You’re eating all the right foods and exercising as much as you can and you’re still struggling to shift the pounds, sound familiar?
Well stress could be undoing all your hard work as certain stress hormones can impact majorly on your weight loss.
Adrenaline and cortisol are the two hormones that we’re talking about and these nasty hormones can prevent all your hard work from ever paying off.
So here’s the science-y bit.
Adrenal glands are small glands on top of your kidneys which secrete adrenaline and cortisol.
They play a huge part in our survival.
Adrenaline is produced when you are in shock or frightened and it tells your body that you need to run or fight.
It redirects blood flow from your digestive organs towards your limbs and muscles and increases your heart rate.
It causes havoc with our sugar levels and you can’t burn fat if your insulin levels are too high.
When we are stressed our adrenaline spikes and instead of “fighting” like we had to in ancient times we’re more than likely sat in our office or in the car or at home doing a million different things.
Basically it shuts down any possibility of burning fat.
Cortisol has a similar effect as it signals your body that food is pretty scarce and tells your metabolism to slow down to prolong energy.
And it can get even worse if you’re looking at the scales and seeing nothing change.
Your instinct might be to restrict your calorie intake even more which causes even more cortisol.
It’s a very vicious cycle.
But there are a few simple things you can do that might see you losing the pounds once again.
1. Deep breathing
We know it sounds silly and a little pointless but scientists have proven that 20 deep breaths a day sends signals to your body that it is safe and prevents those nasty hormones from taking over.
And if the scientists say it then it must be true.
2. Meditate
Again this might not sound like everyone’s cup of tea but those experts have again said that meditation can help.
And if you’re not one to find a class or don’t have the time, we have a list of meditation apps to try out.
3. Sleep
Pretty obvious.
More sleep = less stress.
We know it can be tough with little ones in the house and it might take a little more effort during the day but it will be worth it.
4. Fresh air
Just five to ten minutes a day can bring those hormones back down to a safe level.
Maybe plant a few flowers that need watering every day, it sounds like a chore but it will get those five to ten minutes in and it will look pretty.
Win win.
So why not give these four simple tips a try and see if you can get that stress under control.
