Did you know that stress is affecting your physical health and your body weight?
If you blame yourself for not being your “perfect weight,” stop. It’s not your fault. Rather, the problem is the way our bodies are programmed to handle stress.
The cortisol that is released when we are stressed increases our appetite, leading us to overeat or make poor food choices. Doesn’t your willpower go out the window when you’re stressed? Then, on top of that, cortisol makes our body retain fat. The solution is not to go on extreme diets, which cause more stress, but to know how to stop stress reactions.
Most people are forced to eat comfort foods when they are stressed, even if they are not hungry. And comfort foods are often high-fat, sugary, or salty foods. You may be eating whatever is within your reach to satisfy an emotional need, or heading to the nearest fast food window because you don’t have time to shop for and cook a healthy meal.
So, here’s how to stop stress in its tracks.
Deep breathing is something you can try right now, and it will only take a minute to do. It is so simple that it will surprise you.
take a break and breathe
Put your hands on your tummy, below your belly button, and feel it rise and fall with your breath. We often take very shallow breaths or even hold our breath when stressed. Simple deep abdominal breathing can calm the release of stress chemicals in the body and oxygenate the cells.
Try this combination of breathing and focused attention called Piko-Piko breathing…
“Piko-Piko breathing is a special Hawaiian breathing technique that simultaneously relaxes and energizes the body,” says Dr. Serge Kahili King, a Hawaiian shaman who specializes in mind-body healing. Using shamanic techniques and the colors of the chakras, imagine breathing the bright yellow energy of the sun into the solar plexus or navel area and exhale your stress, or take inspiration from the heavens, visualizing violet or white light entering with the breath through the crown chakra, and exhale your stress by consciously exhaling it at the bottom of your body, your feet.
“I know, I know, this seems almost too simple,” says Dr. King. But it works.
Try this technique right now and ease into your day… choosing the foods that will help you reach your perfect body weight, without sabotaging your goals.
Foods for the energy of the chakras
So what should you eat? First, see where stress is affecting your body and which chakra center needs to be strengthened. Learning more about the chakra system can help you determine what foods YOU personally need to ADD to nourish yourself, banish stress, and help you reach your optimal weight.
Are your finances in trouble? Do you feel insecure? Do you need to perform better at work and get that raise or promotion? Strengthen your Root or 1st Chakra.
Do you want to spice up your sex life or feel more passionate and creative? Unlock your Sacral or 2nd Chakra.
Do you want to feel more confident and powerful to achieve your goals? Strengthen your Solar Plexus or 3rd Chakra.
Do you want to feel more love, be able to forgive past wrongs, and connect better with your spouse, children, friends, and co-workers? Work on your fourth Chakra or Heart Chakra.
Scared of speaking in public? Do you want to be able to express your truth and be understood? Balance your 5th Chakra or Throat Chakra.
Do you want more inspiration on which path you should take in life? Do you want to increase your intuition and psychic abilities? Open your Sixth or Third Eye Chakra.
Do you want to feel one with everything there is? More peace, harmony and connection with the spirit? Work on your seventh or Crown Chakra.
The Chakras are the seven basic energy centers in the body. Each chakra is associated with a different color, so eating foods the color of the chakra you’d like to balance is an easy way to start. For example, red meat or red apples to ground your Root Chakra, or vegetables or fruits with salmon and orange to help balance your Sacral Chakra.
You can balance all your chakras by eating a rainbow of colors: the Root Chakra is associated with the color Red, the Sacral Chakra with Orange, the Solar Plexus Chakra with yellow, the Heart Chakra with green, the Throat Chakra with Light Blue, the Third Eye Chakra with Indigo (dark blue), and the Crown Chakra with Violet or White.
Taking deep breaths when you’re stressed, combined with eating more real food in the colors of the rainbow (not processed or packaged foods), will help you feel calmer and more energized. And when you de-stress and make more conscious eating choices, you’ll feel and look better too.