Stress is one of those things we all have, and most of us realize we just have to “deal” with it. We can’t avoid it 100%. We can’t just take vacation after vacation. And even if you could… even if you had unlimited financial abilities, there are still stressful situations. Mentally and emotionally, stress takes its toll on all of us, but what about physically?

You’ve probably heard of the effect stress has on your heart health. You may have even heard about stress making you more susceptible to colds, flu and infection due to its ability to decrease immunity. Did you know that it could be making you fat?

Yes, chronic stress and the constant dumping of cortisol (stress hormone) into your system can make you gain excess abdominal fat. Not only that, but when you are stressed, you tend to eat more or eat sporadically. You might even crave sugar, which naturally releases pleasure hormones. Unfortunately, it also makes us gain weight like crazy.

So, if you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to reduce weight this year, you might consider dealing with the stress in your life first. As mentioned, it’s nearly impossible to avoid all stress. The key is to find ways to reduce the negative effects of stress.

7 Top Tips on Reducing Stress:

1. Exercise reduces stress by releasing pleasure hormones and using up excess fats and glucose dumped into your system during stressful situations.
2. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to offer your body antioxidants that fight free radicals produced by stress hormones.
3. Practice yoga. Not only will you get the fat burning and toning benefits, but also yoga helps you find your centre and help you deal with stressful situations better.
4. Turn down the noise! More and more studies are showing that noise pollution (traffic, equipment, office noise, noisy classrooms, industrial noise etc.) causes a great deal of stress making it difficult to concentrate and feel at peace. Use noise earplugs to reduce the stressful effects.
5. Get your 8 hours of sleep! Sleep is the body’s maintenance time! Use foam earplugs and sleep mask to ensure a good night’s sleep.
6. Listen to music. Use custom earphones to listen to soothing music or music that lifts your mood.
7. Aromatherapy. Use essential oils such as lavender in aromatherapy warmers to infuse the soothing scent. Lavender actually helps your brain release serotonin (calming hormone).

I hope you find your New Year a little more peaceful!