Stress And Belly Fat - Why Menopause Stress Gives You A Midriff Bulge

How many ways have you tried to reduce the fat around your tummy?

You've probably tried dieting and exercise. Both of those can help, but there is another crucial element to consider when you're thinking about menopause and weight gain.

The third all-important key to avoiding fat around your middle, is to find ways to relieve stress. Why? Because when you're stressed, your adrenal glands produce cortisol, and if you have too much of that hormone at large in your body, it will lead to body fat gathering around your stomach. Stress and belly fat are closely linked, and are behind the typical apple-shaped body that you might have begun to develop in your forties and fifties.

Stress and weight gain

©Istockphoto.com/Andrea Skjold

You probably have a lot of stress in your life - and you may have wondered how does stress affect health?

We've seen how stress leads to increased weight, but that's not the only reason you need to aim for a less stressed life.

Fat around the midriff doesn't just affect your silhouette. It has serious health implications and is associated with:

- cardiovascular disease, making you more vulnerable to heart attack and stroke

- Type 2 diabetes

- Some types of cancer

If your adrenal glands are over-stretched because your life is particularly stressful, you could develop other symptoms, apart from menopausal weight gain. Adrenal overload can result in:

- insomnia and chronic tiredness

- worry and anxiety

- food cravings

- raised blood pressure

- osteoporosis or arthritis

- lowered libido

Stress isn't just an irritating fact of life that's part and parcel of the frantic way you lead your life. Stress and belly fat are just part of the picture. In the menopausal years it's more important than ever to safeguard your health, so that you can remain fit, mobile, independent and able to enjoy life to the full for many more years to come.

To achieve that aim, you must lower your stress levels in order to protect your health, and keep menopause weight gain to a minimum.

Go to Beat Menopause Weight Gain Home Page. Or go back to the top of Stress and Belly Fat.