I have always struggled with my weight.
A recent class has helped me to fully understand the relationship between stress, cortisol and fat. In a nut shell, stress contributes to 80% of diseases including diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis. And over the long term makes us fat.
This Stress Level Barometer defines 5 levels of stress, and for me illustrated how often I functioned at levels 4 and 5. This is the point in which the reptilian brain (instincts and survival) takes over the pre-frontal cortex (logical brain) and sweets and carbohydrates are what it demands. That’s enough to make any good resolutions or willpower vanish.
Stress is a constant in our lives. It is when we are under extreme stress, particularly for long periods of time that it becomes a real problem. Before the stress of being a caregiver, there was the time that dad and his dog got attacked by a Pitbull. For three months, I took care of my father whose hands were bandaged, their dog who survived the attack, mom (because dad couldn’t), their house and oh yes, a new client in Chicago. If I could not work from my parents’ home, we had to hire someone to take care of them while I was out of town. Yes, I was mired in levels 4 and 5 and once again gained weight. Today, with the new skills I learned in this class, I can move from levels 4/5 to 3 and 2. It feels great!
To really understand the relationship between stress, cortisol, fat and techniques to help you move up the stress level barometer, click here for the article: 3 Ways Stress Makes You Fat by Veronique Cardon, MS.
Disclaimer: The material in this blog is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace, nor does it replace, consulting with a physician, lawyer, accountant, financial planner or other qualified professional.
