Today we are going to talk about a really bad affect that stress has on our bodies. It can cause us to gain weight. As we all know, carrying excess weight is hard on our bodies in so many ways. There are a few ways that this can happen. Here is a quick check list to see if maybe some of those extra pounds are due to not handling stress properly.
1. Are you often too busy to exercise or too exhausted at the end of your day to include it?
If this is a yes, this can cause unnecessary weight gain since we all need to exercise. Exercise has body benefits like healthy weight and stable blood sugar and blood pressure but it also has mental health benefits of "blowing off steam" as well.
2. Do you eat when you are not hungry as a way to handle stress?
This can add some excess calories to your day when they really aren't needed. A great way to combat this habit is to get a glass of water, munch on veggies, chew gum or do some relaxation exercises and see if the need to eat goes away. If it doesn't, perhaps you ARE hungry.
3. Do you find yourself skipping meals because you are too busy to eat?
This doesn't sound like it would cause weight gain but it certainly can. Not only do timely meals help your metabolism to continue but it also keeps you from overeating at your next meal. Timing your meals throughout the day to help fuel you is the best choice.
4. Do you feel almost constantly stressed and do not feel you have adequate stress relieving techniques?
This can be a huge problem not only in weight but in many areas of your body like blood pressure. The best solution is to find fast things like breathing exercises that help you manage your stress. Having excess cortisol (stress hormone) contributes to weight gain.
5. Do you tend to consume more caffeine when you are tired, as a way to have more energy?
This boost of "energy" can lead to a crash and an excess of cortisol. This also leads to poor quality of sleep which contributes to weight gain.
6. Do you have more weight around your middle than you used to?
Excusing of course having a baby, it is often a sign of too much stress when you gain a lot of weight around your middle. Raised cortisol levels make people store fat around their middle. This obviously leads to poor health in areas like heart disease, diabetes, and blood pressure.
7. Do you get less than 7 hours of sleep each night?
I know sometimes this can't be prevented but it really does contribute to weight gain to not get enough sleep. It also makes everyday stresses like job related stress and simple inconveniences seem much more unmanageable. Getting enough sleep can change your life.
8. Do you eat a lot of fast food simply due to being "too busy" to cook at home?
This is a pretty obvious one, if you are eating a lot of fast food you are most likely ingesting much more sodium, fat, carbohydrates, and calories than your body needs. Being overly stressed and too busy can lead you to frequent the drive through instead of taking time to prepare your meals.
That's it for today but there are so many reasons that not handling your stress in a healthy way can lead to health problems like weight gain! I hope that you sort through the check list and find a few ways to improve your stress level.
Since today is a special historical day for me, I decided to start a new series on building a checklist before you get married.
