How to Reduce Stress to Lose Weight

As humans, we have a natural fight or flight response to stressful situations. This reaction causes a rise in hormones, such as adrenalin and cortisol. It is an evolutionary response, which is meant to protect you from danger. Back in the day, this response was triggered by things that threatened life, such as predators and starvation. In modern day society, we have countless situations that trigger the same fight or flight response but do not actually threaten our survival.

Our bodies cannot distinguish between a genuine threat, such as being hit by a car, or a perceived threat, like sending an email too late. When we realise that many of the things we stress about today are not worth stressing about, we can let them go, because, in reality, they do not threaten our wellbeing.

When you are stressed, the body will struggle to let go of stored fat. Stress triggers the release of the hormone cortisol, which causes your body to cling to fat and store more of it. If you want to lose weight, reducing stress is something that you will want to pay a lot of attention to. If you are stressed, your workouts will not be as effective. When stressed, you will reap more benefits in terms of losing weight from getting a massage or sleeping in than you will when waking up early and pushing your body during exercise.

Exercise to Reduce Stress

The natural response to stress should technically be physical like it was back in the day when you would have either fought or run when faced with danger, both of which are very physical actions. However, in modern-day society, we remain sedentary. When you feel stressed or anxious, one of the best things you can do is get some exercise.

This will allow your body to let go of some of the tension, while also releasing chemicals and hormones that make you feel good. Resistant exercise especially helps lower anxiety. Stick to shorter workouts, as prolonged exercise (usually longer than an hour) can increase cortisol levels.

Reduce Physical Stress

We also have physical stressors like sugar, alcohol, smoking, and a lack of sleep. If you do not sleep well, your cortisol levels stay high. Skipping meals also puts the body under a lot of stress. However, when done in a controlled fashion, like with time-restricted eating, where you only fast for twelve to fourteen hours a day, the stress caused can have beneficial effects and improve stress resilience.

Live in the Present

Do not think or plan too far into the future. It prevents you from living in the moment, and can cause stress and anxiety. Anxiety often manifests itself as the visualisation of what could go wrong. By trying to live mindfully and in the present moment, we can avoid overthinking about the future, thereby lowering stress and improving our overall quality of life.

Make Relaxing a Priority to Lose Weight

Do relaxing exercises, such as breathing deeply, stretching, meditating, exercising, laughing, and doing things that you enjoy. Making time to relax and unwind can have significant help you to lower cortisol levels and manage stress.

Foods to Eat to Reduce Stress

You can help reduce stress by eating lean meats, eggs, kimchi, and nutritional yeast. Vitamin B12 aids in balancing the neurotransmitters named Dopamine and Serotonin. Vegetarians and vegans may need to look for a vitamin B12 supplement, as it is mostly found in animal proteins.

Eat spinach, as it is high in folate, which has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression due to the important role it plays with DNA and RNA. Also eat foods that are rich in the amino acid tryptophan, which is necessary for serotonin production. Low levels of serotonin are associated with anxiety and depression. Exercise has the ability to help tryptophan reach your brain, where it gets converted to serotonin.

It is important to listen to your body when trying to lose weight. If you have been feeling stressed out, schedule a day where you can relax, enjoy a cup of Herbex Slimmers Detox Tea, eat healthy food, and watch your favourite movie. Sometimes, the key to reaching our goals faster is slowing down.

Other variants in the Herbex Slimmers Teas range include Metabolism, Eat-Less, Attack the Fat, and Fat Burn. You can buy Herbex products at any Clicks, Dischem, or major retailer nationwide, or online at Takealot.com.