Stress & Body Fat – How they are related and affecting your results…
What is Cortisol?
When we are stressed, our sympathetic nervous system kicks in. This is responsible for our ‘fight or flight’ response. In the old days, this was important for short term danger, like running from bears or predators… however today this can kick in even when we see an email from our boss or think about a 9am meeting.
There is a direct correlation between stress/cortisol levels and weight gain. Cortisol is made by the adrenals and it definitely has it’s place, however high or low levels of cortisol have negative effects on the body, we need to do our best to maintain optimal cortisol levels by evaluating our environment and gaining more control over certain aspects of our life.
How does it affect the body?
High- Cortisol Levels are linked to weight gain and poor thyroid function. Our cortisol peaks from high stressed situations and also affects our blood sugar, cravings and more. As the old saying goes, “what goes up, must come down”? This is especially true with cortisol! If you have been ‘tired but wired’ or in a high stressed state for too long, your cortisol levels will drop completely and cause a ‘crash’ otherwise known as adrenal fatigue!
It’s important to know that your body does not know the difference between good stress and bad stress. In fact, stress causes the same chemical reactions as excitement. Unfortunately, people often don’t feel excited 8-12 hours a day 5 days a week…. they usually feel stressed!
Don’t worry…
Even worrying effects cortisol levels, worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet, or that happened in the past. Even worrying about your weight! We have carefully created a step by step guide to goal setting and mastering your mind that will enable you to evaluate your environment and regain control of your mind so that you can master these situation. Stress manifests in the body as bloating, puffiness, tiredness and even stored visceral fat. Our 40 day program will help you to overcome stress as we coach you through nutrition, training & goal setting.
Manage your stress by setting goals and evaluating your environment with our 40 day program that addresses mindset, nutrition & training.
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