Stress and Weight Gain

Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger – whether it’s real or imagined – the body's defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” reaction, or the stress response. (Segel, 2010) We all have stress sometimes. For some people, it happens before having to speak in public.  For other people, it might be before a first date, or losing their job. What causes stress for you may not be stressful for someone else. Sometimes stress is helpful – it can encourage you to meet a deadline or get things done. But long-term stress can increase the risk of diseases like depression, heart disease and a variety of other problems. (Health, 2010)

 Do you know your stress affect your weight? When you are stress there is a natural, stress-related hormone called cortisol that may add fat, mainly abdominal fat to your body. When you are stress high amounts of cortisol are released into the blood stream and the receptors for cortisol are located in your abdomen, which triggers fat storage in your body.   Cortisol hormones may cause your metabolism slow down. This could mean that even if you following this plan you could gain weight because of your stress level, because stress stimulates the appetite.

  A daily 20 minute walk can help you release stress. Are you willing to commit to 20 minutes a day?  Your mind and body will feel the different. You could also take saint  john wart, which is a natural herb for stress, but please consult your doctor before taking any herbs or supplements.

References

Health, N. I. (2010, September). Stress. Retrieved November 12, 2010, from Medline Plus: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/stress.html

Segel, J. (2010, November). Understanding Stress- Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Effects. Retrieved December 28, 2010, from Help Guide : http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm