redefine fitness

“Stress” is a common buzzword in today’s on-the-go culture.   I’ll bet if you kept count, you will say it more than once today.  Often we use it as a broad term to describe a state of mind.  (eg, “I’m stressed out about losing my job!” or “I’m too stressed out to go to the movies.”)  But can it really make you fat?

Think of it in a literal translation, though:  the physical pressure, pull, or other force exerted on one thing by another; strain (thank you, dictionary.com).  The stress you put on your muscles when you lift a weight, for example, is helpful in building and maintaining bone mass.  But I’m not writing to talk about that.  Hopefully you can relate that image to this translation (also from dictionary.com):  a specific response by the body to a stimulus, as fear or pain, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism.  This, of course, describes what you have heard of as “fight or flight” syndrome.   You brain releases cortisol to, in essence, make you temporarily superhuman so you can save yourself from a dangerous situation (such as an encounter with a bear, with which I have personal experience).  Unfortunately, the side effect of that is that it shuts down an many other systems as it can to put all its energy into that one,  superhuman effort to outsmart the bear chasing you up the hill. Once the bear attack is over, your body’s relaxation response kicks in so your brain knows to ease up on the cortisol levels.  Then it goes back to its regularly scheduled program of controlling blood pressure,  glucose metabolism and insulin release (think “blood sugar”), immune function and many others.  This is one of the many amazing, complex balancing acts (Cliffs Notes version given here!) that our bodies can do.

So if elevated cortisol levels in these stressful situations give us “superhuman” responses like increased mental acuity, quick bursts of energy, lower pain threshold and bursts of heightened immunity (remember, you are fighting a bear here), how can it be that bad?  If the levels of cortisol are always high, that’s how.  If you are constantly in a state of STRESS – whether mental or physical – the cortisol is pumping into the bloodstream without the brain being able to tell it to relax (sound familiar?).  Eventually your body will do a mental eye roll and start ignoring the message that the elevated cortisol level is sending – thus it becomes desensitized and no longer elicits that “superhuman” response.  After a prolonged period of time, you will get the opposite reaction as your chronic stress tires your body out.  Then, you might experience this:

• decreased mental acuity
• blood sugar imbalance (hypoglycemia, for example)
• elevated blood pressure
• decreased immunity
• abdominal fat

Yikes.  Do you know anyone who is constantly stressed (at work, say) and ALWAYS sick?  Know you know why.   And you may know that abdominal fat puts you at a higher risk for heart disease (and all related factors).  There even may be a connection to higher cortisol levels and overeating (especially refined carbohydrates) – which can also contribute to unwanted FAT!   This highlights the importance of recognizing and managing your stress levels.  Everyone has different responses to different amounts of stress, but none of it is good on a chronic basis.

Exercise is a great way to reduce stress levels – even a little physical activity can expel that pent-up tension (unless your chronic stress comes from overexercising, but that’s not usually the case these days – more on that later).  You can kill two birds with one stone by reducing stress AND burning fat.  Massage, acupuncture, yoga and meditation have gained popularity as a regular part of Americans’ fitness and health regimen; it really is important to relax and rebalance too! If you are a stress eater, try to outsmart yourself by using a diversion (take a walk, nap or even some deep breaths for a few minutes); just steer clear of those foods (like sugar!) by not allowing yourself close to them in the first place.  Of course, sleep is the magic process that allows your body to reset and repair, so don’t ignore that, especially in high-stress times when you are feeling run down.  I love sleep.  It’s so underrated.

I recommend any of these practices over supplementation (if you know me well you know I’m not a huge fan of that anyway).   You may have seen commercials for cortisol-reducing pills to lose weight (DHEA and adaptogens, for example).  Aside from the studies that show these may not work (there may be other issues in the body that contribute as well), the basic fact is that we are dealing with hormones.  Hormones are a chemical that your body makes to be used somewhere else in your body; that’s nature.  Consuming a synthetic chemical that simulates a hormone is just not the same.  Plus,  your body knows how to balance these things out – if you are not even sure what hormones are at what levels because of stress or any system imbalance, popping a pill is probably not the smartest thing.  If you really need to take this route, at least do it under the direction of a doctor who has tested your blood levels.  But remember, imbalanced hormone levels don’t just happen – which means they are not usually the solution.  Try reducing your stress and taking a look at your physical activity and diet (start with your meat, dairy and sugar intake) to see what is creating the problem.  Then, you’ll have a better chance at avoiding the unwanted fat and disease that comes with it.