Control Stress to Fight Fat
Stress triggers the production of both epinephrine (adrenaline) and cortisol, the stress hormones. While epinephrine increases heart rate, blood pressure, and makes our senses more acute, cortisol increases blood sugar. Blood sugar, or glucose, is the turbo-charged fuel the muscles require when there is the “need for speed”. Preparation to fight or flee worked for prehistoric man, since his stressors usually took the form of scary predators with big teeth and claws.
Our modern day stress is not quite the same as that of the cave man. We worry, we fret, but we usually don’t need to run away. The acute rise in blood glucose turns into a long-term thing. The blood sugar remains elevated, leading in turn to higher levels of insulin. The muscles are robbed of its protein. This protein is broken down into amino acids and shunted to the liver in order to make more glucose. High cortisol levels spark insulin resistance, an increase in appetite, a decrease in muscle mass, and a tendency to pack on belly fat.
The increased stress of modern-day life is a major reason why so many of us are overweight. In addition to the physical disruption to our metabolism caused by increased cortisol, our emotions and misplaced nervous energy cause us to overeat when we feel stressed. We may also be more likely to put off exercise, eat high glycemic carbohydrates that have a calming effect on the brain, drink more alcohol, and make poor choices regarding health habits.
We all seem to lead stressful lives these days. It helps to know your own values, goals, and priorities. This helps to keep the day-to-day stressors in perspective. Here are some techniques that will help you control your stress, enabling you to lose weight more easily.
Techniques to help control stress
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Exercise
Exercise is one of the best stress relievers we know. Ask anyone who is a regular exerciser, and they will tell you that they feel calmer and more relaxed after an exercise session. Intense exercise really helps you work off the adrenalin build-up and improves blood sugar control. Exercise also triggers endorphin release. Endorphins are morphine-like compounds that relax us and boost our mood.
Participating in an individual or team sport, particularly if the emphasis is on fun and is not overly competitive, can allow you to focus your mind on the game and forget the troubles at work or at home. It’s hard to worry about your expanding “to-do” list if you are sprinting down the soccer field or chasing a tennis ball.
Taking a walk allows time for quiet reflection while exercising your body. Finding a peaceful setting, such as a park, a beach, or a woodland path, adds to the rejuvenating effect.
Whatever approach you choose for exercise, plan to include some form of it in your daily routine.
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Deep breathing
The yoga term is pranayama, which signifies control and expansion of the “inner life force”. Pranayama is thought to balance the mind, body, and spirit.
Instructions: Slow deep rhythmic breathing can have a very calming effect on the nervous system. When you feel anxious or stressed out, your breath is shallow, and you do not fully oxygenate the lungs. When you take the time to breathe slowly and deeply, the lungs can be fully inflated, and oxygen can fill the body. This can be a re-energizing experience.
Find a quiet place where you can quiet the body and mind. Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Start by emptying the lungs completely. Then expand the diaphragm and the abdomen. When the abdomen swells, slowly expand the lungs to full capacity. Hold for a few counts. Then slowly exhale all of the air. Breathe in and out through the nose. Concentrate your mind on your breathing, and gently banish other thoughts away. Breathe in energy; breathe out stress, fatigue, and tension. Breathe in and out very slowly.
An advanced technique is alternate nostril breathing or nadi shudhi. Follow the above procedure, but alternate your breathing through each nostril, one at a time. Use the right thumb to close off the right nostril. Breathe in through the left nostril, filling the lungs. Now, alternate nostrils by opening the right and using your right ring finger to close off your left nostril. Breathe out through the right and then breathe in through the right. This completes one round of the breath. Now close off the right nostril and breathe out through the left, then in. Continue for a few minutes, alternating nostrils. It is important to breathe very slowly and smoothly.
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Meditation
There are many techniques used for meditation. A number of research studies have shown that those who regularly practice a specific type of meditation, Transcendental Meditation (TM), have many improved health parameters such as lower blood pressure. They generally live longer as well.
Meditation can be an extremely effective technique to lessen the effects of stress, tension, and anxiety on the body. In general, meditation involves starting out with deep breathing and muscle relaxation. There are a number of different techniques but TM is the one that has been studied extensively and has been linked to health benefits. It involves emptying the mind and repeating a mantra, which is a meaningless sound, over and over. Many people use “Om” or “peace” for a mantra. Practice 20 minutes daily, and you should begin to see a lowering of stress and anxiety after a few sessions. This does take practice to learn to quiet the mind.
Of course, prayer and religion can be very helpful to many. A strong religious belief has been shown to improve health and relieve stress.
