We live in a very high
stress society. Everyday it seems like it is go, go, go, rush, rush, rush. As
soon as you wake up in the morning, you rush to get ready, rush to get the kids
offto school feeding them pop tarts and sugar cereal so that they have
something to eat, then you sit in rush hour traffic, deadlines at work press
your time, rush to get home, rush to get the kids to and from practice, rush to
fix dinner (alot of times I bet you are too tired to cook so you resort to your
local pizza delivery for your nutritious meal) rush to do homework, maybe a
half an hour for your favorite tv show, then it's time to get everyone to bed
and you get to get up the next morning and do it allover again! Now, not only
is this stressful at the time, but when you do this consistently for years,your
body actually starts to age at an incredible rate.
Stress And Weight
Gain
Research shows that the
link between stress and weight gain is much stronger than originally thought. A
recent study from Georgetown Med Center showed that mice under stress gain
extra weight even if their calorie intake doesn't go up. Scientists also report
that after 3 months, these same mice became 2x as obese as mice without stress,
even though they were eating the same amount!
So does stress really
cause weight gain? Well, the short answer is yes. BUT not in every person. Some
people lose their appetite and lose weight when they're stressed. (I'm actually
one of these people. Eating is the last thing from my mind) IF you are already
overweight or close to it, then stress will usually lead to weight gain.
It will also make it
harder to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.
Let's Talk About Stress
Baby... Let's Talk About You And Me!
So What exactly is
stress?
Stress is your body's
way of responding to any kind of demand. It can be caused by both good and
bad experiences. When people feel
stressed by something going on around them,
their bodies react by
releasing chemicals into the blood. These chemicals give people more energy and
strength, which can be a good thing if their stress is caused by physical
danger. But this can also be a bad thing, if their stress is in response to
something emotional and there is no outlet for this extra energy and strength.
The two major hormones
that are released are called cortisol and adrenaline (epinephrine). Your
adrenal glands are responsible for producing the stress hormones. Cortisol and
Adrenaline prepare us for emergencies. This stress response has been engrained
in our ancestry since the beginning of time and was critical for our survival
becaused it provided a heightened state of alertness, allowing us to be ready
to fight or run away. (That's why it is called the fight or flight response)
Now this response is
great when we faced alot of physical danger that threatened our lives. ( Such
as when a saber toothed tiger jumped out of the bushes to try to eat us) Today
though, the stress we encounter is quite different. It is more mental and
emotional in nature. ( Now, your job may be the saber toothed tiger chasing
you) BUT the body will still respond the same way because it doesn't know the
difference between physical stress and mental stress.
So How Does The
Weight Gain Occur?
Stress and weight gain
go hand in hand. First off, negative effects of higher and prolonged
levels of cortisol
include suppression of the thyroid function and blood sugar imbalances.
How your body functions
has changed and now abdominal fat is being created and
stored. This is one of
the most dangerous places for fat to be stored and is linked to
various serious health
problems
.
Just how much cortisol
is secreted varies from person to person. Studies have also
shown people who
secrete higher levels in response to stress also tend to eat more
food. And the food they
choose is typically higher in carbohydrates. This is because your stress
hormones are created from fats and sugars so therefore your body will crave
more so that it can create more stress hormones.
In addition, stress has
been known to slow the metabolism in some people. Of course, when this happens
it is easier and far more likely that you'll gain weight. You may even feel full
but still find yourself hungry. You may also be eating the same amount of food
but now your body's efficiency in breaking down the calories is impacted. You
end up with an "excess" of energy (from the calories) which is
converted to
fat cells. Back to the
food: Stress can also affect the foods you crave. When you feel sad and
depressed you're more likely to reach for foods higher in fat, salt, and sugar
content. Eating a salad just doesn't make you feel any better so instead, you
reach for the ice cream and potato chips.
Besides the unhealthy
cravings, stress can also create emotional eating disorders. The change in
cortisol raises the nervous energy stored in the body. When this happens it
seems natural to eat anything and everything you can get your hands on. You
don't need the excess amount of food but devouring it makes you feel better; at
least in your mind
On the flip side, when
you emit fewer stress hormones, your cravings for doughnuts and candy bars will
be far less frequent and far less appealing. So breathe deeply, relase some
tension and flood your mind with happy thoughts to overcome those high stress
levels.
Are You An
Emotional Eater?
Scientists use the term
emotional eating to describe the way many people self-medicate or cope with
negative feelings such as depression, anxiety, stress, and boredom. It canalso
be triggered by fatigue and exhaustion.
