Managing stress more effectively is an important part of the Eat Smart…Play Hard program.  Studies show that when people are under stress they tend to overeat and crave foods that make them feel good.  Men often go for fatty foods such as potato chips and cheeseburgers and women go for sweets like chocolate or cookies.  Obviously, your weight  management program suffers if you habitually use high fat foods as a strategy to cope with stressful situations in your life. 
A simple solution: have healthy snacks handy and eat them instead!

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So are you ready to learn how to manage stress more effectively and avoid overeating and other stress related behaviors, symptoms and illnesses.
 
 

Stress by itself is not good or bad.  Often it is stress that motivates us to a higher level of creativity and performance.  However, too much stress
-- DISTRESS --  experienced over a long period of time has a negative effect on our health and effectiveness.

  People who are under a lot of stress may experience some physical, mental and/or behavioral symptoms:


 
Physical
Mental
Behavioral
  • Sleeplessness
  • Too much sleep
  • Shallow, rapid breathing
  • Oily skin
  • Cold hands & feet
  • Lack of interest
  • Fatigue
  • Racing heart
  • Tight, sore muscles
  • Back, neck and shoulder pain
  • Increased blood pressure
  • Chest Pain
  • Digestive problems
  • Grinding teeth
  • Excessive perspiration
  • Jaw Clenching
  • Anxiety attacks
  • Forgetfulness
  • Depression
  • Irritability
  • Impatience
  • Lack of interest
  • Sadness
  • Apathy
  • Worry
  • Poor concentration
  • Mental fatigue
  • Outbursts of anger
  • Crying too easily
  • Overeating
  • Fatty, sugary snacks
  • Excessive use of alcohol and/or drugs
  • Too much smoking
  • Isolation - avoiding
    social contact
  • Procrastination
  • Reckless driving
  • Poor hygiene
  • Poor performance

A combination of these symptoms experienced over a long period of time could lead to a growing list of stress related illnesses listed below.  Experts claim that over 50% of all physician office visits in the U. S. are stress related.

 
  • Cardiovascular disease (CVD)
  • Heart attacks
  • High blood pressure (hypertension)
  • Obesity
  • Migraine & tension headaches
  • Insomnia
  • Diabetes
  • Ulcers
  • Asthma
  • TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Pain)
  • Immune system diseases
  • Many types of cancers
 

Distressed people often adopt destructive, unhealthy approaches to managing their stress despite the potentially harmful effects.

Click here to learn the difference between Destructive & Effective Stress Management.