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Yoga
Yoga is a wonderfully calming exercise activity. There are many types of yoga. In general, yoga allows you to focus and center yourself. It can help integrate mind, body and spirit. Yoga is not a religion and is compatible with all spiritual beliefs.
You can learn yoga positions from a class, an exercise video, or even a book. Yoga postures, called asana, are often held for 10 – 60 seconds, or even longer. These postures promote flexibility, muscular strength and endurance. The gentle stretching helps release muscle tension and calms emotion. Deep breathing and meditation are often integrated with the practice of asanas. We highly recommend the practice of yoga for almost everyone.
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Use the Insight CD.
This interesting technology uses soundwave technology to guide you into a deep meditative state. The binaural audio is embedded into the soothing sounds of natural rain, and is designed to induce relaxation and promote restful sleep. We find that it really works to improve stress and help us sleep. It can be used with meditation as well to achieve a deeper meditative state. Their website www.immrama.org has more details. -
Treat yourself – Take care of yourself.
Treat yourself as you would your best friend. Sometimes we need to recognize that self-care is just as important as providing nurturing to others. Get a massage, have lunch or tea with friends, read a good book, go for a walk in the park, fly a kite, play a team sport – something that you enjoy that promotes relaxation. Sometimes finding quiet solitude is what you need. Whatever it is – do it. It’s good for you, so don’t feel guilty about indulging yourself (as long as it doesn’t have a lot of calories!). -
Have a buddy
Having a friend or confidante, or sometimes a close circle of friends, can be the support you need. Of course, family members may be the ones who can prop you up when times are difficult. A lack of social support or loneliness is often associated with depression and health problems. So tap into your friend and family network.
Having a diet or exercise buddy can be very helpful for many of us. The two of you can provide the needed motivation at key times – to take that early-morning walk or to share your cravings to overindulge.
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Go online
Weight loss programs often provide discussion forums. Participating in forums may lead to new ideas and methods as well as emotional support and friendship. Many dieters feel that the community boards are their favorite benefit. They find that enlisting assistance from fellow dieters keeps them motivated. -
Journaling
Recording ideas and feelings in a journal can be a stress-reliever for many. It may be a form of emotional catharsis. Or it may help you see problems more clearly. Detailing activities, menus, exercise, plans, hopes and fears, and even to-do lists are also ways to organize your overwhelming thoughts. Putting ideas down on paper can help to ease the stress and anxiety you may feel from having too much to do.
Keep a journal related to your weight loss efforts. This can help you analyze what works for you and what doesn’t work. It’s important to identify obstacles in your path – then, and only then, can you find ways around them.
Research has shown that keeping a food journal is a valuable weight loss aid. Those who consistently kept track of their food choices lost significantly more weight than those who avoided this habit.
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EFT – Emotion Freedom Technique
A new type of therapy, EFT has been called “psychological accupunture”. EFT combines positive affirmations along with a tapping technique designed to stimulate meridians or energy fields. This strategy may seem deceptively simple, but it is used in medical situations with great success.
However, for significant feelings of stress, emotional trauma, or depression, it is advised to seek out professional help. See your doctor to enlist support and referral to the right resources.
EFT can also be used to relieve many psychological issues including anxiety, stress, and poor self concept, and can aid in smoking cessation. For serious depression or addictions, professional expertise should be sought. Check out www.emofree.com for more information on this technique, demonstration videos, and a list of therapists.
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Sleep
Ah, blessed sleep! We all know it’s good for us. When we are well-rested, we feel that we can tackle the world. And when we don’t get enough sleep, then everything weighs on us. Our bodies feel tired and achy. We have less resistance to infections. We don’t handle stress well.
Cortisol, the stress hormone, is low during sleep, but rises as we wake in the morning. However, cortisol levels increase if we are sleep deprived. This leads to weight gain and blood sugar problems. We secrete much higher insulin levels when we are sleep deprived. Elevated insulin prevents fat-burning and can lead to insulin resistance.
Other hormones are affected as well when we don’t get enough sleep. Research from Columbia University suggests that people who only sleep six hours a night had a 23% greater likelihood of being significantly overweight. 5 hours or less per night led to 50% chance of obesity. 7 – 9 hours seems to be optimal for health.
Growth hormone and leptin, which help us burn fat and decrease our appetite, go down when we don’t get the sleep we need. Ghrelin, the hunger hormone, goes up. A lack of sleep keeps us from making enough melatonin. Low melatonin levels are linked to higher rates of breast cancer.
Sleep is truly important to your health. Don’t shortchange yourself by “burning the candle at both ends”!