Dear Laura,

Recently I have been really stressed. I'm in sales and with the economy the way it is I am making a lot less money than I usually do. Not a good thing. Since I am fairly health conscious I have been working out regularly and trying to eat right. But get this. I have gained about 12 pounds in the last three months. The only thing that changed is my stress went up. What gives?

Best,

Rick M., Clearwater, FL

Dear Rick,

Ah, one of my favorite subjects! Why? I consider myself an "expert" in this area from first hand experience...hey, I am a type "A" personality who, at times, has to really think about taking my stress down a few notches. With about two thirds of our American population to be considered in the "overweight" category many experts attribute this statistic to our high levels of stress as well as poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyles.

So Rick, here's the deal: Being stressed out all the time may make you gain weight simply for the reason that your cortisol levels are higher than normal. "Messaging" to your brain says, wait a minute, survival is in order, let's store more calories as fat. Hmmm, also blood sugar levels get a bit whacky too. The roller coaster ride your blood sugar is on can cause higher levels of insulin to float around in your body too, in an attempt to level it out. Your brain tells your body via your liver to store more calories as fat, "just because". See, keeping your stress level down will level out your biochemistry, making things work a bit more "normally, so you'll burn more fat calories as fuel. At least in theory.

Here are a few tips on how you can take a "chill pill" which may, in turn, tell your body to ramp it up in the fat burning arena:

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According to the article, our bodies use sleep to release certain hormones, including those essential for growth and development. If we wake in the middle of the night, those functions are disrupted. One example is cortisol. For people with normal sleep patterns, this stress hormone peaks around 4 a.m. We're blissfully unaware because we snooze through it. Then, a doctor is quoted as saying: "If you're awake longer than you should be for a few days, that puts your body under stress, which leads to higher levels of cortisol."

Let's hope I have some luck tonight.

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We've all heard of the healing power of laughter. And while it seems like nothing more than a quaint notion imparted by camp counselors and third grade teachers, there's a growing body of evidence to suggest that it actually has a place in medicine. Perhaps even more incredible is a recent discovery by a team of researchers at Loma Linda University in California, who found that the mere anticipation of laughter can lower stress hormones.

In the study, the anticipation of "mirthful laughter" reduced the levels of three stress hormones – dopac, cortisol, and epinephrine – by 38, 39, and 70 percent, respectively. These findings have implications of particular interest for people who exercise, as it is an increase in these same hormones that can cause muscle breakdown.

This study is just one of many that examines the total body connection; an understanding that the mind, the body, and the spirit work in conjunction to regulate our psychophysiology.

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If you're doing what you can to drop some pounds, yet you can't seem to get the numbers on the scale to budge, it may be because you're workout -- or even just your daily living -- needs a little fine tuning. Here are a few tips to help get your fat loss motor running.

• Be sure to drink enough water, as it helps deliver nutrients to your muscles and flushes out toxins from your body. The 8 glasses per day suggestion really isn't necessary, but drinking more than you already do probably is. Plus, drinking water may help you feel fuller for a longer period of time, thereby reducing your food cravings.
• Avoid refined carbs, such as those found in sugary soft drinks, juices, white rice, white bread, and potatoes. They will spike your blood glucose levels which, over time, can lead to the storage of fat and weight gain.
• Eat more slowly. Your brain is usually 20 minutes behind in getting the message from your stomach that you're full. So, if you eat too quickly, you may have eaten way past the point when you should have stopped, only your brain was delayed in getting the memo. Take your time while dining, it will help you feel more satisfied from smaller portions.
• Get 8 hours of sleep. Research shows that getting any less can lead to a host of health issues, including an increase in insulin levels. This will contribute to weight gain. Furthermore, if you're not getting enough sleep, you're going to feel tired all day, including while you're working out.
• To lose weight, you need to cut around 500 calories from your diet per day. That is, unless you're already starving yourself (which you shouldn't be doing). Dipping too low in the calorie department will cause your metabolism to come to almost a screeching halt. It also causes your body to conserve calories rather than burning them.
• Over-training can cause a release in the hormone cortisol, resulting in an increase in weight and catabolization of muscle. Limit your workouts to one hour daily.
• Always change your workout -- in some way, shape, or form -- about every 4 to 6 weeks. In this amount of time, your body will adapt to the stress levels and reach a point of general maintenance. Changing your workout will help you break through a fitness plateau.

