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| In today's day and age, it seems like we are all trying to rush to get somewhere- whether it is career, marriage, children etc. Eventually, we have all had that feeling of being burnt out; exhausted AKA stressed out! Things aren't getting any easier with inflated food costs, high unemployment rates and so on. Additionally more and more research is coming out discussing the harmful effects of stress in causing diseases like cancer, diabetes, Cardiovascular disease etc. So in other words, we all seem to be surrounded by stress hence the need to understand its consequences and learn how to effectively deal with it. |
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| There are different types of stress |
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Environmental stress - air pollution, sound pollution etc |
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Physiological stress - trauma or injury |
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Psychological stress - death, divorce etc |
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Eustress - Eg. promotion leading to more responsibilities but better pay; |
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falling in love |
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The first 3 are the ones that produce the negative effects associated with stress. Even though they are different, they essentially produce the same effects in the body, magnitude of the effects depending upon the intensity and duration of the stressor and your nutritional/health status. Eustress tends to produce positive effects that has the potential to reverse the effects of negative stressors.
The reason why we are discussing stress is because it can produce several imbalances within the body that can predispose one to diseases, as mentioned earlier |
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| Additionally, from personal experience I have noted the following: |
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When one is extremely stressed it is very hard to make positive changes in |
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one's lifestyle. |
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Extreme stress can produce chronic fatigue, making it very hard to commit |
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to an exercise regimen |
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Stress increases food cravings and the need to assauge one's mind and |
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body with so called "comfort foods"- which we all know tend to comfort less and hurt more in the long run! |
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Scientific research shows that stress results in the production of hormones |
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that tend to increase one's blood sugar levels. Additionally there is release of the corticosteroid hormones that have been associated with the nasty "abdominal obesity". |
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Stress tends to disrupt sleep patterns AKA potential cause of insomnia, |
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which again is associated with increased abdominal obesity. |
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Stress puts the body into a catabolic/breakdown state- resulting in |
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breakdown of muscle as well as fat tissue. |
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So what does this all spell for you and me: If you are stressed out, more than likely one is either going to gain or loose a lot of weight. It all depends on your tendency and behavior.
So how do we deal with this situation?? It is essential to consume a healthy and nutritious diet especially when encountering stress. Pregnancy is considered a stressful condition. A woman's body is undergoing rapid changes to feed and grow a living being within. More than any other time in a woman's life it is essential to eat healthy during pregnancy. So think of your stress in the same way. Your body is trying to cope so provide it with the right ammunition.
Exercise is another way of dealing with stress. It calms the mind and the body, leaving you with a rejuvinated feeling like you could, "conquer the world". Finding a hobby, listening to music, learning new things, art and other creative activities are additional ways of dealing with stress in a healthy way.
And remember it is essential to NOT SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF. Always remember the bigger picture! |
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