Healthy Living > Physical Fitness > Stress

Everyone deals with some kind of stress every day. In mild forms, it can be dealt with and is a healthy part of everyday life. But did you know that large amounts of stress or prolonged periods of heavy stress can actually contribute to weight gain? The most common ways this occurs is when the stressed person either eats to console themselves (which is very common) or is too distracted to pay attention to their daily diet. In more severe cases, prolonged periods of high stress can release a hormone—called cortisol—into the body which causes fat reserves to multiply. This is rare, but if you are worried about your cortisol levels, you can ask a physician to do a simple blood test to check your levels. There are several ways to relieve your stress so that you have one less hurdle to clear to see great weight loss results.

Identify the Source of Your Stress

One of the simplest, yet often overlooked stress management tools is to identify what is causing you to feel anxious or frustrated. Is that element of your life avoidable? If so, find ways to put yourself in situations where it does not exist. If not, limit your exposure to that stimulus and deal with it as quickly as possible when necessary. Identifying the source of a stressor allows you to better control it.

Learn Healthy Ways to Reduce Stress

This falls under “easier said than done” but there are some things you can do to lower your daily anxiety or frustrations. Document how you spend your time to see if you can be more efficient, keep a journal of relief techniques so you can identify which ones work, or find a support network with friends and family. The key to a successful stress reduction plan is being honest with yourself about what helps and what doesn’t.

Source: University of Buffalo and The Mayo Clinic