What Diet

Stress and Weight Gain

Is stress making you gain weight?

Though holidays can be great they can also be stressful and stress and weight gain go hand in hand. Beat Holiday Stress With These Simple Tips that will help keep your stress level under control so you can sit back and enjoy the holidays keeping weight gain at bay.

Being stressed is only going to cause issues as it makes you feel tired, causing you to skip workouts and it also increases cortisol release in the body, which could cause accumulation of body fat. So what can you do to eliminate stress? Let’s look at a few tips to consider. It’s all about freeing up time and eliminating stressful tasks that you don’t enjoy undertaking.

Shopping Online

Try doing as much shopping online as possible.  More retailers are building a web presence, so this is really easy to do and will help you get your food shopping, gifts and anything else without ever having to leave the house. This is also often cheaper than physically going to the shops as may save on transport costs. However ensure you check shipping costs for online shopping. You can save tie and energy this way which can be put towards relaxing rather than being stressed out dashing round th shops.

Do Your Cooking In One Go

Do as many of the same tasks as you can at once.  For example, at Christmas, set aside one afternoon and get all your baking done in one go. Much of the time spent baking is due to cleaning up and preparation as opposed to the actual time spent cooking. By doing this, you’ll cut back on all of the admin time than if you were to do it individually.

Alternatively to save energy and time don’t feel bad about picking something up from the bakery.  In some cases this is often cheaper anyway! Remember, your sanity comes first and it won’t make that much difference at the if the item you bring is baked or bought.

Just Say No

Another important tip for de-stressing is to learn to say no.  If you have a tendency to over-commit to many different activities, this will wear you down over time. Start recognizing the difference between something you actually want to do and something that’s just an obligation.  Say no to any events you don’t want to attend that are only going to weigh you down with responsibilities and time commitments you don’t really want.

Don’t commit to something just because you feel you won’t be well regarded if you don’t.

Take 10

Schedule at least ten minutes each and everyday to do nothing but relax.  Do something you like that relaxes you and is not strenuous. Read a book or simply sit with your thoughts.  Even just ten minutes where there is no hectic pace or something you have to do can work wonders on your stress level and sanity.

Give yourself a break. It is not being lazy or cheating. It will help you recharge your batteries and you will be more efficient and get more done with the benefit of a break than without.

These quick and simple tips are easy to implement but can help reduce stress levels and consequent weight gain.

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What Diet: Stress and Weight Gain

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