The Stress Particle

WEEK 5

"Reality is the leading cause of stress among those in touch with it.  -Lily Tomlin

There are no bandanas on this particular post. I did wear a couple, but I will save them for next week's post. This week was awash in stress.  Like many people before me, I experienced  how difficult it is to maintain a healthy path while working my way through a highly stressful week. There were walks, jogs, and workouts as planned, but the detrimental effects of stress made it difficult to sleep properly. Bedtime would come and I would toss and turn and flop around like a whale breaching. Travel also made it difficult to eat in a timely manner. By the time I was able to eat I was more ravenous than locusts in a wheat field. Thankfully, the level of stress I dealt with this week is not chronic, but all last summer I dealt with a level of chronic stress that contributed to my increasing diameter. This whole program is about solving that issue so I can make amazing changes.

I've always liked graphs to illustrate stuff.  At right, I've included a "fat graph" to help illustrate how stress totally sucks when you are trying to shrink.  According to said fat graph, when stress goes up, cortisol production goes up, and Leptin senstitivity goes down (Leptin is a hormone that acts as the energy hall monitor that keeps our energy intake-or fat consumption-under control.  If our sensitivity to Leptin is down, we eat like somebody else is going to steal the last donut.) Our body gets the message that we need more energy intake -even though we don't, and hunger goes up, with leads to increased fat storage, which leads to...weight gain.  YUCK.

So, how do we combat the effects of stress so that our little Leptins are happy?  We have to make sure we are sensitive to them. The best way to do that is to CHILL OUT and avoid stress-inducing situations. Granted, we can't always avoid stress or stressful people...there are just too many "interesting" people out there. But we can improve the ways we deal with stress. Improving coping skills and installing alternative reactions or stress relievers will help greatly to keep stress-related bulging at bay. (Nobody wants to look like a busted can of biscuits just because they've got a little stress).

"It's not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it." -Hans Selye

This was a LONG week filled with surprises, tiring travel, difficult personalities and troubling situations. My focus on my goals faltered because I was so busy just trying to keep it together. There is good news though. Unlike in the past, instead of falling back to stuffing myself full of fast food and other garbage, I located better food choices. Instead of eating at restaurants 3 times a day, I located a Winco. In their deli area they have pre-prepared salads, sandwiches and other meals. They run about $3.50 or so per meal.  Most hotel rooms have a micro-fridge, so I stocked up on good choices. This little triumph will help me immensely on future trips. And, instead of lying in a heap on the bed and watching cable, I jumped on the stress reduction band wagon with walks, journaling, and workouts. Five weeks into this 50 Bandanas to Fit program and I've made progress.  No, the majority of my progress hasn't been physical yet, but the mental and emotional changes I have made have been phenonmenal.  Changing my thinking is going to save my life.

A Fine List o' Stress Relievers: feel free to tell me what your favorite stress-reliever might be.

take a walk, take a jog, take a hike, sing a song, tell a joke, phone a friend, meditate, write in your journal, make some art, view some art, do some yoga, try some PMR (progressive muscle relaxation), have some sex, listen to some tunes, laugh out loud, take a bath, work in the garden, pick some flowers, reduce caffeine intake, light a nice smelling candle, dance a jig, get a massage, go workout, play with the dog, take a power nap, read a good book, cut down on junk food, go for a swim, go on a long drive, live without technology for a day, learn something new, go fishing, spend time alone, allow yourself to day dream, go outside and listen to the birds-or whatever else there is to hear, watch children play (but be careful or you may be labeled as a creeper), do something nice for someone.....