Do you feel inflamed? Your weight gain could be from stress.

We all know stress is a common part of life. It's unavoidable. We need doses of stress in order to build resiliency.

Stress is also a safety mechanism for the body. It lets us know there is something wrong and works to protect us from illness and injury. "When we experience stress, our body releases the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. This prepares us for a fight-or-flight response. While this response is helpful in acute situations, such as escaping from danger, prolonged release of stress hormones can lead to inflammation." -Burns

But too much stress, all of the time, that is NOT managed... starts to compound. This can manifest in many ways, but something as simple as:

-Headaches (chronic- happening multiple times throughout the week)

-Fatigue (hard to get out of bed in the morning, or just feeling wiped when you come home from work)

-Agitation (you are less available to be "present" or you might feel more short tempered with your spouse or kids)

-Digestion issues (bloating, constipation, diarrhea, gas, cramping, increased hunger, or inability to feel full, cravings)

-Skin Issues (acne, eczema, redness, skin flare ups, or a "puffy look")

-Hormonal disruption and weight gain

Is this hitting a little close to home?

The biggest impact of inflammation is how it can directly correlated with your mental health.

Happy chemicals like serotonin and dopamine are released when the body is in a calm state of being. Chronic inflammation can contribute to anxiety and depression, creating a cycle that can be difficult to break. Cortisol is constantly being released to protect you from your state of "fight or flight" or running from the pretend bear that is chasing you, instead of putting the body in a relaxed and happy state of being. Overtime, this constant disruption starts to impede your cognitive functions.

Burns mentions how imperative it is to, "Engage in stress-reducing activities such as exercise, meditation, and time in nature can help regulate stress hormones and reduce inflammation. Additionally, a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods can be beneficial. While changing our relationship with food can support our body's inflammation, this can become a distraction from doing the emotional work to keep the impacts of stress at bay. The balance of making choices with our food and day-to-day actions is the key to reducing the adverse effects of stress."

It goes so much beyond self-care. This is learning how to create boundaries to say no. To prioritizing whole foods with 20-30g of protein per serving (the palm of your hand), fruits and vegetables and limiting cooking with oils. Try and use fats like olive, coconut oil, dark chocolate (90%) or avocado. Women especially need a higher concentration of fat to help maintain healthy hormone function.

We live in a world where working more is "celebrated" and stress is a badge of honor. To what extent? There is only so much we can control in our work and home environments.

So what can we do?

1. Don't let your nutrition go wayside. Meal plan. You can even chatgpt a meal plan with grocery lists. There's no excuse anymore. If you don't buy it, you won't eat it.

   
   

2. Move your body in a way that makes you happy (walks outside, zumba, pilates, strength training)

-even when you're tired, the post workout will release your happy hormones and benefit you overall

3. Sleep hygiene- calm yourself down early in the evening. Lower the lights and get ready in your pjs an hour before you plan to go to bed. Prime the brain that it's time to settle.

   
   

4. Journal. Write it out, meditate, read self-help books. Get help. Don't let your stress fester.

   
   

   You are in charge of you. If you don't take action- it will continue to plague you. You have to prioritize finding a way to manage the overwhelm.