The Vicious Stress Cycle
As if you didn’t have enough to be stressed out about, you just heard that stressing out is making you fat! You’re fighting with your boss, your kid just got kicked out of daycare for biting, your mother-in-law just decided to drop by for a few MONTHS. It’s a trying time in your life and now you’ve noticed that tell-tale muffin-top around the waistband of your jeans. It’s true, in addition to increasing your risk for a heart attack or stroke and raising your blood pressure, stress can also help you store more fat around your midsection. And if that weren’t enough good news you have to deal with the intense cravings and overeating that results from all this tension.
The Cortisol ConnectionCortisol is a stress hormone. When you are under higher levels of stress, your body releases larger doses of cortisol thus activating fat-storing pathways. These pathways encourage your body to store more fat. Visceral fat, which we need to pad our internal organs begins to run rampant due to its sensitivity to the excess cortisol, resulting in excess body fat around your midsection. To combat this reaction, you can take advantage of a variety of
cortisol blockers on I-Supplements.com. Coupled with daily excercise, and making some time for yourself with little breaks throughout the day you can see a marked difference in your belly, buns and back.
The T-Rex TheoryWhen your cardiac, respiratory and nervous systems are stimulated due to an unexpected stressor, the result can be a craving for fuel. Your body tells your brain that something bad is happening, most likely you are running from a T-Rex and you must therefore have immediate fuel in the quickest possible form, the carbohydrate. Since intellectually, we know that we aren’t being chased by a dinosaur but we go after those carbs anyway, the excess calories get stored as fat. If you are under chronic stress, the body can provoke this response constantly resulting in a continuous urge to eat. Stop what you are doing and think BEFORE you shove two rows of chocolate cookies down your throat. Have some simple carbs in the form of fresh fruit and utilize a stress reliever such as
Relax-All by MRM, for natural anti-anxiety and stress relief.
So stop stressing about stressing. Take control by taking care of yourself. Take time to exercise, chose the right supplements and watch your diet. Look for alternatives to combat cravings. Instead of downing a bag of potato chips, go for a brisk walk or call a friend. You will definitely look and feel better in the long run.
