The Relationship Between Stress And Weight Gain
Dr. George Best
Stress can affect our bodies in many different ways and with regards to body weight, it can cause either weight gain or loss. Since stress-related weight loss is due primarily to decreased appetite and the resulting reduction in calorie intake, this effect is largely within our conscious control.
Increased eating due to stress can cause weight gain, but in many cases stress-related weight gain is a result of rising stress hormone levels and is not something one can take conscious control of.
In many cases, high stress levels, particularly over an extended period of time will lead to an increased level of the adrenal hormone, cortisol, in the blood. Cortisol has several effects, but in relation to weight issues, the primary effect is to promote the storage of fat in the lower abdomen. It is believed that this effect has a survival purpose in that if one were subjected to harsh conditions for a long period of time, the body would need to conserve energy and save it in the form of stored fat.
In many cases, the deposition of fat around the midsection will motivate people to severely restrict their diets and/or to begin working out harder than usual. This is often counterproductive when the underlying problem is high cortisol due to stress.
Heavy exertion and severe calorie restriction will produce even more stress on the body. The additional stress leads to additional cortisol production and an even greater tendency to store fat in the lower abdomen.
Because of this, if you are experiencing a lot of stress in your life and you are gaining weight in the belly, it is best to take a moderate approach to your exercise program and diet. For exercise, it is best to stick to moderate amounts of relatively low-intensity activities such as walking, bicycling, or swimming. It is a good idea to avoid intense or muscularly-demanding activities such as weight lifting, high-intensity aerobics, intense interval training, or anaerobic sports like basketball or soccer to avoid over-stressing the body. In addition, be sure to eat a reasonable amount of protein and do not overly restrict calorie intake.
While it might be tempting to restrict calorie intake as a means of burning off the belly fat, severe calorie restriction leads to more cortisol production, so it is a better choice to eat a healthy diet with some protein in order to minimize cortisol levels. This will allow your body to gradually burn off the abdominal fat.
A healthy diet combined with a low-intensity exercise program will allow your body to handle stress better and over time your cortisol levels will normalize and you'll burn away the fat.
Dr. George Best is a holistic healthcare practitioner in San Antonio, Texas. For additional weight loss information and access to a revolutionary program to help you follow-through with your diet and exercise plans, please visit Dr. Best's site on http://www.trainyourbrain4weightloss.com/ natural weight loss. Click here to get your own http://www.uberarticles.com/home.php?id=16976&b=79 unique version of this article.
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