Is Stress Holding You Back? Find out now.

Dearest readers,

Many of us go through our everyday lives being really busy - there are a 101 things that keep us occupied - issues at work, stuff to do at home with the family, a business to run, a busy blog to take care of (that’s me!), endless emails, pressure from the boss, and with all that - we still manage to squeeze in MORE work, in the form of exercise.

Ask yourself this - have you hit a dead end lately at the gym? Has the weight stopped coming off? Feeling sluggish and demotivated at the gym? Not seeing the results you desire? Do you wake up hating to get to work?

One of the reasons for this.. could be that you are stressed. Yes, you, I said STRESSED.

I think most of us tend to be in denial when someone says that we are stressed - I know I am, and could never really accept it if someone told me I am undergoing stress.

To roughly find out if you are stressed, take a look at the ‘Life Stress Inventory‘ test. Take the simple test (it will take you less than a minute), and do share your score by posting a comment below.

As for me, I scored a lousy 33 points - which indicates that I am stressed. I’m just a few steps away from being ‘Very Stressed’. Now that’s a scary thought.

How does stress mess us up?
This is where the stress hormones - cortisol, come into play.

When we are constantly on the go, and have no ‘downtime’, levels of cortisol remain high, and that can affect our weight. Cortisol is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands as a reaction to stress.

One of its main functions is to help the body produce blood sugar from proteins and ‘pour’ it into our bloodstream, providing energy for the “fight or flight” response. Any excess sugar is then used for fat production.

As well as causing us to gain fat, especially around the stomach, constantly elevated cortisol levels also lead to muscle loss, a less effective immune system and slower recovery from injury.

Definitely NOT something we want.

Lack of sleep too has been associated with obesity.

One study showed that people who slept only four hours per night for two nights in a row experienced an 18% decrease in levels of leptin, which has a role in hunger control, and a 28% increase in ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger.

They also had a 24% increase in appetite, craved sweet, starchy and salty food, and lost interest in fruit, vegetables, protein and dairy products.

So, if you are highly stressed, or almost getting there (like me), it is important that we nip this problem in the bud before things start to spiral out of control. Are you guys with me on this?

The following tips should help get you under control while reducing your cortisol levels.

1. Vary your workouts. If you’ve been ‘hardcore lifting heavy weights’ and doing intense cardio for the past few months - do your body a favour, and have a few easy days. This could mean resting or doing yoga, gentle cycling or taking a walk.

2. Have a relaxing routine – a warm bath before bed, spend time performing gentle stretching and relaxing exercises at the gym.

3. Go get a massage and pamper yourself.

4. Get enough sleep - too much time on facebook can be bad for you.

5. Eat plenty of healthy fats, such as fish oil, which helps keep cortisol levels in check.

6. Every three to four weeks of exercise, try to have a ‘lighter’ week, which can include massage, gentle yoga-type exercises, walking, gentle cycling and stretching. When you head back to the gym, your body will be well rested and you will be able to train harder - which translates to greater weight loss and an improvement in strength.

With this being said, I’m actually looking forward to the classes at BeYoga - I am a proud member there! (but still a newbie).

I’m off to have a warm bath. Goodnight guys…

Read also:

1. Why is it important to stretch before your workout?