Studies actually
confirm that people under chronic stress, tend to gain weight because of both
related hormone changes and misdirected coping strategies that focus on food
for relief.
These extra pounds may
help you feel more grounded or nurtured. They can provide insulation from the
world or a way to escape for a while from whatever is going on around you.
Sometimes, people will eat to fill an internal void or to deal with emotional
toxicity
Urgent: Stressing
Out Will Cause You To Age 9-17 Years Faster!
Yes, you heard me
right. This was recently discovered by Elisa Epel, a PhD Psychologist at the
University of California. Here is her direct quote:
"We've known for
50 years that stress contributes to hypertension, cardiovascular disease,
insulin resistance, and autoimmune disorders --diseases that can shorten our
lifespan. But we had no direct documentation of how stress impacts aging at the
cellular level. My team identified marked changes in the DNA of the white-blood
cells in stressed-out women. Under prolonged emotional stress, the telomeres
--branches at the tips of each chromosome, which allow cell replication
--appeared shorter. When telomeres get too short, cells can't divide and die
sooner. Based on telomere length, we estimated that cells in the women
studied had aged 9-17 additional years. It's possible that as more cells die,
the visible effects of aging --wrinkles, diminished eyesight --become
apparent."
As you can see, it
doesn't pay to stress out in life. And you can save your beauty and keep the
weight off if you just... RELAX!
In the next part of the
lesson, I have written up some solutions for you to help your chronic stress
levels. Please pay attention and definitely read this lesson more than once!
The Five Keys To
Unlocking The Fat Loss Factor Mindset
1. Success leaves
clues: Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Talk to people who have been
successful at losing weight and keeping it off. Really pay attention to their
mindset and their attitude.
2. There is no
failure, only feedback: This is where to start to change your mindset. Nothing
that you do can be a failure if you learn from it. Remember if you know better,
then you do better. Look at Thomas Edison. He “failed” 10,000 before he created
the light bulb. But when asked how he persevered, he said that he discovered
10,000 ways to not make a light bulb. He never failed.
3. People have all
the ability they need to succeed: You have success within you. I promise.
What you don’t have are the skill sets needed to change. This is what I am
giving to you. You have to use it and apply it. Knowledge by itself isn’t
power. Knowledge +action equals power. The real part that people are missing is
the doing portion. Nothing will happen until something moves.
4. The people with
the greatest flexibility are the ones who will most successfully navigate
problem situations to achieve desired change: You have to be adaptable in
losing weight. It is virtually impossible for anyone to stay on the straight
and narrow. Life always happens. Do your best and if you start to stray, go
back and read key number 3 listed above.
5. The highest
priority emotional requirement for everyone is the innate desire to feel loved
and appreciated: This is what drives ouractions. This is why everyone is
always trying to look good for everyone else. Don't believe me? Step back for a
second and think about why you do the things that you do... and also look
around you. You'll get the picture : )
Well, I hope that you
enjoyedthis lesson. Now here is your homework assignment: I want you to make
a top 10 list of what you think a healthy mindset should be. I will give
you mine. Change it around the best you can so that it will apply to you.
Now, read it every day
for a month. Some say that a daily habit is created in 21
days. Let's be safe and
give it a month!
10 Elements Of A
Healthy Mindset
This is an example of
what you want your mindset to look like.
1. Have an increased awareness and
appreciation of yourself and your body.
2.Set aside time each day to perform
rituals, or to relax and meditate. Do yoga, or tai chi (amazing for stress
reduction), read the bible, pray and be thankful
3.Keep in touch with close relationships
4.The ability to adapt to ever changing
conditions.
5.Always craving physical activity, and
healthy food for that matter-exercise, eat right, and take good nutritional
supplements.
6.Laughs a lot.-A great comedy can really
make you feel better. You can also force a smile (believe me this works wonders
and is contagious)
7.I Want to have fun and do things.-Don't be
anti-social!
8.Always see the glass as half full. Have an
optimistic attitude and be hopeful.
9.Always care about how you look and about
your body; Not letting go it go downhill. Your outside is a reflection of your
inside!
10.Never lets worry bother them; Rejects
worry. Don't ever sweat the small stuff!
I hope that you enjoyed
learning about these 5 hidden toxins. I will stay in touch
periodically to let you
in on some of the most up to date information on losing
weight the
"GREEN" way.
Please, I don't want
you to poison your body as you try to lose weight. So many
other diets are
destroying people's health and they don't even know it! It's absurd
to recommend so called
"diet" foods that are only keeping the company in
business
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