Is Stress Making You Gain Weight?
Unless you have a magic Genie who does everything for you, you come across stressful situations every day. From hectic work schedules to strained family life and the pressures of the daily grind, stress can wear out even the strongest person. Some who struggle with weight loss use food as away to ease the stresses in their life. I used chocolate! This leads to weight gain, which leads to more stress, creating a vicious cycle that is difficult to break.
BUT you can change the way you react to stress. A patient of mine who has fibromyalgia confided, “ When I’m stressed, I want fattening foods because they make me feel better.” In reality, fattening foods eaten daily make you feel worse. They lower your immune system, make you gain weight, cause painful joints and a host of diseases.
When I recommended that losing weight could make her painful joints go away, she dismissed the advice immediately and blamed everything on the disease. Did you know that just 1 lb of weight causes 4 lbs of excess pressure on your joints? The first step to losing weight is taking responsibility for your actions. Once you recognize and admit what is stopping you from success, you can do what is necessary.
Simply put - fat is toxic and makes you old and sick. I'll say that again, fat is toxic and makes you old and sick! Have you ever heard a person who has lost weight say they feel worse and want all that weight back on?
I was 60 pounds overweight and can relate to joint pain and low energy from excess weight. I lost it the old fashioned way. Now that I'm in menopause, it's coming back. So instead of blaming everything else, I'm designing a weight loss program for menopausal women and will show you the results in the future. My program includes sensible exercise and healthy nutrition. There is so much unscrupulous information on the internet and as a medical professional, it's my duty to give you accurate, evidenced based information - so you won't ever get "LOSE 30 POUNDS IN 30 DAYS" from me:)
According to Psychology Today, "25 studies in 26 years confirms that exercise makes you happier" and helps alleviate mild to moderate depression without the side effects of medicine. Really, if all the benefits of exercise came in a pill, everyone would take it - including myself. But pills cause side effects and can damage your liver so whenever you can improve your health naturally - that's the best and least expensive option. If you're on medication it is always best to see your doctor. Since I have many doctors who recommend my exercise DVDs, go ahead and inquire if Functional Fitness with Suzanne Andrews is right for you. Let your doctor know that the workouts are on PBS TV and on DVD. (DVD has more footage as we are on tight time constraints on TV).
Healthiest blessings,
Suzanne Andrews founded Functional Fitness in 2008, the most popular fitness series for boomers and seniors broadcasting on over 159 Public Television stations throughout the US and Canada. Read Suzanne’s inspiring comeback story of how she survived a near fatal accident, From Deaths Door to Producing a National Fitness Series. Feel free to send Suzanne a message here.
