The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
The Japanese drink very little red wine & suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
The Italians drink excessive red wine & suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
The Germans drink a lot of beer & eat lots of sausages and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
Conclusion: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you…
Ha ha! In all seriousness Americans work the longest hours, are the most stressed out and take the fewest holidays in the world. So use this as a reminder that we need balance in our lives. It's all about the yin & yang. You can't go hard all the time because eventually you burn out.
Take a moment to just breathe. Breathe deeply. A deep cleansing breath bringing positive energy into your body. Oxygenate your entire system. That in and of itself brings forth great health benefits.
You know best what will help to relax you and counter any life stressors. Maybe it's a bath, reading, getting a massage, hanging with your friends, going to a movie, taking a holiday, meditating, taking a yoga class, praying...Whatever it is - just do it. Your health depends on it!
Yours in health and fitness,
Sherri McMillan
Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts
Friday, April 16, 2010
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Does stress make you fat?
My fat loss blogs have sparked a lot of questions and interest. Here's one question that I thought I'd share with all of you. I think many of you can probably relate.
"I read that it's hard to lose weight when you're stressed out. If that's true, that would explain a lot in my life. My job is extremely stressful and although I eat pretty well and exercise weekly, I just can't seem to lose any weight. How does stress affect my weight loss?" J.P., Vancouver,WA
There has been quite a bit of research recently measuring stress hormones and how they affect our fat cells and fat metabolism. Dr. Pamela Peeke has been the leading researcher in this area and she has found that our body interprets any kind of stress in our lives as physical stress and immediately responds using the "Fight or Flight" response. Unfortunately, most of the stress in our lives is not physical stress but rather, work, kids, financial etc - more of the emotional or mental type of stress. But nonetheless, as our stress increases, the stress hormone, cortisol, is released into the blood stream.
Cortisol has two negative effects in terms of fat loss. One -it causes the body to crave more fat and sugar. Consider the last time you were really stressed out. What did you grab for - a tuna sandwich or ice cream? And secondly, it causes the body to uptake more fat into the fat cells in order to store energy. Both act as a defense mechanism to enable the body to fight off the stress - unfortunately, since we're not really undergoing physical stress and don't require the extra energy we just get fatter.
The message is clear. People who want to lose body fat need to manage their stress better. Take baths, get massages,write in a journal, read, pray, practice deep breathing, participate in Tai Chi, Yoga or meditation classes. Do whatever it takes to either interpret your stress differently or take care of yourself so that stress doesn't tear you down.
Yours in health and fitness,
Sherri McMillan
ps. We offer some amazing Yoga & Meditation classes at both our Vancouver and Portland studios. Email me at sherri@nwPersonalTraining.com if you're interested. I'll forward you a Free pass so you can try out our programs for yourself.
"I read that it's hard to lose weight when you're stressed out. If that's true, that would explain a lot in my life. My job is extremely stressful and although I eat pretty well and exercise weekly, I just can't seem to lose any weight. How does stress affect my weight loss?" J.P., Vancouver,WA
There has been quite a bit of research recently measuring stress hormones and how they affect our fat cells and fat metabolism. Dr. Pamela Peeke has been the leading researcher in this area and she has found that our body interprets any kind of stress in our lives as physical stress and immediately responds using the "Fight or Flight" response. Unfortunately, most of the stress in our lives is not physical stress but rather, work, kids, financial etc - more of the emotional or mental type of stress. But nonetheless, as our stress increases, the stress hormone, cortisol, is released into the blood stream.
Cortisol has two negative effects in terms of fat loss. One -it causes the body to crave more fat and sugar. Consider the last time you were really stressed out. What did you grab for - a tuna sandwich or ice cream? And secondly, it causes the body to uptake more fat into the fat cells in order to store energy. Both act as a defense mechanism to enable the body to fight off the stress - unfortunately, since we're not really undergoing physical stress and don't require the extra energy we just get fatter.
The message is clear. People who want to lose body fat need to manage their stress better. Take baths, get massages,write in a journal, read, pray, practice deep breathing, participate in Tai Chi, Yoga or meditation classes. Do whatever it takes to either interpret your stress differently or take care of yourself so that stress doesn't tear you down.
Yours in health and fitness,
Sherri McMillan
ps. We offer some amazing Yoga & Meditation classes at both our Vancouver and Portland studios. Email me at sherri@nwPersonalTraining.com if you're interested. I'll forward you a Free pass so you can try out our programs for yourself.
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