STRESS AND FAT GAIN: Stress without physical exertion will make you gain fat. The jury is NOT out on evolution. The human body evolved to deal with stress in certain ways. Before we became civilized, stress was all about fight-or-flight. Stress was that you were about to be eaten by a lion so youd better run! In response, the body needed a mechanism for quick energy to be available and a system to help deal with shock and injury. It was all about survival. The result? In stressful conditions, the body secretes cortisol - a hormone that immediately starts breaking down muscle tissue for fast energy (it also acts as an anti-inflammatory in case of injury; cortisone is a relative of cortisol). These days, we very rarely have to worry about being eaten by pretty much anything. But the basic responses of the body cant distinguish between that stress and the stress of, say, your boss taking away your treasured red stapler that you love so much and moving your desk to the basement. In the past, stress would be immediately followed by physical exertion. Youd run as fast as you could from the lion or youd fight off what was attacking you. Now, there is rarely physical exertion following stress so the cortisol is not dissipated. It continues to break down muscle and promote fat storage. This is why constant stress without regular exercise will make you gain fat.
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 04:55:26 +0000
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