Has an extra spare tire developed around your abdomen? Stress may be the culprit. When we are stressed our body produces the stress hormone cortisol which affects weight gain tremendously. Stress also promotes cravings for fatty, salty and sugary foods and is one reason for sugar addiction. Stress hormones exacerbate sugar cravings, because sugars and sweets stimulate our brain to create feel-good chemicals.
In this hustle and bustle modern-day world, our bodies are always on-call. Stress is intended to be a gift from our Creator. It allows the body to react in times of danger or when quick action is required, such as jumping out of the way of a moving vehicle. Stress was useful in the hunting and gathering days. Imagine hunting a wild animal for tonight’s dinner and all the excitement and danger that would go along with such an activity. Once that activity was over, the body was able to calm back down and return to normal non-stressed activities. Then agriculture came into the picture. Again farmers needed stress to work physical long hours with equipment tolling the land. When finished, the farmer was able to stop his activities, rest his body and eat real wholesome, unprocessed food.
Up to a to a couple hundred years ago people went to bed shortly after the sun went down because lighting was not available. With the invention of electricity and the light bulb, our work days have become longer, often exceeding way past 8 hours a day; sitting at the computer, working on our laptops, using our I-Phones, checking emails, social networking, etc. In addition, we are running children from one activity to another. And then there are the bills that need to be paid month after month.
Our bodies were not designed to be under such constant stress. It stays in a state ready for action, slowing down your metabolism to give you energy to deal with the mental and physical activities of the day. Because metabolism is decreased an extra layer of fat forms around the mid section which puts a person at greater risk for heart disease.
Over a quarter of Americans are obese or overweight - and with that comes many weight-related health issues. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in America. This is true even if the person is not overweight. In other words, if a person is on the thin side but is still carrying a spare tire around the abdomen, they too are at risk for heart disease.
Stress causes the heart to beat faster than normal. This causes less oxygen to flow through the heart and body. The result causes stress on the arteries and they become hard and rigid. An over worked heart also becomes enlarged and gets tired. A normal heart beat is 60 to 100 bpm. Keeping your heart bpm between 50 bpm and 70 bpm should be a goal for a longer, healtier life.
Cortisol is not muscle friendly. It breaks muscle mass down which in turn causes more fat to be stored. Maintaining muscle mass helps burn fat, so it makes since that if you are losing muscle mass, your body is less able to burn fat and it stores it instead. The result of course affects the shape of a person which acquires what is called a pear shape.
Here are a few suggestions to begin deflating your spare tire and prevent falling into our nation’s 'fat trap'
- Eat less or no processed foods – they are cheap and convenient, but they are also full of sodium, sugar, chemicals and empty calories. When your body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, it will crave more food.
- Increase intake of fresh whole foods – they are nutrient dense, and when your body gets the necessary nutrients, you will have fewer cravings.
- Eat on smaller plates. Our plates have become larger and larger.
- Be smart when viewing advertising and marketing – big corporations throw a lot of marketing money on processed foods
- Develop a stress management plan which incudes a self care regiment
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