Can Stress Make Me Fat?

I'm free!!! After a brief assembly this morning honoring our retirees we were set loose from our cages to roam the earth for the next 11 weeks! There's so much I want to do - coupled with so much I NEED to do - that I don't know where to start!

The house needs attention in every way. Deep cleaning - everywhere! Yuk. The gardens around the house need weeding, pruning, planting - they look like crap. It's hard living between two houses. Our hearts are already at the new one as we plan landscaping, siding, windows, fancy brick sidewalks, a hot tub.... the current house has fallen by the wayside. My heart's just not in it anymore. But I know that when we put it on the market eventually, that we'll need to muster up lots of TLC if we want to interest anyone. Right now it's all so overwhelming. Thank goodness the youngest daughter and her hubby are living at the lake this summer before they head back to Massachusetts in the fall. At least we don't have to worry about the upkeep there.

So....I guess it would be safe to say there's a lot of stress floating around here which in turn means there's also a lot of Cortisol. When we're stressed - our bodies make Cortisol and Cortisol makes us fat. I won't go into the details here - the link I've provided can tell you all you need to know. In the face of all this - exercise becomes even more important if we want to slim down because it helps relieve stress. So does a good night's sleep. Along with eating healthy foods....

I've noticed that many of us have posted our lists of mini-goals to help us on our journeys....and all are noble! But I've noticed than none of us ever mentions "reduce my stress level". I think we need to pay attention to that. I'm thinking it's a key factor here. So step outside today and take a deep breath. Relax your whole body, close your eyes and savor the feel of the sunshine as it plays across your face (or the brisk breeze depending on your hemisphere)! Don't take your mental to-do list out there with you. Don't take your worries or your what-ifs. Just relax for a good 5 minutes and bask in the beauty of being alive.

We all face a difficult journey on this road to weight loss. A little less stress will do our bodies good!

And I'm still waiting for those recipes! I know some of you Weight-Watcher people must have a recipe or two you learned along the way! Share!