Can Stress Make You Fat? YES!!!!

Now more than ever, we are under constant stress – things to do at home, children, work. We worry about our jobs, the economy and paying the bills. You would think that we would worry ourselves thin but that doesn’t happen. We decide to eat better and get some exercise but we don’t lose weight and may even gain more.

What’s going on?

One reason is stress. Cortisol is the body’s natural stress hormone. When we're under stress, our body’s produce this hormone to help us deal with it. Cortisol regulates blood pressure and insulin levels, regulates the way carbohydrates are metabolized, and temporarily increases energy, immune response and memory. BUT, too much Cortisol is harmful to our body.

Too much Cortisol weakens our bones and muscles, decreases immune response, slows cell regeneration, hinders digestion, slows metabolism, causes stomach disorders and weight gain - especially around the abdomen.

Stress can also cause nervous energy and emotional eating. We start looking for snacks and fast foods. We crave sugars, salts and fats. Ice cream sundae or yogurt? Chocolate or fruit? We make bad food choices when we are stressed. The foods we choose are typically not good for us and we may even eat more than we normally would.

Because we are trying desperately to juggle everything, we don’t find time to exercise. We’re exhausted. We’re couch potatoes. We lead sedentary lives. We sit in our cars, we sit at work, and we sit at home. We don’t burn off the calories and we don’t strengthen and tone our muscles.

What can we do about stress?

1. Relax

Sounds easy, doesn’t it. Learn some relaxation techniques. Deep breathing, yoga, biofeedback, music, meditation, hot bath and laughter are good for you. If you are stuck in traffic, instead of banging the steering wheel, put on some music that makes you happy, notice what’s around you or breathe deeply.

2. Exercise

Simple yoga, stretching, rebounding, walking, dancing – just move. You will find that these exercises will not only tone your body and burn calories, but will help you sleep better.

3. Restful sleep

When you finally lay yourself down, don’t go over everything that went wrong that day or go over the list of things to do tomorrow. Breathe deeply, stretch and let the day go.

4. Diet

Plan healthy snacks and keep them available. Eat at home. Try out new recipes that include low fat and high fiber. Sit at the table to eat.

And sometimes you just need to UNPLUG.

Turn off the cell phone, computer and TV.

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