I know that stress was the prime reason I gained so much weight through menopause. I put weight on around the middle that I’d never had before, and found it challenging to lose no matter what I did. This can certainly be a factor in why so many people, over 90%, fail to lose weight no matter which of the multiple diets they use.

Chronic stress raises your levels of cortisol, a hormone that triggers extra fat storage, especially belly fat. The adrenal glands aren’t picky when it comes to what creates cortisol release. The stress can be physical trauma, environmental, emotional turmoil, or even created by our thoughts.

The human brain is automatically hard wired with fight or flight responses to protect the body from perceived harm. Those responses cause the adrenal glands to get larger and secrete additional adrenal cortical hormones. Unfortunately, our fast-paced lifestyles bring us multiple triggers in a day that can lead to these becoming chronic responses. Over time, these different sources of stress become cumulative, which can lead to adrenal stress and what is called the metabolic syndrome. Typically, because of the cumulative damage, this is even more of an issue for the baby boomer population.

But beyond weight gain, stress can literally kill you, so it’s time to take note and make some changes if you want to lose weight and get healthy.  Here are 10 simple stress reducers that you can fit into your life with ease.

1. Laugh at least once a day. See a funny movie, read the comics, but try to incorporate it into your life every day. I’ve found a great You Tube video of a toddler laughing that is contagious. Any time I need a laugh I watch it.
2. Music therapy is a great way to unwind, and you can incorporate it into walking or other stress reducing activities for added benefit. Certain kinds of music can lower blood pressure and calm your mind. Listening to nature sounds is relaxing, and classical music has been shown to aid weight loss by causing people to eat less and digest more easily.
3. Aromatherapy uses essential oils, the pure essence of a plant, found to provide both psychological and physical stress relief. You can use essential oils in a diffuser for inhaling or added to other natural ingredients like sea salt for a relaxing bath. Be sure to use pure oils and check ingredients to avoid synthetic chemicals or perfume fragrances, which do not provide true benefits.
4. Walking 15 – 30 minutes daily is all you need to see the benefits of this affordable and easy to incorporate activity. Any exercise is good for lowering stress and producing those feel good chemicals, called endorphins, in the brain, but make sure you do it at least 5 times a week for the best benefits in minimizing chronic stress. Consistency is key!
5. Breathing a few deep breaths every hour and for 10 minutes before bed will oxygenate the blood, refresh the mind, and relax the muscles. This is also a great activity when you feel anger, anxiety, and other negative emotions…remember the count to ten before responding advice you got from your mom? Just take a few deep breaths for the same benefit.
6. Sex, if you have a loving partner to enjoy it with. Some good cuddling and affirming conversation beforehand helps. Too often, people avoid sex when stressed out instead of engaging in this healthy activity.
7. Drink less caffeine as it adds further stimulation and stress to the adrenals. Limit yourself to a cup a day and avoid it altogether as a pick me up since that is the worst time to force your overtaxed adrenals to operate in overdrive.
8. Journaling is the perfect activity for getting out the pent up emotions that keep us chronically stressed. Expressing yourself on paper is freeing and great for personal growth, too.
9. Serving others is a great way of taking your mind off your own problems and helping relieve someone else’s stress, as well. Sometimes being aware of other people’s challenges and offering a helping hand gives you a better perspective on your own…even minimizing them.
10. A day of refreshment. The Creator set aside a day for both spiritual and physical rest. Studies have shown that more is accomplished in 6 days when rest is incorporated into our lifestyles, than if we work 7 days without rest. Take a break from worries and work, and spend a day with loved ones having fun. It’s important to get at leas 7-8 hours of sleep daily, too.

Stress is unavoidable in today’s busy world, but we certainly can learn to add purposeful activity and healthy nutrients that will counteract stress and provide health building and weight loss benefits.

Do you have stress reducing tips that have worked for you? Please share by posting them in the comment box.

Enjoying life together,

Leta

I just created a 90 day plan to end the year by losing more weight and regaining some of the fitness, muscle, and flexibility that was lost during nearly 3-4 months of fairly sedentary recovery (translation=sitting on my butt). The good news is that after purchasing and using the Ab Circle Pro midway during my recovery, I was able to lose 7 pounds and inches from both my waist and hips. That may not seem like a lot, but for as inactive as I was, I was thrilled not to gain weight and inches.

Currently, I’m rotating between some fitness DVDs that I have on hand, including Shakeology 30 and 50 minute workouts that combine cardiovascular intervals with strength moves to both tone and build metabolism, Core Secret’s “Full Body Challenge”, an energizing workout that builds strength and improves agility, and Core Secret’s “Ab Assault” powerful isolation and core-shaping moves to flatten and firm my abs. Even though these allow me to work right in the comfort of my home, which is convenient, the downside is that each of these requires no less than 30 minutes, and some even more, to complete. There are those days, when activities or work cut into that time and I began to miss my Ab Circle Pro™.

So, I just ordered a second Ab Circle Pro™ for over here. And my hubby said he would use it, too. A quick 5-7 minute workout in the morning when I get out of bed energizes and drives up that metabolism first thing. In case I miss a workout, I know I will have at least benefited from those few minutes of intense exercise. And, even though I’m working at losing more everywhere, my biggest trouble spots are my waistline and hips and buns, so this will help trim the inches off as I continue to lose weight.

I’ve had a couple people comment and ask if I had success with the machine, so this should assure you that I felt it was a worthwhile investment. The order won’t ship until the end of September, so in the meantime, I will be working out according to plan 6 days a week and posting my results periodically. BTW, there is no financial benefit for me to promote this machine. I just like it and want to share something that has worked for me.

