Stress And Weight Gain

Stress and Weight Gain in the 21st Century

Most of us by now are aware that 67% of people in this country are overweight. We might assume that this is simply because of what we¡¦re eating and how much we¡¦re eating, as well as not exercising enough. But there¡¦s more going on here¡Xthere¡¦s an infinitely more subtle culprit and it¡¦s called chronic stress. I want to distinguish this kind of stress from acute stress. Acute stress tends to make people lose their appetite, whereas the chronic form increases our appetite and lowers our metabolism. Under chronic, daily stress, we reach for our comfort foods (generally not healthy) and we consume too much of them. The result: excessive weight gain.

Are you aware that stress (in the form of the hormones cortisol and adrenalin) is actually making you fatter and that it triggers your body to increase abdominal fat deposits? Did you know that those fat stores have been linked to diabetes and hearth disease? Now, I¡¦m going to challenge you. If you are carrying this fat around your abdomen, can you accept that we¡¦re talking about you and not just your neighbor or your spouse or your colleague? It's time to get educated, and remember the good news: the truth will set you free.

That fat is stored as energy--which goes back to our hunter gatherer days when we lived in a real world of fight or flight--day after day. Our bodies stored fat for the leaner times that were sure to come, and if it wasn¡¦t that, it was likely due to the local lion or bear stalking your tribe.

Not exactly the picture of America today. The problem is that our bodies haven¡¦t adapted to this change in our lifestyles. Under stress our bodies slow down, but we¡¦re eating larger. We¡¦re also more sedentary than ever and eat far fewer whole foods, which is a deadly combination.

I don¡¦t know about you, but I live in a world where I¡¦m barraged from every angle, whether it¡¦s longer work hours, money concerns, a super fast-paced lifestyle, war, the state of the environment, my children¡¦s future--I could go on and on. The result of these and other chronic worries, along with our tendencies to self-sabotage with comfort eating, is that we tend to make increasingly unhealthy choices in our daily diets. This creates disease and conditions we could have avoided, and consequently more stress, which is exactly what we don¡¦t need.

It can truly overwhelm even the average Joe. So what are we to do?

You can reduce your stress from a variety of approaches:

„Ï The first thing you will want to do is make sure that you are keeping your blood sugar levels even. You can do this by eating whole foods that are high in complex carbohydrates, with a balance in protein and healthy fat. If you¡¦ve heard of the low-glycemic approach to eating, this is essentially what it is.

„Ï Take a natural stress reducing supplement, such as *Bliss. This works especially well if you are trying to lose weight. You will want to also make sure you are taking a multivitamin (preferably liquid or isotonic for maximum absorption) as stress depletes vitamins.

„Ï Reduce or eliminate caffeine, cigarettes and alcohol. Cortisol has been shown to rise when consuming these. They give temporary relief the way comfort foods do, but in the long term can create significant health issues.

„Ï Try herbal approaches to stress: popular ones include Rodiola rosea, Ashwaganda, and Eleuthero root.

„Ï Practice yoga, meditation, and breathing techniques. These can reduce stress significantly.

„Ï Start reading self-growth books and articles. It may be the most important change you make! If you love movies, watch comedies. Having a positive mindset is directly linked to less stress and disease.

„Ï Get proper sleep. Again, a lack of sleep will trigger food cravings and an increase in cortisol.

Imagine if you just implemented one or two of these approaches! Don¡¦t try to do it all at once, but focus instead on one or two areas that you know you can implement and then consider adding others if needed. The key is to have manageable and reachable goals.

Now you can begin the process of de-stressing your life and also begin to correct your metabolism! Your body will thank you for the rest of its life.

*For stress supplements, including carbohydrate inhibitors and fat conversion inhibitors to help correct your metabolism, you can visit the following website:
http://www.marketamerica.com/bodyandmind