In today’s current lifestyles we are becoming more and more stressed what with work, home, family and now more so with the credit crunch and prices rising could be a huge contributor to the stress.
Stress plays a major factor in weight gain, in fact not only weight gain but it has been proven that up to 90% of illnesses are stress related – not good huh!
We could be eating all of the right foods, getting plenty of exercise but if we are stressed then the chances of feeling great and achieving overall health could be minimal.
When we are stressed we release the hormones cortisone (cortisol) and Epinephrine (adrenalin), this is the bodies natural response. It is known as the ‘fight or flight’ response, basically you are either going to fight the stressor or run from the stressor, which back in the caveman day you could. In today’s busy lifestyles stress is happening several times a day, and although our bodies haven’t evolved much from the caveman days it’s unlikely we are going to be able to do the natural response of fight or flight.
When we are stressed it is very hard for our body to function at its best, it makes it hard for foods to be processed within the gut because it makes it hard for the body to utilize fats and without the fats our bodies cannot absorb nutrients needed for healthy function.
It’s very common for people who do suffer with stress to carry excess fat around their abdomen.
So here is the number one way to deal with stress in today’s hectic lifestyle:
Breathing!
Yup something as simple as controlled breathing can help you to relieve stress! You see while we are stressed our heart rate becomes very erratic as does our breathing which means that the heart may not be able to pump blood around the body effectively, because of this it may also mean that the blood our body is producing then becomes less efficient. This could lead to several other health issues such as circulation problems and pain in joints and muscles to name a few.
So how can this help me drop the fat?
Well you see when our body is able to function better by not having to cope with health issues and stress it can then do it’s job properly, it’s able to metabolize the foods that we eat correctly, it’s able to recover better after exercise, it will help you to deal with each stressor more effectively plus you will feel better in yourself and that excess fat that you’ve been trying to shift for years will start to melt away.
So how do I do controlled breathing?
The best way to do the controlled breathing is to sit comfortably and take a long breath in through the nose counting for about five seconds and then exhale through the mouth, again counting for five seconds. You should be breathing into your abdomen rather than chest breathing, if you find this a bit hard at first try lying on your back and pressing down on your stomach whilst trying to push your tummy our against your hand. After completing the previous exercise remain lying down keep your hands on your stomach and concentrate on your stomach rising and falling with every breath to make sure you are breathing into your abdomen.
You should do this around four to five times per day for 3-5 minutes and repeat EVERY time you experience stress. You know the saying ‘and deep breath’ when you get stressed – there’s something behind that ;o)
Another factor to help this is to add some positive thoughts as you are doing the breathing, for some it helps to close their eyes and focus on something that makes them happy. The more happy feelings being passed around the body the better it will function.
So there you have it, one simple thing such as breathing correctly can help you function correctly meaning it could help with digestion problems, aches and pains, circulation problems and shed a load of body fat!
Practice the breathing in your car, when going for a walk, cooking your dinner – whatever you are doing spend a bit of time being conscious of your breathing and slowing it down – especially during times of stress.
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