Is Stress Stalling Weight Loss
No one likes to be stressed, however as a whole we tend to attract a lot of stress into our life. Stress can be brought on due to many different situations. Maybe you have a huge project at work, or the kids need a dozen cupcakes for a fundraiser tomorrow, or even from imaginary scenarios you create in your head. The thing is there are a lot of things that can cause you stress. But have you looked at how your stress might be affecting your life? Have you been trying to lose weight, and have been eating well/exercising regularly yet you are not seeing the results from those actions?
Well one thing that might be worth a look is your stress! (other things could also be affecting your results but that’s a conversation for another time.) Stress is the result of a something (stressor) that causes a state of mental/emotional strain which can also have physical reactions in the body. When our body experiences stress, our body reacts by changing the chemical composition within us. The primary stress hormone is cortisol. Some of the processes that cortisol does in our body include: increasing the amount of sugar circulating in our blood stream, helps to keep inflammation down, regulates our blood pressure, controls our circadian rhythm (sleep/wake cycle), manages how our body uses macronutrients (carbs, fats, + proteins), and can boost our energy levels. These all sound like a good thing right, that’s because they are. However when we have constant stress, our body is constantly producing cortisol + to much cortisol is a bad thing.
To much cortisol can lead to a number of health problems that include heart disease, anxiety, depression, memory problems, trouble sleeping, problems with digestion, weight gain + many other serious problems.
So what can we do to avoid these health problems and continue to make progress on our goals.
Establish if we have an over stressed body
Identify stressors in our life
Decide if any stressors can be removed
Add in stress relieving activities
Establishing if we have a stressed body:
Some symptoms that you might be experiencing on some level if you are overstressed include:
GI discomfort + issues 🥴
Feeling of fog brain
Constantly getting sick
Struggling with weight
Sex drive down
Muscles feel sore + tight more than normal
Workouts + daily activities feel harder than normal
Note that you should check with your primary doctor to make sure there is not another cause to these symptoms. For example if you have Anemia, you might have similar symptoms.
Identify Stressors in our life:
We have the common stressors that you can probably name easily as you feel the immediate response of them. But did you know you could have hidden stressors that affect us as well. Here are some examples of hidden stressors that you might not have thought about:
Frequent use of social media
High caffeine or alcohol intake
Negative relationships
Intense bouts of exercise
Food intolerances
Lack of purpose
High air pollution, mold, or toxic particles
Negative self talk
Always being in work mode + always being available
And so many more hidden stressors you probably didn’t know could have a negative effect on you. Try keeping track of your stressors + hidden stressors for a few days. It might be an eye opening experience.
Remove stressors from your life:
Obviously we can’t control everything, but we can decide what we have control of + how we respond. Try and decide if your stressors are in your control or not. The ones that you have control over, then decide if that stressor is an essential or non-essential in your life. If its a non-essential, it might be time to say see-ya to that stressor. For the stressors that we can’t remove from our life, we have to find a way to respond in a positive way for us.
Add in stress relieving activities:
Finding activities that help you relax, cope with stress, and bring you joy will help you bring cortisol levels down. They will also hopefully make you feel better + improve our mood.
Here is a list of ideas of things that you can add into your routine:
Going for a walk
Spending time outside
Coloring or drawing
Reading a good book
Trying meditation or yoga
Listening to music or dance break
Connecting with friends
Journaling or practicing gratitude
Any activity that brings you joy ☺️
Not all stress is bad stress. However it's easy to enter a stress cycle of constantly being stressed and raising those cortisol levels. Try taking control of that stress and feeling better both physically and mentally. It can also help you lose that weight you have been trying to lose for a while now.
Best of luck, I’ll be cheering for you!