INSPO Fitness Journal April 2017

Let’s face it, you don’t polish off a packet
of chocolate biscuits thinking you are going
to feel amazing afterwards. And you don’t do
that from a lack of knowledge – you do it for
biochemical or emotional reasons, or both.
Adrenalin (our short-term stress hormone)
communicates to every cell in the
body that your life is in danger – even if the
reason you are feeling stressed is because you
are making a phone call you would rather
not make, or because your email inbox is
exploding and you have a perception of pressure
to stay on top of it all.
Adrenalin triggers a surge in your blood
glucose (sugar) levels, which is ultimately
followed by a crash, and with that comes the
biological desire to restore glucose levels.
This is when your sugar cravings are likely
to arise.
Consuming too much caffeine is a sure
fire way to feel stressed or rushed as it also
results in the release of adrenalin. Many
people feel tired, yet often describe themselves
as being wired – yet they continue to
consume coffee (which stimulates adrenalin
production).
This is of particular importance if you
feel jittery when you consume it. Swap coffee
for green tea, or if that’s just unbearable
to you, ask for a single shot coffee (often
what we think of as a regular size coffee can
contain two or more shots) and notice if you
feel calmer and more energised after a week
of doing this.
HOW STRESS
can impact your food choices
BY DR LIBBY
I have never believed that
weight-loss or weight
management is as simple as
calories in versus calories out.
Our bodies are not inert and
what contributes to how we
nourish ourselves includes
what can be complex cultural,
metabolic, psychological and
environmental factors.
What, and how much you eat, as
well as moving your body regularly
aren’t the only things that
impact your shape and size. Emotional and
physical stress can also tip the balance of the
nervous system and subsequently the scales.
But it’s not always about weight gain,
stress can also result in people losing weight
– or changing their eating habits.
Driving the stress response
When you are stressed your body is constantly
producing adrenalin, and as a result
your energy tends to be inconsistent.
You fire up and then you crash, and the
choices you make when you crash can set
you up to fire up again and quite often they
are nutritionally of a poor quality. They will
typically involve caffeine, sugars or starches,
or all three.
Stress and weight gain
When you are running on adrenalin your
body needs a fast burning fuel, so instead of
burning body fat (which is a slow and steady
fuel), it chooses more glucose.
Continual overproduction of cortisol
(our long-term stress hormone) can lead to
visceral fat gain, the type located inside our
abdomen that is strongly linked to inflammation
and an increased risk of many diseases.
Stress has a tendency to make food feel more
rewarding or comforting, and subsequently
we can rely on food to ease our stress.
Be mindful of when you’re eating to
alleviate stress or when you’re eating because
you’re hungry. Typically, the types of food
you want will be the clue here. Not many
people who are stressed crave a big bowl of
kale.
Stress and weight loss
Many people describe that the mere thought
of eating makes them feel nauseous in the
midst of chronic stress and anxiety. There is
a biochemical reason behind this.
When our bodies produce stress hormones
part of this ‘fight or flight’ response
suppresses what it considers non-essential
processes such as our digestion, therefore,
digestive processes are compromised.
Nutrient-dense liquids are often beneficial
for people in times like these as they’re
much easier to digest; try soups, smoothies
and slow-cooked foods, such as casseroles.
8 INSPO – FITNESS JOURNAL APRIL 2017