If you're having trouble shedding some pounds, don't fret. Making a few small adjustments may be all that's required to get you to where you want to be.

A 2006 sleep study at Columbia University involved the examination of survey data on 4,810 people (excluding those who were overweight or suffered from sleep disorders) and found that those who slept less than 5 hours a night increased blood pressure by an average of 60 percent.

Sleep deprivation -- and, whether you agree or not, getting less than five hours of sleep is classified as being sleep deprived -- stimulates stress hormones, which cause spikes in blood pressure. Now, if you start missing sleep regularly, that's when the more long-term problems with blood pressure begin, as it may lead to lasting damage to heart valves.

But, what about people who try to sleep but simply can't? Their minds are whirring, they toss and turn in the bed, and before they know it, it's 3:00 in the morning. Doctors suggest engaging in an evening exercise program. Once completed, your body's core temperature will be lower, and you will feel physically taxed from the workout. Next Stop: The Land of Nod. Population: A healthier You.

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Regular exercise is one of the best ways to help ensure a healthy lifestyle. Coupled with proper diet and at least 7 hours of sleep each night, and your odds of early 'life retirement' become very slim. Exercise is also a great way to help reduce stress and alleviate symptoms of depression, making it an emotional and mental health healer, as well. However, as good for you as exercising undoubtedly is, there are some training mistakes that can quickly sabotage your training.

Here are 5 pitfalls you should try to avoid with your workout program, helping you to make the most out of your effort:

Stale Routines. Your body will adapt to a workout after about 4 to 6 weeks, at which time it will stop producing new results. Even small changes to your workout (i.e. rep count, time taken between breaks, etc.) can oftentimes be enough to stimulate your muscles again.

Over-training. Exercise is very taxing on your body, which is why you need adequate rest in between workouts. Not allowing yourself this reprieve can weaken your immune system and even lead to muscular atrophy.

Lack of Balance. Just because you can't see your back muscles very easily doesn't mean that you shouldn't train them as hard as those muscles you check out in the mirror. A lack of muscle balance will hinder your overall progress.

Training for Too Long. Generally speaking, an hour is long enough to spend in the gym. After that amount of time, your body begins producing more cortisol than testosterone, meaning your training is now doing more harm than good.

Not Eating After a Resistance Workout. There's a 30-45 minute window that remains open right after your workout. During this time, be sure to eat a meal rich in protein and fast-digesting carbohydrates. Missing this window precludes you from the chance to begin the rebuilding process and, in worst cases, can cause your body to look to your stored muscle for replenishment.

Yoga is often suggested for people who want to improve flexibility or relieve stress, but new studies are showing that taking part in regular yoga exercises can also reduce many factors that contribute to heart disease.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and excess weight tha can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. When over 100 people with the syndrome practiced yoga during the study, their reduce waist circumference, blood triglycerides, and blood pressure, among other risk factors.

The theory is that yoga induces a "relaxation response" that calms the nervous system and reduces the level of stress hormones in the body.

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How familiar does this scene sound:

You eat lunch at work, somewhere around noon or so, only to finish your day at around five. Given that you didn't have the time to grab a quick mid-afternoon snack, it's now been almost five hours since you've last eaten. Then, you drive for about a half an hour from work, spend ten minutes or so settling in at home, and then finally swing open the fridge. Staring you in the face are the tasty leftovers from last night's ravioli dinner, so you wolf them down in about three bites. Minutes later, you finally plop down on the couch and flip on the TV.

That all too familiar scenario alone points to a number of problems with our diets:

1) We generally spend waaaaaaaaaaay too much time in between meals. The less often you eat, the more weight you will gain. Long periods of not eating will cause your body to respond by slowing your metabolism. By contrast, the more often you eat, the more weight you will lose (or, at least, your chances of gaining weight will be diminished). By not allowing your body to ever feel hungry, your body will respond by revving up your metabolism.

2) We stress ourselves fat. Rushing around town, trying to be here and there, worrying about this and that - all of that worry and stress leads to an increased release of cortisol. Put simply, cortisol is a hormone that can affect not only your weight gain and muscle loss, but can also raise blood pressure and be immunosuppressive.

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A couple of days ago, I told you how to sleep more deeply. But why is sleep so important? Here's list of what a lack of sleep can do to you:

• You body has difficulty processing glucose -- meaning you can't metabolize sugar properly, which makes your cells unhealthy ... and the rest of your body too.
  
