The effects of stress on your weight loss game plan

This week I was stressed. That kind of stress that makes you want to stay in bed, order a pizza, eat cookies and milk, and suck on a blow pop. Did I tell you I have given up desserts for 40 days? I did not allow the stress to break my commitment; however I did have some heart to heart talks with the refrigerator! Now that I have almost 32 years of life experience, I understand that stress is par for the course. It's the ability to process it and use it to my benefit that get's me all tangled up in a knot. Here in lies the close friendship with the refrigerator. I'm not afraid to admit that when I get stressed I eat. Yes, I know I am a trainer and I know better than to take my stress out on high calorie foods.......blah, blah, blah........I AM HUMAN. And when I get stressed, yes, ice cream sundaes seem to make it all better. But only for a minute! And now that desserts are not part of my nutrition game plan, for 29 more days buts whose counting, there has to be a better way to deal with the every day stresses of life than consuming high calorie foods, laying on the couch, and avoiding the gym.

The truth about stress and it effects on your body: sourced from Turbo Kick: Chalene

1. chronic stress can affect the homeostasis in the body and create excess adrenaline and cortisol, leading to adverse effects on weight and metabolism
2. excess cortisol leads to more stored fat and the decreased sensitivity to adrenaline makes it harder to burn stored fat


Chronic stress wreaks havoc on our bodies. It's detrimental to our immune system, our metabolism, our mental concentration, and the overall function of our body systems. Personally stress makes me eat more and exercise less. Sound familiar? So how do we kick stress in the booty and rise above the suppression?

Stress Management Tools: sourced from Doing More with Less, Leigh Mires

* Say no to more things and yes to only the most important things - do more of what matters most to your clients, co-workers, and your families and less of what does not

* Clarify your Wildly Important Goals - the number of goals you have impacts your accomplishments

Take it from me, the girl who has several goals written out taped on every wall of her apartment - the more goals you have the more stressed you become. To quote Miss Mires, it's important to consider this:

"How many goals do you want to half-way accomplish versus how many do you want to achieve with excellence?"

* Learn to say NO - We learned this when we were a small child. Ahh the terrible two's and the constant "no" that we use to declare to our parents! I will quote Miss Mires,
"With every decision you make, does it move you closer to your vision or further away?"

* Prioritize - Determine what has to be accomplished first and what can wait to later. At the start of each day write a to do list and begin to prioritize according to importance. Make sure that YOU are on the top of the list. If YOU do not exercise and eat right it will be that much more difficult for YOU to finish each task on YOUR list.

* EXERCISE - Of course I just had to throw this in. Though I have definitely skipped a workout because I felt too stressed to bother, I only found myself eating more when I stayed at home to wollow in my self-pity, which only made me more stressed. GET UP AND MOVE. EXERCISE THE STRESS RIGHT OUT OF YOUR BODY! 30 minutes of exercise can transform your mood and disposition.

Stress Quick Fixes:

* Go for a 30 minute walk outside, whether it's during your lunch or right after work. Leave your IPod at home and just enjoy the sounds of nature and life taking place right around you. Take this time to relax and regain your composure.

* Drop and give me 20! Do 20 push ups. The quick adrenaline rush may possibly snap you out of your mood.

* Driving in the car? Play your favorite song and sing it like you mean it! There's this song that I play in all of my classes and I just absolutely love it. When I am having a day, I go to my car after a client, put the song on, and for 6 minutes I just sing and dance like nobody is looking.