167: The Stress You Manufacture Is Keeping You Fat

<p>After a recent episode on the stress response triggered by caffeine, I received a number of emails about cortisol, adrenal fatigue and if the stress in our lives contributes to weight gain or trouble losing weight.</p> <p>Today we're going to answer the questions.</p> <p>The short answer is this: Yes, the stress you create is keeping you fat and much of the stress we experience is stress we manufacture.</p> <p>We'll talk about adrenal fatigue, chronic stress & what you can do about it.</p> <p><a href="http://primalpotential.com/167-stress-create-keeping-fat/">http://primalpotential.com/167-stress-create-keeping-fat/</a></p> <h2>Your Stress Response</h2> <p>We need to have a better understanding of what triggers a stress response. We tend to think about stress as emotional stress but it's far more than that.</p> <p>Much of the stress in our lives is stress we manufacture:</p> <ul> <li>Getting worked up over traffic or misplacing our keys</li> <li>Creating anxiety over future worries that may or may not ever pose an issue</li> <li>Fixating on past challenges or regrets</li> <li>Over-extending ourselves</li> <li>Not getting enough sleep</li> <li>Eating foods which trigger our stress responses</li> </ul> <p>Stress can be caused by thoughts, emotions, injury, illness, exercise, food, fatigue & much more.</p> <p>When your stress response is on overdrive it can lead to:</p> <ul> <li>Decreased metabolic rate</li> <li>Increased fat storage</li> <li>Increased hunger</li> <li>Cravings</li> <li>Muscle burning</li> <li>Depression</li> <li>Anxiety</li> <li>Fatigue</li> <li>Trouble falling asleep and/or staying asleep</li> <li>Illness</li> </ul> <h2>Adrenal Fatigue</h2> <p>Your adrenal glands, though small, are a significant part of your health, happiness & ability to burn fat. You've got two of them and each one sits on top of your kidney, like a cap.</p> <p>In response to stress of any kind, your brain instructs the adrenal glands to produce & secrete stress hormones like adrenaline and cort