• You're in a constant state of alertness, because your levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, are spiked. This means you'll be under constant stress and will have trouble resting -- meaning you'll have trouble sleeping
• Your immune system weakens. I know about this all too well. When I was a starving student, pulling all-nighters and working evenings and weekend to make ends meet, I was constantly sick. Now that I get a proper amount of shut-eye, I haven't been sick in ages.
• You're moody.
• You're not mentally sharp
• You crave junk food. And because you're not at you peak performance, you're more likely to give in to those cravings.
  

So remember folks -- make sleep a priority.

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Being perfect, or more accurately trying to be perfect, is a very stressful endeavor. It's a proven fact.

A study looked at 50 middle-aged men, and those who rated highest on tests for perfectionism also rated highest on stress level tests and secreted the highest amount of the stress-related hormone, cortisol. The sad part, or the good part, about this (depending on how you look at it) is that perfectionism is largely self-inflicted. So we're bringing unnecessary stress on ourselves!

For you perfectionists out there: knowing this, can you stop? My guess is probably not (I know I can't!).

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You no longer have to feel guilty about indulging yourself in that massage. Scientific studies make it official -- getting a massage may improve your health.

Multiple studies have shown that massage reduces the amount of the stress hormone cortisol circulating in your body, and also raises the levels of "happy" hormones serotonin and dopamine. Those hormonal changes block pain receptors in your brain, bringing relief to those who suffer from such conditions as lower back pain, fibromyalgia, and other painful conditions. Not only that, because cortisol destroys your natural "killer cells," reducing the amounts of it in your body boosts your immune system and helps you ward off infections. Massage has also been found to fight insomnia, make you feel more alert, and ease the symptoms of PMS.

So go for that massage and know that you're not just indulging yourself with a little luxury, but doing your body good as well.

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When I was 18, the love of my life (up until that point, anyway) and first love broke up with me as he headed off to college. The very next night, my 16-year-old dog died in her sleep as I held her in my lap. The boy, I got over, but the dog still holds a special place in my heart.

As a dog owner, I was surprised by the recent study that pet owners tend to be more overweight than their non-animal loving counterparts. My dog loves to be active -- she dissolves into a nervous tail-wagging breakdown at the mere mention of a walk and is up for a game of fetch 24 hours a day. She doesn't get nearly the attention she deserves, but I think we tend to be more active because of her.

In any case, what didn't surprise me was this piece touting the emotional benefits of pet ownership. In fact, some studies have found that just petting an animal can lower the stress hormone cortisol in some people. Dogs -- friendly and instant conversation pieces -- also help people to be social and drive away loneliness. Even watching a fish tank can soothe and calm a restless mind. One theory is that nurturing and being responsible for another creature creates the unique bond between pet and owner. Personally, I think that it's the unconditional love a pet can give you. What pet owner hasn't come home from a long day at work and been forced to smile at the four-legged welcoming committee waiting for them at the door?

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Laid up with a bout of flu, I spent a couple of days channel surfing recently, something I rarely ever do. I can across a bright, flashy ad for a Cortisol-reducing supplement, which explained to me in an energetic TV voice that by reducing cortisol, it would reduce my belly fat. So I decided to figure out just what this cortisol stuff is anyway?

Turn out, Cortisol is a hormone that, in response to stress, increases appetite and in turn, belly fat. So weight-loss companies have drawn the conclusion that by reducing cortisol, appetite and therefore belly fat can also be reduced. It seems like an obvious conclusion but there doesn't seem to be any conclusive evidence that Cortisol-reducing products help with weight loss. A better way to reduce cortisol would be to reduce your stress.

Have you seen any results from using Cortisol-reducing products?

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Good news for tea drinkers! New research proves that drinking black tea can help your body deal with the harmful long-term effects of stress. More specifically, black tea appears to help the body reduce levels of cortisol, a hormone the body produces after stressful situations, which has been linked to the onset of heart disease.

So, while drinking tea doesn't appear to help the actual stress levels we experience, it can bring those harmful cortisol levels back to normal, faster. Researchers aren't yet sure which ingredients in the tea were active in combating cortisol levels, but you can bet this subject will be researched further. In the meantime, if you're dealing with stressful situation make sure to take time for a nice hot cup of tea. Grandma apparently knew what she was talking about.

Via: The Cardio Blog

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