d@n: Relax.. or become fat!

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Relax.. or become fat!

Relax
When stress hits, one of the first things your body does is crank up its production of adrenaline. This causes fat cells from all over your body to release their stored fat into your bloodstream, so you can burn it and use the calories to ecscape or fight off whatever it is that's giving you the heebee-jeebies. But your stress is probably caused by your boss, your kids or the IRS, so all that newly-released fat goes unused.
What happens next, experts believe, is that the fat is taken out of the bloodstream again - only this time it's stored preferentially around your belly. (You're probably getting stressed just reading this.) So do whatever you can to de-stress.
Take up a hobby that will help you unwind. Take time throughout the day to stretch and breathe deeply. Create a simple after-work ritual - changing clothes, sorting through the day's mail, or just staring at the wall for a few minutes - that will cue your body that it's time to decompress.

11:00 PM