go visit my horse, because spending time with him calms me down. Don't have a dog, cat, bird, fish, horse, cow, any animal? Go to the park and watch the squirrels!

3. I'll go on line and look for vintage shirts on e-bay, look for something new to get for my motorcycle, or download some new workout music from iTunes.

4. I pamper myself like I would a child—tuck myself into bed and watch my favorite movies!

Now I want you to nurture yourself this way—and I am willing to bet that the more you treat yourself like this the less likely you will be to overeat for emotional reasons.

So, the next time you have had a hard day and you are about to order up a pizza, take a breath and ask yourself: What is it that you like to do, need to do? Then stop and try that instead.

Jillian Michaelsis the author of the new book Master Your Metabolismand the motivation coach for the Body by Glamour shape-up program. She's helped dozens of people get slim and healthy as a trainer on "The Biggest Loser," and has helped thousands of others through her DVDs and books.