Most of us experience high levels of stress pretty frequently, some of us even on a daily basis. And we all know that chronic high levels of stress lie at the root of many health issues.
But what most people don't know is that having high stress prevents you from losing weight, no matter how well you eat or how much you work out.
Luckily, there is a simple hack you can do right away to reduce your stress levels dramatically.
Wait, stress sabotages my weight loss?
YES! We can tell you from first-hand experience with A LOT of clients that having high levels of stress always makes it harder to lose weight. It's not impossible, but it takes much more time, and much more effort. That's why we always check for stress levels before we start a program and during the program itself. There are exceptions, of course, people losing weight because of stress, but these are the minority, and their situation is definitely also not healthy.
We won't dive into the details of stress vs weight loss, because it's pretty sciency and rather complex. But the main thing to know is, that we have seen plenty of evidence of high stress sabotaging weight loss.
What can you do to reduce your stress levels?
No matter if your goal is weight loss, a healthier lifestyle, or higher energy, it's going to be important to reduce your stress levels. And frankly, everyone these days can benefit from lower stress! Luckily, there are so many things you can do to reduce your stress levels, but by far the easiest one is doing the following:
Breathe
"Euhm, aren't we always breathing?" I sure hope so, but there is a big difference in how you breathe. Are your breaths deep or shallow? Slow or fast? Through your nose, or your mouth? With your chest, or your belly?...
When I have stress, I tend to have very shallow, and very irregular breaths. I might even be holding my breath for a long period of time without realizing it. This was me especially a few years back when I got burned out due to a lack of purpose and the heavy workload in my job. But now my breathing awareness increased dramatically, and I can catch myself when I'm not breathing properly, and I'm able to limit the "damage".
So how can I reduce stress by breathing?
Your goal could be to take 1-2 minutes a few times per day that you will dedicate completely to mindful breathing. You simply sit, or stand, or lie down, close your eyes, and just breathe. Nice, deep, long breaths. Keeping the focus on your breathing might be tricky at first (your mind will take over at some point, guaranteed), but by practicing this over and over, it will become pretty easy and super relaxing!
And an extra tip: set a few silent alarms on your phone that remind you throughout the day. Every 2 hours or so. Since your day will happen and your good breathing intentions will be squashed if you don't help remind yourself. After a while, it can become your standard winding down practice after a meeting, call, big task...
So there you have it, super simple to use, no excuses to be found, a great way to reduce your stress levels and boost your progress towards your health goals!
Do you want to learn more skills and habits that help you reach your optimal weight, lose excess fat, and/or simply have more energy? Then join one of our programs. Discover our programs here.
Not sure if our programs are right for you? Book a free consultation with our customer care team here.
Kevin Clement, Founder Eat better, not perfect.
Questions or suggestions? Let us know at hello@eatbnp.com