Lose Weight Quickly – Manage Your Stress

When one decides to lose weight we want to lose weight quickly. It is hard enough to commit to changing your life so you definitely want to see results to keep your motivation up. Typically we choose to do some form of exercise in combination with a nutritious diet. These are the obvious steps we need to take. What may not be so obvious is managing your stress. Stress will affect your hormone production, your ability to relax, and even sleep. These effects of stress will make it harder for your body to lose weight. So if you want to lose weight you not only have to have a healthy body but you also need to have a healthy mind. Remember your looks are only a reflection of your health. If you focus on feeling better the great body will follow.

When we are stressed we release cortisol among other hormones. Cortisol causes the body to store fat, in particular around the waistline. It also can negatively affect your immune system. As many people who have dealt with stress know, the ability to relax and sleep well can be challenging if our mind is racing on stressful situations that come from a myriad of areas in our lives. Work, family, and friends can all be sources of stress at times.

The inability to sleep well will reduce your ability to produce growth hormone (GH) which not only aids in the recovery of your workouts but helps keep the body from storing fat. So stress has a double whammy of high cortisol and low GH sabotaging your plans to lean down.

Many of us dismiss the stress in our lives. People drink or take recreational drugs to deal with stress. Others distract themselves in other ways. Many of us do not tackle stress head on. Working out helps to negate the affects of stress. Certain exercises though are particularly helpful.

When we are stressed it reflects itself as tension that we hold in our bodies. Most notably people get tight shoulders but it is not limited to one particular area of the body. By releasing the tension in our bodies we are directly tackling the symptoms of stress. So stretching, yoga, and massage are great ways to tackle stress.

We also need to learn to clear our minds of the thoughts that cause stress. Meditation is a great way to clear the mind. Remember though that just like any new skill; it takes time to become good at meditation. In other words it takes practice to be able to block out all the random thoughts that stress you out on a regular basis. But if you keep trying you will notice your ability to remain calm when you are not meditating will also improve.

So when you decide to start living a healthy lifestyle and you want to lose weight quickly make sure you address all the facets of health. Eat a nutritious diet, work out regularly, and make de-stressing part of your fitness plan.


Source: www.impactfitnessinc.com