Stress and weight gain: understanding the link to manage it better
Why can stress affect your figure, particularly around the belly? What role does cortisol play? And which everyday habits can help you manage tension better: identifying sources of anxiety, taking care of your body, moving regularly and rebalancing your diet? Here are some pointers to help you see things more clearly.
A hectic daily pace, pressure and tension at work, tight deadlines… Many aspects of our modern, active, hyper-connected lives are a source of chronic or temporary stress. This anxiety can have its upsides, but in some people, it can also be accompanied by weight gain.
What is stress?
It is a state of disruption caused by an attack or a threat, by thoughts that generate frustration or worry, by a state of exhaustion, or by a hostile or difficult environment. We may feel stressed after losing a job, just as we may go through a period of anxiety during a breakup or a sporting competition. Depending on each person’s psychology, the sources of stress vary.
Stress raises the level of cortisol in our body — cortisol being known as the stress hormone. This hormone provides the brain with the energy it needs to cope with unsettling situations, and plays a role in regulating cardiovascular and immune function as well as blood pressure. A prolonged excess of cortisol can disrupt sleep quality and the body’s overall balance (1).
Stress and weight gain: what is the link?
Based on research into the links between stress and excess abdominal fat conducted by Dr Elissa Epel at the University of California, San Francisco (2), excess cortisol is thought to be associated with more pronounced fat storage in the abdominal area.
Women are more prone to linking stress and weight gain and to putting on weight around the belly. Stress can thus be accompanied by a hormonal imbalance associated with excess weight around the waistline. Indeed, in a state of panic, the body tends to crave food, which gives us the short-term illusion of channelling negative emotions, depression, anger or fatigue.
The evening treatment with Ginger & Slimsize® for the belly and hips
- Targeted night treatment for belly & hips, to massage in every evening before bed
- Ginger & Slimsize®, with a patented active ingredient at the heart of the formula
- Helps smooth and firm the skin
Living better with stress: adopt a new healthy lifestyle
To better manage stress day to day, adopt a balanced lifestyle and a healthy diet (3). A balanced lifestyle is essential, as the problem must be tackled at its root.
1- Identify the causes of stress
Learn to identify the everyday sources of anxiety and to reduce or resolve them over the long term. Then, familiarise yourself with stress management through simple exercises and easy-to-use tools to help you feel calm day to day: breathing control, relaxing music, meditation, disconnecting from social media, etc.
2- Take care of your body
To unwind, treat yourself to moments of self-care: a massage, a hot bath, a beauty routine you enjoy. No treatment can make stress-related fat disappear, but these rituals offer a real break in your day. Cellublue has created a Slimming Serum with a patented complex based on red algae, to be massaged into the areas you want to pamper.
3- Get moving
Take up regular physical activities — sport, dancing, hiking, yoga, etc. — which help you relax and release tension, and regain a little serenity.
4- Rebalance your diet
A balanced diet is part of an overall balanced lifestyle, without being a solution for stress. After limiting overly fatty and sugary foods in your cupboards, make room for a variety of foods. For example: magnesium-rich foods such as dark chocolate, nuts and seeds, seafood and wholegrains; animal protein (meat, fish, eggs) and plant protein (legumes and soy), nuts, as well as fruits and vegetables.
Sources and references:
(1) Stress, traumatismes et insomnies (2012), https://www.cairn.info/stress-traumatismes-et-insomnies–9782842541750-page-31.htm
(2) Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine, September/October 2000
(3) Apprivoiser le stress, « Les Grands Dossiers des Sciences Humaines 2011/6 (N° 23) https://www.cairn.info/magazine-les-grands-dossiers-des-sciences-humaines-2011-6-page-16.htm
Related articles
- Thighs: exercises, nutrition and skincare
- Stress and cellulite: 4 wellness sports that fight dimples
- Slimmer Legs Challenge: our one-month program
Useful categories : Everything You Need to Know About Slimming.
To go further, explore the Cellublue shop: our body care products.
