Stress stopping you from achieving your goals?
I’m sure you’ve heard of the “fight-or-flight” response, and you probably know that it’s the way your body reacts to danger or stress. But do you know what’s behind the fight-or-flight response? It’s actually hormones.
When you’re faced with danger, your adrenal glands release three hormones: norepinephrine, epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), and cortisol. Norepinephrine and epinephrine cause several changes to help you survive the danger, including a pause in insulin release so you have lots of blood sugar available for energy, an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, and a suspension of your appetite. After the danger has passed, cortisol tells the body to stop producing norepinephrine and epinephrine and stimulates your appetite again.
This response evolved to help people deal with short-term survival situations, like an attack by a predator. The trouble is, it occurs in response to all stressors, including the deadlines pummeling you at work and the traffic that drives you crazy. All that stress results in excess cortisol being built up in the blood. That cortisol just hangs around, causing lots of trouble: It turns young fat cells into mature fat cells that stick with you forever, and increases your cravings for high-fat, high-carb foods.
When you give in to those cravings, your body releases a cascade of rewarding brain chemicals that can set up an addictive relationship with food — you stress, you eat. If you don’t consciously control the pattern, you can become physically and psychologically dependent on that release to manage stress. In fact, people who self-medicate with food tend to have hair-trigger epinephrine reactions and chronically high levels of cortisol.
You can help yourself keep cortisol in check by limiting caffeine intake to 200 mg a day; avoiding simple carbs, processed foods, and refined grains; and getting plenty of high-quality protein. It’s also crucial that you find stress-relief techniques that work for you. If you can tame your stress response and lower cortisol levels, you’ll have a much easier time losing weight.
JILLIAN’S TIP OF THE DAY
From Jillian Michaels.
Living Smart Girl ~ A Healthy Way to an Organic You ~
Sheila
Join our Fitness Challenge ~
http://livingsmartgirl.myvi.net
Wrap Yourself Skinny ~ It Works
http://livingsmartgirls.myitworks.com
Sited and Blogged ~
http://www.sitedandblogged.com
Sprinkle Me Crazy ~
http://www.sprinklemecrazy.com
Great tips, and it does start with boosting YOU.
Thanks for the information. I really need to work on controlling my stress response.
Great information. I have a hard time with stress. I’m working on it.
Love Jillian Michaels — such an inspiration.
I love the idea of learning to love yourself and love Jillian’s advise!! Happy New Year to you and your family.
I am trying to get back on the fitness wagon!
Great tips! The holidays are a stressful season!
Jillian Michaels is cool
I agree with her!
I am definitely an emo eater, and I know I need to work on that!
This time of year is so stressful to me!
lol love great tips for destreessing thanks
Thanks for a great reminder about the importance of destressing.
I am always stressed. Thanks for the advice
Working out is definitely a big stress reliever for me!
Oh boy, stress definitely triggers my eating. Depression stops it cold though. I try to drink a lot when I get stressed instead of eating. Non-alcohol! lol
These are great tips, I know I have had my fair share this holiday.
Oh dear…I have some work to do. I never used to be a stress eater (I was just the opposite…starved myself when stressed) but lately, I’m finding I’m eating ANYthing I can find. Sad that even the organic dog biscuits are starting to look kind of delicious to me.
I guess i have a New Year’s resolution, huh?
That is a tip we all need to take to heart!
Thanks for the tips. I’m definitely feeling the stress right now!
Great tips – I will be hopping back over here for inspiration when I need it!!
What a great tip!
Great tips! Dealing with stress has always been a struggle for me.