Stress can cause damage to one’s health and one of its damaging effects is the build up of fat in your mid-section. Having high levels of belly fat has been associated to a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
How does stress cause belly fat?
When experiencing short-term stressful situations, our bodies releases adrenaline. However, when enduring long periods of high-stress, a hormone produced by the adrenal gland called cortisol is released. Cortisol increases the appetite for fat and carbohydrates, thus leading to overeating. When you overeat, the cortisol causes the body to store the excess fat, primarily in your belly.
Ways to combat stress
Stress is nearly unavoidable but there are some simple ways to reduce it as much as we can.
- Exercise – minimizes stress as well as decreasing cortisol levels
- Get enough sleep
- Meditation
- Eat healthier – whole grains and high-fiber foods
- Reduce sugar intake
- Take up yoga
Exercise is a great stress reliever for myself. When I’m feeling stressed out, taking out all of my frustrations at the gym tends to make me feel better afterwards. Plus, knowing I burned some fat doesn’t hurt either!
Tom Venuto’s program Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle, will teach you how to lose fat permanently, without wrecking your metabolism, without drugs, and without supplements.
Tom is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (NSCA-CPT).
Click here for Tom’s Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle program
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