We all deal with stressors every day of our lives, and how we deal with that stress can greatly affect our health. Often times we turn to high-sugar and high-fat foods as a temporary relief. After we indulge we may feel guilty and maybe even more stressed than we were to begin with!
While short term stress can actually decrease appetite, stress over long periods of time has the opposite effect. Persistent stress causes the adrenal glands to produce more cortisol than they should, and cortisol increases appetite. While the adrenal glands are working overtime, other functions of the body such as digestion, liver metabolism, cell repair, immune function, and reproduction are slowed. Due to increased cortisol and insulin levels, the body craves easily digestible foods – sugar and fat, and once those foods enter the body, the brain is triggered to release endorphins which make us feel good. We quickly learn that when we eat certain foods (or really any food at all), we will feel better (at least for a short time) after we eat – thus the viscous cycle begins. Continuing to eat a diet consisting of high in fat and sugar leads to weight gain over time, and this is why “stress makes us fat.” Learning what your stressors are, identifying how you deal with stress now, and learning how to better handle your stress are key steps to breaking the cycle. Once you have identified your triggers and patterns of stress eating, you can begin to implement changes in your life – either by eliminating stressors or relieving your stress in healthy ways. We’ve probably all heard that exercise can help relieve stress, and it’s true! Exercise also causes our brain to release feel-good endorphins – the same feel-good endorphins released when we eat. Low-intensity exercise in particular will help lower cortisol levels; some low-intensity exercises include yoga, Pilates, tai chi, and walking at a slow to moderate pace. Although high-intensity exercise temporarily increases cortisol levels, exercises like jogging/running, biking, and Zumba can also help reduce stress overall. Other ideas to help manage stress include meditation, massages or other spa treatments, reading, listening to music, or even an at-home spa treatment like a bubble bath. Sitting quietly and letting your mind wander can be stress relievers, as long as you’re not letting your mind wander to your stressors. Household chores like dusting, vacuuming, and hand washing dishes may also help you destress with the added bonus of having a clean house! Once you’ve found an activity or exercise, or a few, that you enjoy, and incorporate them into your daily routine. When you notice you are feeling stressed or feeling compelled to stress eat, choose one of these activities or exercises to do instead. Not only will this help alleviate stress, but it will likely keep you from gaining unnecessary weight and will possibly help you lose some weight! Think positive, stay active, and smile. -A https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/why-stress-causes-people-to-overeat https://www.precisionnutrition.com/overstressed-and-overeating http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/eating.aspx https://www.precisionnutrition.com/getting-control-stress
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Allison WerresWife, nutrition coach, dog mom Archives
May 2018
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