Does Stress Cause Weight Gain?

Yes it does!  Stress is not just something that we feel emotionally... our bodies actually react to it! When we enter into a state of stress, our bodies (more specifically our adrenal glands) start preparing for a disaster.  And the way they prepare for a disaster is by releasing cortisol and STORING CALORIES! And we all know what stored calories turns into... FAT! Storing calories and added fat... now THAT is a disaster!  

So think about this... if you are in a constant state of stress, your body is constantly storing calories and not letting them go!  And guess where it likes to store all these calories and fat.... YOUR TUMMY AREA!!  Cortisol will take the fats and sugars and stack them near  the liver, which is on the waist and onto the belly.  Ever heard of the "Spare Tire"?  Well, that's where it comes from.  

 And the worst part....our belly fat doesn’t just “sit there” doing nothing; it’s almost as if this fat is itself an endocrine organ that reacts to the stress response, spurring still more abdominal fat to be deposited. So the cycle continues unless we take steps to heal the adrenal imbalance.  

So HOW do we start healing our adrenal imbalance?  We have to STOP STRESSING!  That should be easy right?  No, it's not easy.  But we have to start taking steps in that direction.  Unless, of course, you love your love handles! Yeah, didn't think so.

Things You can Do To Start the Healing

1. Eating Right and Regularly.  Click here for a great article on Eating To Support Your Adrenal Glands.
2. Sleep!!!!  You need to get 7-9 hours every night.  Preferably 8-9.  I know you've heard this over and over, but you would be amazed at your weight loss if you just get on a healthy sleep schedule.  I will write another post about the importance of sleep.  
3. Exercise!
4. YOGA!  Breathing and meditation is a HUGE way to get our stress under control.  Whether it is for 5 minutes in the morning or before bed or you take a class, take time for yourself to quite your mind and "Let it go!"

 
 Read THIS awesome article to see where I got a lot of my information from.  It has added tips and explains the effects of stress in greater detail.

Day 4: Yoga!

Oh My Goodness!  I had such a great yoga practice today.  It totally kicked my booty!  I burned 411 calories in just a little over an hour.  I didn't do any extra cardio because I ran out of time at the gym.  (My gym is awesome and they watch my kid for 2 hours every day!)  Much needed"Mommy Time".  But I still got a great workout in.