Why do I get fat? This is the question that many people ask each week every time they step on a scale. It’s hard to assume, but among the reasons that lead us to gain weight there are two that are clear. The first, because we eat, and we eat foods with a lot of calories and, second, because we do NOT exercise and, therefore, we do not burn that energy contribution that has entered our body. Another very different question is to ask yourself: Why can’t I control my desire to open the fridge and take the first thing I see? Why do you feed me when I’m nervous? Why does stress make me fat?
Why stress makes you fat?
When you’re nervous, you need to calm down that excitement somehow. There are people who go for a run, others who prefer to talk a lot, but there are also those who calm that anxiety by eating. In These cases, self-control is important, but it’s not always possible, is it? When we are stressed, we sleep poorly and, consequently, our blood sugar levels are altered. The most immediate consequence is wanting to eat and this creates a vicious circle because it increases stress.
Our blood sugar levels rise when we eat. In a healthy person they quickly return to normal, but on the day we are stressed, it takes three hours for blood sugar levels to return to normal. The reason this happens is that when you are stressed, the body goes into “fight or flight” mode. You think you are low on sugar and release glucose into your blood to provide energy for your muscles. But if you don’t need that energy to escape danger, your pancreas will pump out insulin to bring your blood sugar levels down again. These rising insulin levels and falling blood sugar levels make you feel hungry, which is why you crave sugary carbs when you’re stressed. The same type of thing happens when you have a bad night’s sleep.
How to reduce daily stress?
Reducing daily stress will help us to have a better quality of life because we will eat better (healthier, calmer and with a greater variety), we will sleep and, therefore, we will rest better, we will be able to remove unpleasant sensations such as anxiety from our daily lives, and we will begin to think positive. But how to do it?
Breathing is essential to bring peace and tranquility to the body. For this breathing exercise to have a lasting effect over time, you have to try to incorporate it into your daily routine. Find a time of day (in the morning or at night before going to bed), a position that is comfortable for you (standing, sitting or lying down) and do small inhalations and exhalations for 3 or 5 minutes.
Say goodbye to mobile. The addiction that we have lately to social networks (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and to WhatsApp means that we are all day waiting for the phone: if they have marked a photo of us as a favorite, if we have received a message, if your colleagues have published something new…
Practice some hobby. Think about what you like to do in your free time and find a space to do it. It doesn’t have to be something physical, it can be as simple as sitting down and looking at a landscape from the window of your house or reading a book.
