Stress is nothing rare, quite the opposite: in Germany stress is one of the most common widespread ailments. In many cases stress can also lead to weight gain. In today's age, where everything has to happen quickly and immediately, our body is usually overwhelmed and our mind can't keep up either. We constantly think about the pressure at work, know we should look after family and friends, the housework is waiting at home, and on top of time-consuming hobbies we're also supposed to exercise three times a week. All of this leads to physical and mental stress and has negative effects, including stress-related weight gain.
How stress affects your body
Whether mental or physical stress, our body reacts with the stress hormone cortisol. It is produced in the adrenal gland and is a factor in many metabolic processes in the body. After cortisol is released in stressful situations, blood pressure goes up and heart rate rises. Even though that leads to performance at first, in the long run cortisol can have a negative effect on the body.
The effect of cortisol
Besides raised blood pressure and a high heart rate, cortisol has a big effect on weight loss. The stress hormone makes our cells react resistantly to insulin, so fat breakdown can't take place. The building of muscle in the body is also stopped. The release of the satiety hormone leptin and the hunger hormone ghrelin is influenced by cortisol. This means the feeling of fullness can't set in and hunger is promoted. This quickly leads to stress-related weight gain.
Consequences of stress in connection with being overweight
The stress hormone cortisol is not the only reason stress encourages weight gain, though. When you're under stress you usually don't have regular meals, because you always eat quickly and in between. The quality of the food is lost, since you mostly reach for fast food, and wolfing it down means the feeling of fullness can't set in. We're also taught from a young age that sweets are a reward, so after stressful days we treat ourselves to a bowl of ice cream or a bag of crisps. Besides the poor eating habits, there's also listlessness. After a stressful working day you have no time for exercise, let alone the desire.
How to avoid stress
If you notice that your weight comes from stress, you should tackle the stress first before you start dieting. Make sure you get enough sleep and move a lot. Overcome your inner couch potato, you won't regret it. But also make sure to take enough breaks and listen to your inner voice. Give yourself breaks in which you look after yourself and your wellbeing.
A juice cleanse can also help you find your inner balance again (find out here how). And last but not least: say goodbye to perfectionism. Nobody is perfect and you don't have to be either. Cancel a Saturday evening plan if you notice you need to recover. Put your phone away in the evening and read a book, meditate or go to bed earlier.
Stress is nothing unusual, quite the opposite: in Germany, stress is one of the most widespread health problems. In very many cases, stress can also lead to excess weight. In today's age, where everything has to happen fast and right now, our body is mostly overwhelmed and our mind can't keep up either. Because we constantly think about the pressure at work, know that we should look after family and friends, the housework is waiting at home, and alongside time-consuming hobbies we're also supposed to do sport three times a week. All of this leads to mental and physical stress and has negative effects, including stress-related weight gain.
How stress affects your body
Whether mental or physical stress, our body reacts with the stress hormone cortisol. It is produced in the adrenal gland and is a factor in many metabolic processes in the body. After cortisol is released in stressful situations, blood pressure goes up and heart rate rises. Even if that initially leads to better performance, in the long run cortisol can have a negative effect on the body.
The effect of cortisol
Besides raised blood pressure and a high heart rate, cortisol has a big effect on weight loss. The stress hormone makes our cells respond resistantly to insulin, so fat breakdown can't take place. Building muscle in the body is also stopped. The release of the satiety hormone leptin and the hunger hormone ghrelin is influenced by cortisol. As a result, the feeling of fullness can't set in, and hunger is promoted. This quickly leads to stress-related weight gain.
Stress and its link to excess weight
The stress hormone cortisol is not the only reason why stress promotes weight gain. As a rule, when you're under stress you don't have regular meals, because you always eat quickly and in between. The quality of the food gets lost in the process, because you mostly reach for fast food, and when you wolf it down the feeling of fullness can't set in. We are also taught from an early age that sweets are a reward, so after stressful days we treat ourselves to a bowl of ice cream or a bag of crisps. Besides the bad eating habits, there's also a lack of motivation. After a stressful day at work you have no time to do sport, let alone feel like it.
How to avoid stress
If you notice that your excess weight comes from stress, you should tackle the stress first before starting any diets. Make sure you get enough sleep and move a lot. Overcome your inner couch potato, you won't regret it. But also make sure to take enough breaks and listen to your inner voice. Give yourself moments of rest in which you take care of yourself and your wellbeing.
A juice cleanse can also help you find your inner centre again (find out here how). frank.'s juice cleanses are tailored to all your needs. Go for a 3-day juice cleanse, or maybe the 5-day juice cleanse. You can also extend our cleanses with BIOGENA supplements into a gut cleanse, beauty cleanse or energy cleanse.
And last but not least: say goodbye to perfectionism. Nobody is perfect and you don't have to be either. Cancel plans on a Saturday evening if you notice you need to recover. Put your phone away in the evening and read a book, meditate or go to bed earlier.
