As we go through life, little things come up here and there that stress! STRESSSSSED out to the max because of work, kids, school, workouts, etc. The list can go ON and ON! What we FAIL to realize is that STRESS can cause your body to HOLD onto FAT! It is hard to say, “STOP stressing” and really make it happen… life does get hectic sometimes. For me, it seems it gets the most stressful when I try to make everyone happy. As much as I would LOVE to do that, let’s face it… it’s never gonna happen. So instead, let’s make ourselves HAPPY FIRST, so we can then make other people around us happier 🙂
Stress and weight gain go hand in hand. CORTISOL is the main kicker when it comes to stressing. This is an important hormone in the body secreted by the adrenal glands. It has many functions such as proper glucose metabolism, regulation of blood pressure, insulin release for blood sugar, immune function, and inflammatory response. So when you are under the high stresses of life, the “fight or flight” response is triggered, releasing this hormone. If you remain in this state for long periods of time, not only does it affect your health, it also causes weight gain!
Chronic stress and cortisol inhibit proper functioning of:
METABOLSIM: Dieting becomes more difficult because your metabolism SLOWS down, causing more weight GAIN than normal.
CRAVINGS: People experiencing CHRONIC stress tend to crave fatty, sugary, salty and UNHEALTHY foods.
BLOOD SUGAR: Stress alters blood sugar levels. You become tired, irritable, moody, and it can even be linked to hyperglycemia!
FAT STORAGE: Stress affects fat storage! Higher levels of stress are linked to more abdominal fat.
EMOTIONAL EATING: Not only do you crave bad foods, stress also creates excess nervous energy. This energy causes the average person to eat more than normal!
WOW! Who knew stress could be linked to so many “dangers” in the weight-management field? Stress is very unhealthy! It can prevent you from your goals, and can also be very detrimental to your health. Try sitting down this week and make a list of the stressors in YOUR life. After you have the list of stressors, come up with resolutions for EACH one. It is a NEW week, now let’s go out there and MAKE it STRESS-free! Attack those stressors so you can get ON with your happy life! 🙂
Till next time… stay dedicated and determined, and always remember… the “Skye’s the LIMIT”!!!