When stressed, many people tend to put on more weight
for various reasons. Unfortunately,
there’s something you can do to curtail weight gain and even get more fit while
reducing stress at the same time. For staying fit when stressed, I try these recommendations:
Relaxation Techniques:
You can stop the damage caused by chronic stress with
the regular practice of relaxation techniques. These can trigger the relaxation
response, which stops the cascade of changes that can occur when you’re
stressed, including changes that contribute to weight gain. Some of my favorite
relaxation techniques include: Yoga, Martial arts, Journaling, Laughter, and, okay, sex.
Healthy Munchies:
When stressed, many people tend to eat more, and crave
foods that are high in salt, sugar and fat. If you find yourself prone to the
munchies when you’re feeling the crunch of stress, if it seems too hard to
control your cravings, you can really help yourself by switching to more
healthy fare for snacking. The following have worked for many:
Carrot
sticks have a satisfying crunch, and are good for you, too. Dipped in
low-fat ranch, they’re packed with flavor and aren’t too bad for your bod.
Edamame, a type
of snackable soy bean, is delicious, healthy, and fun to eat, if you get the
variety that’s still in the pod.
Sunflower
seeds (try low-salt or unsalted varieties for better health) have
protein and nutrients, and are pretty yummy. If you get them in the shell, they
give your hands something to do, and it’s hard to eat too many when you have to
shell each one.
Rather
than popping open a can of soda, which is packed with empty calories and sugar,
which can send you on a downward spiral of mood swings later, opt for sparkling
water; you’ll feel like you’re getting a treat, and your body will, too.
There’s
always gum. If you’re a discreet chewer, you can turn one of those
snacking sessions—ones where you’re really not hungry but want something in
your mouth—into guilt-free flavorful fun. Just try not to blow too many bubbles
if you’re at the office.
Eat At Home:
Another reason busy, stressed people tend to gain weight
is that they more often eat fast food; after a busy day running around, you may
not have time to come home and cook something from scratch. But meals you make
are usually much better for you. And cooking at home can save you money, too,
which may indirectly decrease your stress level by putting you under less
financial strain. And it’s easier than you think.
Work Activity Into Your
Life:
Do you want to work out, but find yourself short the
extra hours a week it would take to go to the gym? You may be able to remedy
this with time management techniques, or you can work exercise into your life
by finding simple ways to move more. Taking the stairs rather than the
elevator, for example, or going for a walk during your lunch break are easy
ways to do this. You can also park further away from wherever it is you go,
forcing yourself to walk a little more before you get to your destination. You
can even stop, drop, and do a few sets of push-ups every hour or two to keep
your blood moving and slowly build muscle. You can get more exercise at home by
doing active housework, playing active games with your kids. Let me help you get started, click here.
Turn Off The T.V.:
Or at least be selective. Rather than chilling in front
of the tube because you’re too exhausted to do anything else, only to look up
hours later and realize you’ve wasted most of your evening and didn’t get much
lasting benefit from the experience, see if you can unwind with some soothing
music. Chances are, you won’t spend as much time listening to music as you
would flipping from show to show, and you might end up doing something more
creative or productive with your time, like journaling, calling a friend, or
spending quality time with your loved ones. (Next time you think about things you wish you had time to
do, remember the time you could free up with less television!) If there are
shows you really don’t want to miss, at least record them ahead of time, so you
can watch them at your convenience, fast-forward through commercials, and then
turn the T.V. off.
Once you incorporate some or all of these simple
strategies into your life, staying fit when stressed should be much less of a
challenge. And, best of all, you can experience less stress and better health
in the process!
