There are times in our lives when it seems we are about to break down due to so much workload on us. Truth be said; going through difficulties in your relationship, being a care giver, and illness can take its toll on us. Some retort to excessive eating, but this isn’t a solution either.

Stress causes our body to go through some physical changes, one of which is weight gain. Weight gain isn’t something that occurs instantly, it only builds up when we fail to give our body what it needs.

Adrenaline is a hormone that helps us cope with stress. Their job does not end at helping us cope with stress, they help control other hormones.

An overworked adrenal gland is simply an invitation to increased fat and calories. In the end, we eat a lot but never getting satisfied. Weight gain becomes inevitable. It is important to find ways of managing stress so as to avoid gaining unwanted weight.

Coping with stress

Our ancestors have right from time immemorial have had no choice but to protect themselves from environmental factors. Right from the days of the dinosaurs, nature has found a way of putting fear in humans.

Nature has taught us to protect our lives by staying away from dangerous situations.

If a tiger were to flying out of the blues and chase you, your adrenaline will automatically switch your flight mode by secreting cortisol and adrenaline. These set of hormones gives us the required strength and energy.

Even though what might frighten us now did not frighten our ancestors, our fight-or-flight response hasn’t changed a bit.

Whenever we get stressed, our body sources its fuel from stored up fats, after which it replenishes it. When we are stressed, our cortisol level rises, which then leads to poor response from our body leptin. In the end, we just want to eat the more.

Stress we suffer these days has more psychological tune that physiological. As a matter of fact, chronic stress has become a way of life for most people. Chronic stress is a sign of increased level of cortisol. High level of cortisol makes the body want more food, but rather than consuming it, it ends up storing it in the abdomen as fat.

Belly fat as a sign of fatigue of the adrenal gland

Lack of balance in the body’s adrenaline leads to expansion in the waistline. When we start feeling hungry, and our blood sugar level falls, then in response, the brain then stimulates the adrenal gland to produce more cortisol.

Cortisol then releases amino acid, fats and glucose which supplies the body with the energy it needs. Cortisol helps stabilize sugar in the blood. When we are stressed, there is an increase in cortisol and insulin in the blood, with more fat being stored up in the abdomen.

Interestingly, scientists have found out that fat cells contain receptors for cortisol, and these receptors are mostly stored in the fat cells in the abdomen.

Also, it has been proven by scientists that fat in the belly is actually an active tissue that serves as an endocrine gland which accumulates fats in the body. Unless we attend to the imbalance in our adrenaline, things we never go right. Here are some tips to do that

Avoid unhealthy foods

It is important you check what you eat. To avoid your body from craving for more food which does nothing but to ruin it, eat only healthy meals at the right time. Regulating the sugar in the blood, helps de-stress the adrenal gland. The simplest way to do this is to eat three nourishing meals and then two healthy snacks all through the day.

The circadian rhythm of our body can help us know when the time has come for us to eat. Cortisol cycle also does the same, but it is stronger in the morning and then declines steadily across the day. Eating increases our cortisol level. With this in mind, it is necessary we eat as much as possible in the mornings, as it helps the body get sufficient rest during the night.

Healthy foods should be available all the time. Don’t fall for the temptation of consuming caffeine and sweets as they inflict harm to the body. Instead, store up healthy foods like protein, fresh fruits, avocado, vegetable, ginger and garlic so as to improve your adrenaline.

Supplementing your diet is very important. Multivitamins and minerals will be your best bet in doing this. Taking in multivitamins all the time improves your health.

Make it easy for your body to heal

Everything just seems to be moving too fast these days. Internet, our mobile devices, television and email are all competing for our attention. To get trapped, take live slowly so as to restore your adrenaline balance. Working too much does not take weight away from you, it does the reverse actually. So here are some tips for you to keep things balanced.

Get enough sleep

Depriving yourself sufficient sleep at night sets you up for tiredness in the day. Insufficient sleep offsets your circadian cycle. The solution to this is avoiding late night eating, turning off the TV and all technology by 8:00 pm, and being in bed by 10:00 pm. Your body needs at least 8 hours of sleep to function properly.

Exercise

Exercising helps keep away stress from us. Exhaustion is a sign that our adrenal glands have been over worked. Your aim while exercising is to maintain your heart beat at less than 90 beats per minute. The simplest form of exercise you can do is 15 minutes of walk, which should be done two times a day in fresh air.

Exercising should be a fun activity, so don’t forget that. Laughing and doing some fun activities is a way of relaxing our body system.

Breathe

Breathing not only calms our body down, it helps slows our heart rate. Stress has a way of making our breathe shallow. Three to four breathes can recharge us in an amazing way. Taking life slowly and breathing slowly can positively make a huge impact in our life.

Just let it go

Letting things go can be a daunting task. There are so many demands that mount stress on us. There needs that needs to be met, career we need to build, and lots of people to take care of. Failing to take proper care of ourselves during such times does nothing else but to add pounds of weight to us.

Dealing with chronic stress wedges our body into crisis mode. You will definitely need help if you have fallen into one.

Taking things easy on yourself, eating the right food, having fun and proper breathing can help burn the stress away.