Stress less, weigh less

The connection between stress and body fat
Stress has become a symptom of our busy lives, and it can have a dramatic influence on your body shape.

Emotional stress from work or personal issues can affect your diet, and may trigger hunger, poor food choices and comfort eating in some people.

Eating for comfort is a common behaviour, where people use food to preoccupy or anaesthetise themselves against long-term stress.

Health becomes less of a priority as people seek solace in "comfort foods" such as chocolate, ice cream, biscuits and cake. This emotional connection with food may be forged over many years, and can be deeply ingrained.

The research on stress and body fat
Research has investigated the connection between stress and weight control, helping to develop a better understanding of the ways stress can impact your health.

According to a study published in Current Opinion in Pharmacology, there is a strong link between stress and weight gain. Some interesting facts to come out of the report include:

• Chronic stress is associated with increasing rates of abdominal fat and insulin resistance.
• This in part could explain the connection between stress and metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions (including central body fat) which can have a negative impact on your health.
• A hormone released during stress, called cortisol, is thought to trigger many of these negative consequences over time.
• Chronic stress can lead to behaviour changes affecting your activity levels and dietary habits. This includes a sedentary lifestyle, increased portion size, comfort eating and increased alcohol consumption.
• Being overweight is also stressful to the body. Excess body fat has been widely recognised as a contributor to a chronic low-grade inflammatory state in the body, which can undermine your heart health.

The study authors suggest that the management of chronic stress may prove to be important tools for people experiencing metabolic syndrome or central body fat.

Managing stress to reduce body fat
With a clear link established between stress and excess body fat, it's important to find ways to manage and reduce stress. The following suggestions may help to reduce your stress levels, and in turn make it easier to control your weight.

• Awareness - Identify the situations and circumstances that cause stress in your life, and look for ways to reduce their impact. This may include learning some time management skills, delegating tasks to lighten your load, or cutting back on some of your commitments to prevent feeling overwhelmed.
• Prevention - Make time each week, or even each day, for things that help you relax. Even if you're not stressed, relaxation techniques or calming activities can prevent stress, or reduce its harmful effects. What relaxes people can differ greatly between individuals, so get to know what works best for you. Examples include massage, a hot bath, or meditating.
• Treatment - When you are stressed, identify strategies and solutions that help you cope without resorting to food. This could involve calling a friend who is always helpful and positive, taking ten deep breaths, or listening to a song that soothes you.

The ultimate solution
Try to identify strategies which have a double benefit - that help you relax and accelerate weight loss at the same time. Some examples include:

• Plan your meals - It makes cooking easier, and increases the chances of eating healthy food.
• Go for a gentle walk - While you may not burn off as many kilojoules as a brisk walk, its better than lying on the couch, and it may help clear your head or escape an unpleasant environment.
• Freeze healthy meals - This gives you a healthy dinner requiring minimal preparation and cooking for those times when things get a little out of control.
• Garden - Spending time outside is good for the soul, and it's also a light form of physical activity.
• Yoga and Pilates - Stretching and toning exercises will benefit your muscles, while the core focus and mindfulness can distract you from any worries.
• Go on an active holiday - Get away from it all while using your feet, bike or kayak as a mode of transport.

Take the Blackmores stress quiz to find out how you compare to the rest of Australia AND go in the draw to win the ultimate restoring weekend to Fiji!

References available on request