Relieve Stress At Your Workplace: It Might Just Help You Manage Your Weight!
|
No doubt about it, when we feel stressed we want to raid the candy machine, or down a pint of ice cream. Of course we feel immediate gratification because of the "feel good" endorphins that are released when we eat something we love but now new research confirms these food urges are caused by more than endorphins.
Elissa Epel, PhD, a health psychology researcher at the University of California at San Francisco explains that when we are stressed a hormone called cortisol is released which can increase our appetite specifically for sweets. Moreover, the more ongoing stress we have on a day to day basis such as a demanding job can lead to cortisol levels being elevated all of the time, and can facilitate the deposit of fat in the deep belly area which is known to increase health risks.
Stress is a fight-or-flight response characterized by increased heart rate, increased breathing, increased blood pressure, and a 300 to 400 percent increase in the amount of blood flowing to our muscles, which prepares us to run or to flight. Unfortunately, in today's world we don't run nor do we flight. Yet the adrenaline and other hormones released during this process leads to a number of symptoms including:
? Anxiety
? Depression
? Excessive anger and hostility
? High blood pressure
? Insomnia (lack of sleep)
? Racing Heart
? Risk factor for heart attacks
? Tiredness
The most common behaviors that people use to cope with the symptoms of stress are:
? Critical attitude towards others
? Overuse of alcohol
? Compulsive eating
? Inability to get things done
? Smoking
As you can see, the most common coping strategies are not exactly healthy or positive choices. One problem is that many of the healthy choices such as exercise, yoga, and meditation aren't easy to do during the workday. What is easy is the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup calling your name every time you pass the vending machine. But wait! There is another choice to relieve stress while at work. Deep breathing can help you to get through the extra stress of the workday.Deep breathing can help you to relax by lowering your blood pressure, slowing your heart rate, and easing muscle tension and the best part is you can do it at your desk. The Mayo Clinic Women's Healthsource offers instructions on how to practice deep breathing.
* Sit in a comfortable chair with feet flat on the floor.
* Close your eyes or focus on an object in the room.
* Inhale slowly through your nose. Visualize your diaphragm moving down to create more room for your lungs to expand.
* Notice your lower abdomen expand as it fills with air
* When your lungs are full, slowly let air out through your mouth.
* Repeat as many times as you need to. Be sure you have cleared your mind of the worry list that was present before.
* When you are ready to end your session, don't jump out of your chair. Slowly bring yourself back into your surroundings.
Practicing deep breathing regularly can provide great health rewards such as reducing anxiety, conserving energy, improving sleep, improving concentration, and relieving muscle tension. Coping with your stress in a healthy manner will help you to avoid the stress-induced temptations of the vending machine so you can manage your health and your weight with success.
© Meri Raffetto, 2005
Meri Raffetto is a Registered Dietitian and a recognized professional in the area of nutrition and wellness. She is the owner of Real Living Nutrition Services providing interactive online weight management programs. Sign up for her free monthly nutrition newsletter at http://www.reallivingnutrition.com
|
|
|
Gastric Bypass Surgery - Just The Facts
Gastric Bypass surgery is becoming increasingly more popular for the morbid obese. In order to qualify for the surgery, you must have a body mass index of more than 40, which usually translates to being 100 or more pounds overweight.Gastric Bypass surgery is a procedure in which the surgeon will create a pouch out of your stomach, divide the stomach and then connect the pouch directly to the intestine, basically "bypassing" the lower stomach. The whole idea is to limit the amount food that the patient ca...(related: Weight Loss)
The Benefits Of Omega3 Fatty Acids - Losing Weight With Fat!
Essential Fats for Weight LossOver the past few decades, the cornerstone of a good, solid weight loss plan has included studying the 'Nutrition Information' on food packaging, thumbing nervously through a 600 page (yet implausibly titled 'pocket sized') calorie counter and triumphantly and guiltlessly striding down supermarket aisles with a trolley brimming with exquisitely packaged, molecule sized, fat free food.To most people, avoiding fat (or consuming as little as possible) is the sure-fire path to a slim and slender body. However, for the eager and the open-minded, this is all abo...(related: Weight Loss)
Lose Weight Now! ? Do Or Die Time!
Some of you will not like what I'm going to say, even though it is the truth. That may be where the issue of America's health problems lies. No one wants to give you the truth, you may not come back to see them.My responsibility as a high profile fitness expert lies not in if you like me, or even if you buy my e books. My responsibility lies in giving you straight talk with no sugar coating it.You want quick fixes to your health problem that has t...(related: Weight Loss)
How Music Can Help You Burn More Fat
Browsing one of the Russian websites I have recently found a little article claiming that music can affect our health both improving and worsening it. That sounded very interesting and I decided to research how can music actually affect our well-being.What I found has blown my mind and I want to share the results with you.Scientists all over the world agreed that music influences hormone production that are directly connected with our emotions. If you think about it you are influenced by music all the time. Think of your last time you've watched a horror movie. Remember how music actually made your heart race faster. Music physicians in Japan and China help patients form their own music aid kits, where you can find CDs with the names like "Liv...(related: Weight Loss)
What You Need To Know Before Starting A Low Carb Diet
In the last 12 months or so, low carbohydrate diets have captured the hearts and weight loss hopes of the American public. And why not? These diets promise quick weight loss and the ability to keep eating fatty foods. If you love your steak and eggs, this seems like the ultimate diet. However, before signing up, the low carb diet bears a review. Is it really the right diet for you?The premise of the Atkins or any low carbohydrate diet is that carbohydrates are...(related: Weight Loss)
Simple Weight Loss Plan
The math is pretty simple. One pound of fat equals 3500 calories. Want to lose a pound a week? Then you need to consume 3500 calories less per week than you use. That's about 500 calories a day. By cutting out 500 calories a day from your normal daily diet, while keeping your activity level the same, you can lose approximately one pound a week.All right - that doesn't sound like much, especially if you're more than 25 pounds overweight. Study after study has shown, though, that those people who l...(related: Weight Loss)
Weight Loss: Where To Find Hidden Calories
If you have been eating as usual and the pounds seem to becreeping on - you could be a victim of hidden calories.When we are busy, stressed or focused on something elsewe reach for convenient snacks that are usually high in fat. This unconscious eating will add up to a whole lot of extra calories in ...(related: Weight Loss)
Are Your Nutrition Habits Robbing You From The Body You Desire?
What if by making a few small changes in your nutrition and eating habits you could add up to a 50% gain in muscle mass and loose up to 18% extra fat.Well you could be robbing yourself of these gains just by not eating correctly and at the right times. You see by eating at the right time you can catapult your body into a fat burning anabolic state which will not only help you gain more muscle but also loose more fat at the same time.You will be surprised at how easy it is to make a few simple changes in your eating habits and times and the gains that you will...(related: Weight Loss)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved. | Weight Loss