So you are a busy person. You work hard to lose weight, yet cannot seem to lose that donut around your midsection. While there are many contributing factors that can hinder weight loss stress is a major cause. Stress is a natural part of life, unfortunately the average individual is unaware of the amount of stress they encounter daily. For example it is reported that there were 957,000 finalized divorces last year. This number does not include divorces in process, legal separations etc. It gets worse, only fifty percent of Americans reported being happy with their job, with this number dropping with pay. There is of course the 3.1 million unemployed yedericans who have the stress of meeting obligations without income. Never in history has obesity been described as an “epidemic” yet that is exactly what we face. As prices rise for healthy food alternatives, cheap unhealthy alternatives bombard the television and internet. To add to the problem are the think, ripped, models who, thanks to airbrush, further serve to add stress to an overweight population that includes seventeen percent of children and thirty two percent of adults who have been classified as obese. This does not include the thirty percent of adults that are overweight but not considered obese. There has been a recent surge in twenty four hour gyms, weight loss clinics, and television shows that show the average person losing weight. Unfortunately many people report eating right and exercising and no improvement in weight.
The cause for many people is stress. A hormone that was intended to protect individuals is actually working against weight loss goals. Cortisol in the body is used by the body during stressful situations to spring into action. The unfortunate thing is that often with our stressful society we find that Cortisol is released while fat and carbohydrates are not being used. Once the body utilizes Cortisol it automatically increases hunger to replace the appetite and carbohydrates that it believes were used during the “Fight or flight” situation. This causes decreased weight loss and works against a weight loss program. Cortisol generally causes an increase in fat deposits in the belly. This means that crunches are more effective when stress levels are lowered.
The best way to combat weight gain because of stressful situations is to learn how to battle stress. There are some products on the market such as Slimquick and Relacore which promise to reduce belly fat which is commonly where the fat is stored from stress. Unfortunately Slimquick and Relacore contain a large amount of caffeine and is not very effective against Cortisol related weight gain.
One of the most effective ways to eliminate weight gain is exercise. Simply because exercise releases endorphins which increase mood and decrease stress. Exercising also burns additional calories and fat which makes it a superstar option for those who wish to lose weight.
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