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Marja Putkisto

Why stress can be the primary reason for weight gain and loss

Updated: Dec 23, 2022

Conscious deep stretching keeps my metabolism working, my stress levels down and my body toned and aligned.


The link between stress and weight gain has been proven. Every time you're stressed your adrenal glands release adrenaline and cortisol. The levels of cortisol can rise, even when you are following a healthy balanced diet avoiding eating foods high in fat, sugar or high in carbohydrates. This is a reason why stress can significantly impact our ability to maintain a healthy weight or feeling well.


When high levels of cortisol become permanent, the hormonal glands slow down your metabolism leading to sluggishness and excessive hunger. This can make us snack which, in turn, will increase our appetite.


It all comes down to an ability to recuperate. This is primarily a question of the brain and its ability to distinguish signals.


No wonder our ability to keep our figure slim and feeling our best is a far deeper reaching issue than we may first think. This is a matter of clarification and that is what recovery is all about: when the brain can read signals it sends commands without having to consciously access your daily activities. When you reach the stage of balance and harmony your body actively monitors for you how much to eat, as you will know when you are full and when you need to rest. You just need to follow the signs and when you need to move you simply need to move!


Just reading the following symptoms of stress makes me stressed!

Even just to look at the signs of long term stress makes me dizzy. The symptoms, to start with include back pain, joint aches, water retention, lack of quality sleep, a flushed face, thinning skin and muscle weakness. All this weakens the body's ability to recover, promoting depression, feeling of fatigue, absent mindedness or even exhaustion. The list goes on: changes in mood, irritability, indecisiveness, forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating all are telling us that not all is well. Also any disturbance in sleep patterns, whether chronic or acute, can promote an unhealthy increase in cortisol levels. Unacknowledged emotions can limit us in life and affect our long term ‘zest’ for life. To use our initiative becomes impossible when our heads feel hazed. The “I’ve no time’’- is often a sign of un-dealt stress.


My sugar levels have dropped. I think I need a tiny snack!

It is not exactly easy to manage stress when it is part of our normal lives. More and more people are monitoring what they eat, the quality of their sleep and counting their steps. That often adds more stress!


It often makes us too busy to get on with life and thus not be able to recognise the state ourselves. How many times does one actively deny the signs of overwhelming stress: ‘’I am fine’’, ‘’all is OK’’?

Even if we sleep it does not guarantee recuperation which is our natural way to beat the stress. Exhaustion is the result of many different aspects of our complicated lives where our emotions are intertwined on so many levels.


Stretching is a simple solution to keep your stress levels down, your figure toned and to feel energised.

I understood long ago that the very first - and simple - step to keep my weight down is to learn how to manage stress. It Is a solution to everyday recuperation.


The good thing is to know that as the ability to recuperate gets better, so does the feeling of control and trust in life.

A balanced body leads to positivity in life. Stretching is a wonderful way to avoid headaches, aches and pains and reach deeper relaxation when needed. Stretching, when performed correctly, is your way to a lean and lifted body.

‘’.. it comes down to the ability to be present in your life. It is about being conscious and allowing breathing space for observation to feel, not only the body and emotions, but life itself. ‘’


Yet, another skill to learn, on top of everything else?

Stretching one's body, when performed correctly, is such a simple tool to keep yourself feeling refreshed, toned and ready to go.

I argue that in modern times this skill is truly a skill worth mastering!

Warm welcome to my new course, see you online!

Marja

FACTS

  • Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands found just above your kidneys. Its other roles include increasing blood sugar, reducing inflammation, suppressing the immune system and aiding nutrient metabolism.

Slight elevations in cortisol in response to stress are normal. Normally Cortisol release is regulated by your pituitary gland and the hypothalamus located in your brain. During times of increased stress, cortisol and adrenaline are released from your adrenal glands. This triggers an increase in heart rate and energy levels, preparing your body for a potentially harmful situation. Continued elevations in cortisol can lead to influencing your body weight.





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