Stress leads to cortisol which leads to a fat belly

May 13, 9:31 AMNew England Fitness ExaminerJo Levy

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It has long been known that stress is a killer - literally. We now know that stress actually can make us fat. Before you say how stressed you are and thin or before you say I'm fat and relaxed realize that there are genetics as well as coping mechanisms. The thin stressed person may be in stressful circumstrances but perhaps he or she knows how to deep breathe away the moment.

" According to a large, not-yet-published study, the stresses of midlife may be a direct contributor to weight gain. "Women in midlife have a lot going on, and these pressures appear to cause some women's bodies to conserve more fat," says lead investigator Tene T. Lewis, PhD, a health psychologist at Rush University Medical Center, in Chicago." source

There is a biological explanation for this. We actually have a stress hormone that pumps out cortisol. Cortisol tells your fat cells to power up so you can for example run from a stranger.  The cortisol level then goes back to normal. However if the stress goes on and on and on then the cortisol never gets back to normal and it is always high. This tells your body to store fat. 

This also affect where flab builds up on your body. When stresses we see women carrying extra weight in their abdominal area (The dreaded pooch). This as you may or may not know doe not just give you a muffin top or make your jeans impossible to zipper but you have a greater rish of stroke and heart disease.

Cortisol does even more damage. It tells us we want to eat junk - rich foods that release chemicals which ease anxiety. You may not sleep well and we need sleep to be healthyy and fit.

This could be an easy way for you to just throw in the towel and give up. There are ways though to deal with the stress and reduce our cortisol level.

Have a support system

Keep a journal

Do guided relaxation

Take a walk which might lead to exercising

Be mindful of what you are eating.