How will you spend the next 90 days? Do you have a plan for weight loss or fitness? September 23^rd gives you 100 more days of 2009 to work on You. I hope you’ll use it to reach your potential. If you need help, feel free to set up a 30 minute free coaching call, join my Facebook fan page, or fill out the form and get my newsletter. Let’s do this together!

In partnership,

Leta

Swimming is among those physical activities that just about anyone can participate in. It’s especially good for those who are elderly as it is easy on the joints, improves flexibility without stressing the muscles, improves breathing and oxygen intake, and burns calories. Swimming is often used for physical therapy and is a good way to stay cooled off during exercise in the hot summer months. Just be sure to add sunscreen if you are using an outdoor pool.

Whether young or old, it’s important to learn to swim properly to get the most advantage, especially if you want to lose weight. Using proper breathing techniques and multiple swim strokes will work various muscles in both the upper and lower body. Outside of fast running, rope jumping and weight training, swimming, even at a moderate pace, burns more calories than other types of exercise.

Water aerobics is another way to burn fat and preserve muscle. The water adds buoyancy, but provides resistance at the same time. Exercising in water reduces the risk of muscle or joint injury and generally improves the range of motion. So, if you have access to a pool, it’s a great way to change up your routine all year around.

For those a little more fit and wanting to pump it up some, water sports can be added for additional fun and health benefits. If you know someone who has a boat, wake boarding and water skiing are two popular summer sports that are perfect for losing weight. Both are a great way to build long lean muscles and condition your entire body. To prevent injury, be sure to stretch first and play around in the water to loosen up the muscles.

Canoeing, kayaking and rafting are among the sports that burn higher amounts of calories, but also strengthen the core, which helps burn off stomach fat. These activities also build up the arms and shoulder muscles, toning and shaping the upper body. Cities that have a river or lake nearby will often have a rowing club, which adds to the fun and commitment.

Summers add a host of exercise options not always available and swimming is one of those that can be a ton of fun, something the family can do together, and safe for everyone once they learn the skill. Take advantage of the sunshine, head to your local watering hole, and swim to get slim.

All fat is not alike. Whatever calories don’t get burned for energy accumulate in one of two places — long-term storage deposits beneath the skin (subcutaneous fat) or short-term bins deep in the abdomen (visceral fat). Visceral fat is what we call omental fat — or fat in your omentum, a piece of webbing that hangs off your stomach just beneath your abdominal muscles, sort of like a mesh apron. It can infiltrate the liver and streak through your muscles, including your heart.

The fat down deep is the most dangerous. The soft, surface fat that shows in ripples and cellulite on your thighs, buttocks, and hips (the pear shape) may make you look bad in your swimsuit or shorts, but is a lot less dangerous. However, if you carry most of your weight in your abdomen (apple shape) you’re likely headed for trouble. That’s because much of the fat around the belly is the deep fat that produces extra hormones and proteins, which can trigger major health issues down the road. Among them: unhealthy LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels; high blood sugar and blood pressure; insulin resistance; and widespread inflammation. All are precursors to many diseases — including dementia, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

So, are you are an apple or pear? If it isn’t obvious through the appearance of a “beer belly”, then measure around your waist and the largest part of your hips and divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. If it is.8 or beyond you are an apple shape. In addition, even though you may not be overweight, if you’re a woman, your waist should be no more than 32.5 inches and if you’re a man, no more than 35 inches. Anything higher than 35 inches for women or 40 inches for men may mean you’re storing visceral fat and the health dangers increase considerably.

Do you want to stop accumulating that “bad” fat? Crash dieting won’t do it! In fact yo-yo dieting actually causes your body to store more of it over time. What you eat, however, does make a difference as does stress. Simply taking a 30 minute walk a day will prevent future accumulation of visceral fat.

But what if you want to lose it?

In a study by Duke University Medical Center researchers, it was found that people who were physically inactive had significant increases in visceral fat, while those who exercised frequently had significant decreases in visceral fat, over an eight-month period. The study found:

• Those who did not exercise had an 8.6 percent increase in visceral fat.
• Those who exercised the most (17 miles of jogging/brisk walking per week) had an 8.1 percent decrease in visceral fat.
• Those who exercised a low amount (11 miles of jogging/brisk walking each week) did not significantly increase or decrease visceral fat.

1. Get physical! Add 15 minutes extra to your walking schedule, wear light weights, pump up the speed, and/or jog for a minute of every 5 minutes of walking to increase the fat burn. Add some resistant weight training to the mix if you want to lose fat and restore and preserve lean muscle. Cross training with 20-30 minutes of intense exercise for 6 days weekly is optimal for fat burn, but if you’re just starting out, make sure you don’t over do it. Dancing, hiking, and sports activites are also a great way to burn fat while having fun.
2. Eat to Flush Fat: Be sensible and begin an eating plan that you can live with long term. Fad dieting, crash dieting, and eliminating complete food groups, is neither healthy nor sustainable. Follow the 16 Keys to Fat Loss by applying a few keys a week over a period of time and you’ll see good results in 90 days.
3. Eliminate Stress: Find ways to relax daily, restore your body and mind through 7-8 hours or restful sleep a night, and de-clutter your life by removing the things that create extra stress and chaos in your environment. Stress, through the release of cortisol, is a big contributor of visceral fat around the middle.

So, apple types, whether overweight or slimmer, visceral fat is something you want to stop and take action to eliminate.  Big butts can be grateful, for now, but stay tuned for ways you can get rid of those ripples and cellulite, because fat is never attractive or healthy no matter where it’s stored on your body.