Hope you’re having a fantastic week, and as well as work life, you have had time to do the things you love with all the most important people in your lives
I have learnt to make time for this as often as I can
We all get so busy and caught up in work, that we forget to relax, laugh, and enjoy ourselves
All of which being super important to reduce stress
And as we all know, stress for most people in this day and age, is high
I deal with clients on a daily basis, who feel they have absolutely no time to look after themselves properly and be fit and healthy, as their lives are so crazy busy
What they fail to realise is the damage leading such stressful lives, is doing to their mind and body
I bet you all know someone who has tried all diets and exercise plans going, but never loses a pound or an inch?
Well our bodies react to everything that goes on around them.
From the environment we live in, the food we eat, what we drink, our jobs, personal problems and so on.
The body releases hormones in response to all of these situations and the hormones released determine how our bodies react to them.
Stress on our bodies can be brought on from emotional or physical stresses, such as moving home, relationship problems, divorce, lack of sleep, over exercising, dieting (starving the body) and so on.
When the body is under stress it releases the stress hormone Cortisol, which floods the body with sugar to deal with the stressful situation.
As much as we need Cortisol for this exact purpose, the excess sugar within our bodies causes a release of the hormone Insulin to reduce this sugar within the blood.
The Insulin does this by pushing the excess sugar into the cells , thus storing it as fat.
Constant stress means this process is repeated continually so the body is in a permanent fat storing state.
Also this constant see saw effect of Cotrtisol and Insulin release will eventually make the body Insulin resistant, resulting in Diabetes.
Reducing stress or managing it better within your everyday life is vital for optimum health and fat loss. beasting yourself in the gym isn’t good for people suffering with stress.
When your under a lot of stress it is more important and more beneficial for you to go for a nice long leisurely walk in a nice environment.
This is proven to lower Cortisol levels.
Sleep is also vital to reduce stress and Cortisol levels.
Ensuring you get a good 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep is also very important.
This is when our hormones are reset.
A lack of sleep will make you wake up with higher Cortisol levels, then leave you craving sugary and fatty foods for the rest of the day.
Also de stressing activities like yoga, soaking in a nice epsom salt bath, meditation, all very good for de-stressing.
Scientific research has proven that sustained high levels of Cortisol (stress hormone), triggered by unrelenting stress, has debilitating effects on long term health.
The primary role of Cortisol is to encourage the body to refuel after a stress.
This can lead to increased body fat, especially around the abdominal area, eventually resulting in diabetes, heart problems, high blood pressure and even cancer.
Elevated Cortisol levels, resulting from chronic stress have been associated with such conditions as:
– Increased body fat
– Decreased muscle mass
– Decreased bone density
– Reduced libido
– Mood swings
– increased anxiety
– Memory and learning impairment
So if you are suffering from some of these conditions, take a long hard look at your lifestyle and I’m sure stress is playing a big part in it.
You therefore need to take some action and introduce some de-sressing activities into your busy schedule to start leading a healthier life.
Managing Stess:
Cortisol levels need to be reduced for a healthier body and certainly for optimum fat loss.
Some stresses like being late for work, juggling work, family etc we can control and others we can’t, like illness, accident, environmental or economical problems.
For instance by planning yourself better, getting up earlier and leaving the house earlier you won’t be late for work, therefore this stress can be controlled.
By reducing these types of stresses you will be better prepared to deal with the uncontrollable stresses if they arise.
Sleep is one of the most important factors for stress reduction, and a lot of people take this for granted.
Many people do not get enough sleep and spend the day seeking stimulants to overcome the tiredness, which in turn effects another night sleep and so on.
Exercise and good nutrition are the most powerful sleep aids we have.
So all in all guys it is important we accept stress as part of our everyday lives and try to plan and prepare better to reduce the controllable stresses.
Stress isn’t actually the cause of the problem.
It is a result of the world we live in and the choices we make.
Your choices will allow you to control your stresses, instead of letting them control you.
If stress is less of a negative influence on you, then fat burning becomes easier.
So if stress plays a huge part in your life, then this is something you need to address immediately, before turning to alcohol, smoking, drugs or damaging behaviour
As a Life Coach, I help people daily, to manage their stress and implement tools into their daily routines, which help reduce the effects of stress on their lives
For more info please contact me or check out my testimonials at www.lifeshaper.org
For clean, healthy recipes, which will reduce the stress on your body, get my recipe book, with lots of extra tips and advice on leading a healthy lifestyle at http://emmaseminar.leadpages.co/e-book/
Keep fit, happy and healthy. Invest in yourself, remember health is wealth
Emma xx