Are you stressed?
We all have stress from time to time.
One reason we want to keep stress under wraps is that chronic stress increases the hormone cortisol which is the ‘belly fat storing hormone’.
If you’re interested in losing belly fat, we must keep cortisol under control.
I have three tips that have been working for me lately in handling my stress….
Tip #1 – Schedule Your Panic Attacks 
Yes, I know this sounds ridiculous but this has been the most helpful tip I’ve applied ever where stress is concerned.
When I get stressful or upsetting news, I find a time a day or two in advance and literally schedule in a time to panic, say ‘Friday at 3 pm’.
In the meantime, I try not to ‘worry’ and this opens my mind up to creative thinking so that I have never actually had to have that panic attack.
More often than not, in looking for the positives in a stressful situation, I’ll find a creative solution to help to lessen the stress.
Basically, looking for the silver lining opens me up to more creative thinking rather than just spinning my wheels with worry.
Tip #2 – Know Your Triggers and Find a Distraction
I know I don’t handle stress well when I’m tired, so I do all that I can to provide a distraction to reduce stress, say at bedtime.
For example, balancing a cheque book would not be a good task just before bed if finances are an issue. This is something to do first thing in the morning when fresh.
Understanding triggers to reduce a stress reaction has been very helpful for me.
Tip #3 – Mini Breaks of Self Care
Self care is always a great solution to handle stress. For me it means mini breaks through out the day to get some fresh air, sunshine and quiet.
My daily workouts help, but so do these 5-20 minute dog walks a few times a day to clear my head and get perspective. Even if you go outside and do a bit of deep breathing or meditation for 5 minutes, you’ll be surprised at how this is very settling.
Chronic stress is real, especially for women 40+ who take care of so many others. Sometimes we don’t even realize we’re how much stress we’re under. We tend to soldier on. I promise you that giving yourself a little break and applying these strategies will help.
I have lots of ‘hacks’ to increase your quality of life as well as help you reduce your belly fat 😘
You’d be surprised how daily exercise is a natural anti-depressant and stress reliever!
Make sure to get your workout DONE!
Check out the My Bikini Belly workouts for starters…15 minutes of bodyweight movements that boost your metabolism and provide a lot of ‘feel good’ hormones – the best stress busters around!
You’ll find them here.
Also, find me on Facebook in a free closed group for women 40+ here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Healthysecrets/