Stress.
It’s subjective.
Some blokes get stressed out when stuck in traffic and for others it takes something as serious as divorce before they would class themselves as stressed.
We all seem to have a certain tolerance.
I’ve gotta say that my ability to deal with stress has got better as I’ve got older – may be this is more down to HOW
I deal with stress.
What I mean by this is that I used to think that it was fine…..in fact normal to deal with stress by having a drink.
Stressful day = have a few beers (short term would feel better but next day would feel a bit jet-lagged)
…but this would then contribute to me having another stressful day.
So I would have a few more beers the next night – as my body and mind and recognised that this worked the night before…..and the next morning I would feel the same.
and that’s where the cycle begins.
For others they use food. They binge eat.
Although it’s unlikely that those that use food as a stress release will binge on chicken and broccoli.
It’s much more likely to be crisps, chocolate, cake, biscuits, pizza, curry, and other such takeaways.
Whether it’s booze
or whether it’s food
the end result is the same.
An unhealthy addiction and a bulging waistline.
The science behind all of this
I deliberately try NOT to get too scientific with my blog posts. It turns a lot of people off.
BUT
this is actually quite interesting so I thought I would share.
First of all let’s recognise that stress today is very different to stress thousands of years ago. Waking up each day fearing for your own and your family’s life due to natural predators roaming the land is very different to being late for work or watching your football team lose at the weekend (I’m a Bolton Wanderers fan so I know what this is like!)
Either way though. Our bodies are wired up in a way that helps us to deal with stress.
When we face a stressful / anxious situation our stress hormones are released – adrenaline and cortisol.
Then (having been hard wired thousands of years ago) our body gets ready to ‘fight or flight’.
Our heart rate increases
Our breathing increases
Our pupils dilate
We become more alert
This all uses up a ton of energy so those little hormones cortisol and adrenaline tell our bodies to release any stored sugar into the bloodstream for a surge of quick energy. This usually comes from the liver or muscles where it’s stored.
Then
when the stress response is over, balance is restored and our bodies return to normal.
Our stress hormones now need to be replenished though and our fuel levels need topping up – as depending on how long the stressful situation has lasted everything has been depleted.
That’s when cortisol kicks in again and sparks our appetite and makes us ravenous.
It’s very unlikely though that you will be craving a steamed chicken breast though.
It’s high sugar and fat foods – that are a quick fix to replenish the calories that were used up earlier.
Our bodies are not designed for constant stress
You see back in the day, these stressful situations would be few and far between. Perhaps once every few days. A short burst and then it’s over with. We either pegged it as fast as we could when predators were around or we stayed to fight.
‘Fight or Flight’
When this stress response becomes the norm – like a few times each day, every single day – that’s when we start having problems.
Too much cortisol
Too many cravings for high calorie, crappy foods.
= fat gain.
Oh and guess where about’s on the body we have the most amount of cortisol receptors?
The abdomen!
Yep. This is contributing to that spare tyre around the waist by dumping fat in that area.
So what do you do?
Chill.
Awareness is a pretty cool first step. Just being aware of what’s going on inside your body and being aware of the usual response can help to put you firmly in control. So recognise and understand what is happening the next time you have a Michael Douglas Falling Down moment.
Then you need to have other ways of dealing with stress lined up – so rather than eating food or drinking a beer you do something that will serve you better. – go for a walk, go for a run, do a 20 minute workout, read a book, play with the kids.
Exercise can actually help to negate the subjective stressful situation in the first place. So make it part of your daily routine.
Eat healthier food. This can help you feel more alert, improve concentration and focus and just have you feeling better. Again helping to prevent you getting stressed out by every day occurrences.
Or all of the above.
Just do something though.
Think about how annoying those love handles are and how nice it would be to get rid of them.
Ricky