Let's Talk About Stress Baby & Cut The Crap

Sometimes I just have to say what's on my mind and this post is one of those moments. So many of us are stressed and I know life can be hectic and throw us many curves balls. I have had my fair share of those. I meet people all the time who are stressed, eat very little and yet are overweight, feeling fat and unsexy.

Guys, only YOU can change this. 

I can give you some great information and solutions but you are the ones who have got to take control and apply it. STOP moaning and make a decision to change. Staying stuck in your current way of thinking if its causing you to be unhappy and not getting you the results you want is like a slow suicide and causes MORE stress than if you make a decision to change. Accept you will feel much better once you do. Be realistic you are going to eat the odd cake, the odd chocolate or sweet that's OK and have the courage to say my way isn't working.

I am not being harsh and if you still thinking you can't change.

Then shut this blog post down now the following advise will be of no use to you whatsoever. If you are thinking YES at last some help then read on and get excited that by the end of the blog post you will have more information to make those changes with than at the beginning. So lets get down to some serious information. For those of you that know me, know I'm not that serious and when I am I mean business. I want to inspire you to change and feel empowered by this decision. Are you ready? 

Stress is your body's reaction to situations you perceive to be dangerous. 

When stressed, your body increases production of a number of different hormones which can include adrenaline, and even cortisol during chronic stress. Under chronic stress, your body cannot break down its own energy storage (in the form of fat) quickly enough to replace what is being utilized. That's why we tend to seek out fast replacements in the form of fatty and sugar-laden foods. And because these foods are highly palatable, we find ourselves addicted to them as "comfort food." 

Help I crave sugar all the time!.

I hear people say this alot and the problem is that while these comfort foods may alleviate stress in some people (by raising serotonin levels) the over-consumption of these comfort foods often leads to abdominal obesity. Take a look around you at some of your friends and families body shapes. Thin legs and arms with large bellies. Muffin tops are on the increase, moobs (man boobs) are fast becoming the normal body shape. I know most of us don't want this, so let's change it.


Stress and what we call bad foods

There are a number of foods that trigger the stress response by interacting with our sympathetic nervous system and interfering with the digestive system. These include caffeine-containing products which increase metabolism and alertness, and trigger the release of hormones like adrenaline which increase blood pressure and heart rate. Do you drink a lot of coffee, red bull, energy drinks, tea and other sports drinks?

The top two comfort foods we typically use to lift our moods and restore our energy are sugars and refined starches. 

Both are found in refined processed snacks like biscuits, chocolates, breads, cereals and sweetened drinks. Unfortunately, these products provide no nutritional value and contain additives that are addictive which make them toxic to both our bodies and our moods. So what can we do about it well here are some suggestions we can use as alternative comfort foods and cut out the crap!