Saturday, February 27, 2010

Is Stress Making Your Stomach Protrude?

By Katherine Crawford, M.S.

Not only does stress put you at risk for cancer, but it also promotes the storage of visceral fat. The type of fat that covers your internal organs and makes your stomach protrude.

Now keep in mind that even if you have low subcutaneous fat, you could be holding onto excess internal fat in your stomach. And this type of fat does not look good because it causes the typical pot belly look.

So here is how to lower stress for accelerated fat loss:

1. Keep a journal: You absolutely need some type of tracking system to figure out what is causing your mental hiccups. Only then can you isolate the factors that need to be removed from your life. And please don't rely on your memory to do all the work, this is simply not realistic.

2. Exercise when you're angry: Or get angry when you exercise. You see, our bodies are made to move when we get angry. So reserving angry time when you are exercising is a great way to manage stress in the manner that your body is made for.

3. Take note of how you talk to yourself: If you find yourself using the following words, "never", "always" and "should", please stop. These types of words wreak havoc on your internal system. You see, they are very harsh on your cognitive health, so stay away from them.

4. Use your social ties: People who are not afraid or hesitant to tap into their social networks are very healthy. You see, we are not made to live in vacuums. Instead, we are much better off when we get through problems with the help of others.

5. Become a pack rat: Many of today's stressors are a direct result of financial uncertainty. So make it a habit to stash away some money on a regular basis. Doing so, will give you the mental space to relax and not be so dependent on a job you potentially hate.

Stress kills and it makes you fat in all the wrong places. So it behooves you to keep it at bay. Not only will your health increase, but your stomach will shrink as well.

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