Every Monday, That's Fit's very own "charged up" wellness guru Laura Lewis presents The Passion Principle, a weekly guide that will help you achieve your greatest potential through words of inspiration, cutting-edge ideas and action tips you can use in your every day life!

Chronic stress can slow down your ability to lose weight and get rid of stubborn stored fat. Practicing a few unique stress-reduction strategies can help you lose those jiggly arms and way-too-ample bellies and booties!

I am quite familiar with stress -- raising kids as a single mother has given me an intimate relationship with it. As a person who writes, coaches and speaks about health on an almost-daily basis, I know implicitly that experiencing chronic stress may result in weight gain, and I'm not talking about an increase in muscle! And after recently spending more than $100 on a pair of cool, "beautiful booty" jeans, I am highly motivated to keep my stress in check, or I'll have to shell out even more cash for bigger clothes. And that is something I do not care to do. Like you, I have plenty of other things I should be buying with my hard-earned cash.

Storing more calories as body fat, specifically around your middle, occurs under times of stress. Even slim women who eat healthfully and work out on a regular basis are likely to have more belly fat if they are constantly stressed out. Researchers call it "visceral" fat -- the kind that sticks close to your internal organs and interferes with liver function, hampers the processing of cholesterol and insulin and compromises the function of other tissues and systems. Yikes. So what do we do? Develop our own stress-reduction strategies, that's what. Here are a few.

• Watch a Fish Tank. Watching a fish tank (even without fish) can lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Even watching a DVD or screensaver of fish reduces stress. Watching fish calms hyperactive children, decreases anxiety in dental patients, and Alzheimer patients tend to eat more food when a fish tank is placed in the dining room.
  
• Buy a Himalayan Salt Lamp. You've seen those lamps, right? They look like a crystal yet when lit up have an amber glow. These huge salt crystals originate in the foothills of the Himalayas mountain range and have been found to have calming effects upon those who use them. Salt is a negative ion which can bond positive ions and mitigate a "charged" environment. Do you feel calm sitting by the ocean? A salt lamp supposedly works upon the same principle.
  
• Sit by Running Water. Speaking of negative ions, I devoted an entire chapter to them in my book "52 Ways To a Healthy You." Ions are invisible particles in the air. If they had all of their parts, they'd be called atoms, but they are are missing particles of energy which causes them to become either positively or negatively charged. In order to feel wonderful, the particles need to be balanced and almost equal in a ratio of 5:4. There are various ways to help bring a positively-charged environment back into neutral, which will help you to feel more calm. Sitting by a fountain, a babbling brook, a huge waterfall or laying on a sandy beach with the waves breaking nearby can all help keep you calm.
  
• Be "Scentsible." Aromatherapy can also reduce stress. Real essential oils from the roots, leaves, petals and stems of plants can have a wonderful impact upon the body via the limbic system -- also known as the most primitive part of the brain. Smell travels directly to the limbic system, which in turn has an impact upon you physically and emotionally. It's like smelling one of your favorite foods mom used to make. Does the smell of fresh Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies make you feel loved? Smells that will help you feel less stressed are spiced apple, vanilla, lavender, chamomile, geranium and neroli. Be sure to burn candles or diffuse oils with fragrances from natural, and not synthetic, origins.
  

How do you minimize stress -- and fit into your cute jeans?