Is stress really a factor?
Stressed spelled backward is the word desserts. So that must mean you get to eat desserts when you’re stressed, right? Well, that assumption couldn’t be further from wrong. Often when people get stressed it’s their first instinct to stroll to the fridge, glance at the options then open up the freezer and grab a pint of ice cream.
Dealing with stress can be stressful. Stress can take a toll on you and even those around you. There are often times where stress isn’t easily identified but you’re gaining weight and haven’t even considered stress to play a part. Stress often occurs from factors like work, relationships, and finance but anything that is out of the ordinary such as a traumatic event or injury can cause stress.
Being knowledgeable about stress and aware of the effects on your body, diet, and training can help make sure that stress does not affect anything more.
Stress & Your Body
Stress is a natural occurrence in the human body and can also be a defense mechanism. Stress is the feeling of not being able to cope with specific demands and can even become chronic. This can affect a person’s health in the long run if the stress is not managed. Stress can contribute to weight gain based on the factors hormones play.
When the body functions normally, it has hormone checks and balances, those checks may promote weight gain when stressed as the body doesn’t function properly. The stress hormone is known as cortisol and when it’s released it helps the body hit the fight or flight response. Cortisol levels can remain high during chronic stress.
To obtain fast energy, cortisol stimulates the fat and carb metabolism which results in an increased appetite. This affects insulin levels which is why chronic stress or any stress may lead to weight gain via constant eating. Sugar cravings often appear when someone is stressed. The body will store the sugar consumed as abdominal fat which is the hardest fat to shed. Besides fat being stored in the abdominal, cortisol slows down the overall metabolism in the body which can also cause weight loss to be difficult.
Try to manage stress by:
- Observing Your Body
- Exercising Regularly
- Identifying Stressful Factors
Once stress is managed or identified, avoid the stress factors as much as possible. Though some things may not be able to change, getting physical, and rearranging your diet can help combat stress.
Stress & Physical Activity
Physical activity relieves stress as it’s proven that exercising can release endorphins which makes you feel good. Performing exercise can also serve as a distraction. Exercise has a chemical basis that reduces stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. By reducing these hormones, endorphins can be streamed as endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators.
If you’ve ever heard of runner’s high, the endorphins in your body cause that high, though exercises that have less impact may help you relieve stress quicker. Stress affects muscle tension which may increase injury as it takes longer for the muscles to repair themselves.
Stress can also hinder concentration as the focus maybe elsewhere. In turn, progress is usually hindered as you’re not able to give everything to your work out. Now, of course when working out the waistline shrinks and your self-image improves and so will your confidence which is helpful when dealing with stress.
Try these exercises to reduce stress:
- Yoga
- Dancing
- Cycling
- Swimming
- Pilates
Stress & Your Diet
Diet also impacts stress. It’s important to be mindful of what you eat to live a healthy lifestyle, to begin with, but even more important when experiencing stress. Emotional eating can occur when stressed or even skipping meals: each person handles stress differently.
Instead of opting for the drive-thru, try a healthy planned meal, adjust meal portions or prep food to ensure healthy options are being consumed. You should also reduce caffeine intake during stressful times as caffeine contributes to the body crashing and may even affect sleep.
Everyone is affected by stress whether it is long term or short term. Some people may exercise less due to stress which can lead to weight gain. Some may have their mind too occupied to focus on a workout. Others may consume larger portions of food to find comfort. The best thing to do is listen to your body, talk about it, and take control of your diet and training which will help manage your stress and improve your health.
