How stress can cause weight gain

Weight loss plateaus are common and frustrating!  We may be doing our best to monitor our food intake, our exercise expenditures and water supply but the stubborn scale simply will not budge!  Many of our clients may be doing all the right things but overlooking one culprit that may not occur to them as a saboteur.
In times of economic hardship and stress, people tend to gain weight.  When the economy deteriorates and the gremlin of stress seizes us, we may be tempted to buy less expensive, lower-quality food, which is calorically rich and nutritionally poor.

Today’s mounting stress can lead to a vicious descending spiral of ever-increasing weight gain. But the good news is that the spiral is not inevitable and can be reversed and transcended.

Stress causes the human body to tense up as it releases hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine, which encourage fat formation. In primitive man, these “fight or flight” chemicals were of great service in times of occasional threat, when the fat was quickly utilized. But under today’s societal stress, modern man feels constantly “threatened,” and so, constantly builds fat. 

In primitive man, after a surge of fight or flight hormones, he relaxed and his body went back to normal, but today, continuous stress with no relief is common.

Adding to that, people who are stressed out tend to sleep less, which also increases cortisol secretion.

Exercise could improve this whole scenario. However many folks when stressed for time, money and energy, skip the very thing that will help them feel better. 

Often we feel most stressed when we feel out of control.  We can regain some personal empowerment by simply creating a plan to include exercise, wholesome food and adequate sleep.  Enlist support from your partner, your best friend or your instructor.  We are here to support you, encourage you and applaud your successes!

Writing down your core values and focusing on them in daily life, and consciously avoiding negative people and situations can also prevent unwanted stress.   Of course, the obvious solution is to let us help you!  Add a Pilates stretch class to destress or get bust it out with a Jumpboard workout!  We want happy clients and we’re here to make that happen!