4 Tips To Keep Stress From Giving You More Weight
When it comes to stress, no one can disagree to its adverse effects on your health. Stress cannot just affect your day to day routine but can also induce multiple disorders including slower metabolism, indigestion, muscle aches, headaches and most importantly, weight gain. Although weight gain is linked to cortisol, the conflicting hormone released during stress, there are several other factors that can contribute to a bad lifestyle resulting in weight gain.
According to a study conducted by researches to measure weight gain in people with stress, people with stress consumed fewer calories than those with no stress. Although the difference was of around 100 calories but adding them up for a year could result into an additional 15 pounds. Our experts believe that stress may not be something you can control entirely but you can certainly manage to keep it from adding to your weight through some healthy tips.
Go For Healthy Fats
With what we have known, food doesn’t digest well during stress which means more fat will be stored in your body. Now most people will think about going for a fat free or low fat diet but fats are essential for energy, satiety and fullness. This is why while prepping a meal, choose only one fat based item. For instance if you are opting for yogurt in the morning, don’t bundle it up with eggs or toast, instead choose fresh fruits.
Go For Proportional Diet
Since you know that when you’re stressed out, you are less likely to burn calories, adjust your diet. Instead of going for a full cup of brown rice, make it half, add more veggies, a little grilled chicken and salad with vinegar will not only keep you full for longer but will also drastically reduce the amount of calories you are going to consume.
Go For Metabolic Boosters
Boosting your metabolism is the only key to move forward during stress. And if you are a spicy food lover, this will make you happier for sure. Hot pepper, cayenne and jalapeno add flavor to your food but simultaneously boost your metabolism as well.
Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises have been known to relieve stress. According to a research carried out by Spanish researchers, people who take some minutes before meals for relaxed breathing, tend to digest the food quickly and feel better instantly.
So before you start eating, sit on a chair, inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth. Take deep breaths, relax your muscles and you’ll see the difference immediately!
We know that these times are hard, especially for those with stress, but following these tips will help you immensely and keep you from gaining that extra weight!