Kelly Stecker April 6, 2016
As you probably guessed, stress is not good for your weight loss. This article breaks down stress and its affect on your body in addition to providing 7+ strategies to help you de-stress.
Lots of things can cause stress in our lives: health, relationships, money, work… the list goes on. Stress can be due to a big life event, or even all the small things that add up. Just because nothing major is happening to put stress in your life doesn’t mean you are free from stress. Far from it. In fact, some of the most common stressors people deal with come in the form of daily annoyances and hassles that get to us. Some short term stress can be ok, but in the long term, stress can have negative effects on the body and mind.
What Stress Triggers in the Body
When we’re stressed in the short term, a part of the brain (the hypothalamus) releases hormones that suppress appetite, therefore allowing you (and our ancestors) to deal with the immediate situation at hand. This is also known as your “fight or flight” response. This moment of stress causes your muscles to flex and your arteries to dilate, giving you the full arsenal of thought-power and muscle-power to deal with the situation at hand. If stress persists, however, and isn’t just a short-term event that needs your immediate response, the hormone cortisol is released by your adrenal glands. Cortisol increases appetite and has actually been shown to increase intake of foods high in fat, sugar, or both.
Not only can stress cause weight gain, but over time the cortisol released due to constant stress can actually weaken your immune system too. This makes makes you more susceptible to getting sick, which might stress you out even more. How’s that for a Catch-22?!
Chronic stress can also cause headaches and has potentially deadly effects on your heart. Stress affects every part of your body negatively over time, so take the time to learn how to reduce the stress in your day-to-day life. Your health, happiness, well-being and waist line depend on it.
How to Decrease Stress
One of the best ways to lessen stress? Exercise. It’s been shown that regular aerobic (meaning cardio) exercise decreases levels of tension, elevates and stabilizes mood and improves sleep, which, in turn, helps with weight loss. Even 5 minutes of exercise can kick-start your body’s anti-anxiety reflexes. With the endorphins released thanks to exercise, you’ll be able to cope better with the stress in your life and feel happier overall.
Other coping strategies from the National Institute of Mental Health include:
- Make sure to get proper health care for any issues that are causing you stress.
- Talk to family, friends, and others in your community to help support you.
- Take note of how your body is responding to stress. Use the Notes feature in your Lose It! Premium subscription to log your stress responses. Do you notice yourself eating more or different types of foods when you’re stressed? Is your routine lacking exercise during times of high stress? Knowledge is power!
- Set priorities (not everything on your list needs to get done TODAY).
- Schedule time for relaxing activities and exercise.
- Take a stroll. 30 minutes per day of gentle walking can help boost mood and reduce stress.
- Seek help from a qualified mental health care provider if you are overwhelmed, feel you cannot cope, have suicidal thoughts, or are using drugs or alcohol to cope.
Other ways to cope with your stress in a healthy way are to eat with mindfulness, meditate, and take the time to laugh. Laughter and positive thoughts release neuropeptides in your brain that support your immune system and help fight stress.
Laugh and Sweat Your Stress Away
With so many reasons to stress out, it’s important to incorporate healthy stress-reducing tactics into your day. Whether it’s a walk, a good laugh, or a heart-to-heart with a friend, make sure to take care of your stress. Your waistline and your overall health depend on it.
*https://thehow.loseit.com
No comments:
Post a Comment