Most people, who wish to lose weight, tend to focus too much on their diet and are unaware of the psychological reasons behind their dietary habits that make them overweight. Researchers have found that stress makes people overeat which leads to obesity.
Finnish researchers studied 5000 people and found that under stress, people ate mostly sweet, salty and oily foods to make themselves feel better. They discovered that such "stressed out" and "emotional" eaters tended to be overweight.
Experts are finding that Women who feel a lack of emotional support tend to overeat. Men indulge in overeating to cope with their job related stress. A recent Japanese study of male workers has confirmed the relation between high job demands and obesity. This study found that overeating happened under fatigue, tension/anxiety, and depression, which was caused by stressful situations arising from a high workload.
The above studies are a wake up call to working men as well as their employers. Employers should understand that by placing high demands on their male workers, they are compromising their health, which in turn will compromise the productivity. In the end, it becomes a zero sum game.
A women's study done at the University of California in San Francisco found that under a stress induced negative mood, women indulged emotional eating by consuming more calories which included more sweet or high fat food.
Following are some of the techniques that can be used to prevent and relieve stress:
Exercise
Exercise has been found to improve the mood and rejuvenate the brain. Even a simple exercise such as 30 minutes of walking provides great health benefits. In addition to improving the mood, walking also helps in losing weight and strengthening the body joints.
Music
Music also helps in improving the mood and state of mind. However, the music must be relaxing and soothing to the mind. Loud and highly energetic music more conducive to physical activity such as Rock and Roll or even Heavy Metal will not help the mind relax.
Meditation
Meditation is one the best techniques to improve the mood, brain function and overall health. Here is a simple meditation technique:
Do the above meditation for 15 minutes everyday. Do it on an empty stomach, either in the morning or before dinner. It will empty your mind and make you feel fresh and happy. As a positive side effect, it will increase your creativity and you will find easy and effective solutions to your most pressing problems.
Whenever you feel stressed out during the day, just close your eyes and try this meditation for 30 to 60 seconds. It will bring amazing relief and clarity to your mind.
REFERENCES
1. Laitinen J., et al. Stress-related eating and drinking behavior and body mass index and predictors of this behavior. Preventive Medicine. Jan 2002;34(1):29-39.
2. Nishitani N., et al. Eating behavior related to obesity and job stress in male Japanese workers. Nutrition. Jan 2009;25(1):45-50.
3. Epel E., et al. Stress may add bite to appetite in women: alaboratory study of stress-induced cortisol and eating behavior. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2001;26:37-49.
4. Ernst C., et al. Antidepressant effects of exercise: Evidence for an adult-neurogenesis hypothesis? Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience. March 2006;31(2):84-92.
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