According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), stress is defined as a "...disruption of the body's homeostasis or a state of disharmony in response to a real or perceived threat or challenge."
Okay, so something (i.e. exercise, a fight with a friend, traffic, etc) disrupts or changes our body's natural sense of well-being momentarily or maybe even for a prolonged period of time. Everyone experiences some sort of stressor every single day, likely several times a day. Sometimes we purposely put ourselves through stressful situations in order to see growth in some capacity (a tough work out) and sometimes stress enters into our daily life despite being unwelcome.
The fact of the matter is, we're going to face it, stress is going to happen. How we respond is that part that we can control. When stress first comes in contact with the body, we naturally release hormones in order to "defend" ourselves or prepare our bodies for the challenge at hand. More than likely you've heard of the hormone cortisol and it's link to gaining/retaining belly fat. Here's what we know now about managing stress and cortisol production in order to help keep our weight in check!
- If the cause of stress is perceived by us as negative and more of a threat than simply as a challenge, we will release excess cortisol.
- The less control we feel we have over the situation, the more cortisol will be produced and released.
- The more positively we view a stressful situation, the less fat-storing cortisol will be released.
- Preparing for stressful situations such as exams, interviews, race day etc can provide us with a better sense of control once we are face to face with these scenarios, and thus, less cortisol production!
"It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts." Robert H. Schuller
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