WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR SEPTEMBER 2024

Overview
Session 14: Stress
The goal of this session is to help you understand how stress can affect your weight and health. You will learn the role stress can play in weight gain and how it can affect your eating habits. By the end of the session, you will know how to manage stress in a healthy way.
Stress
Stress is a mental or emotional strain that results from tough or demanding situations. It is a part of life and everyone handles stress in different ways. Stress does not always have to be bad, even positive events can cause feelings of stress or being overwhelmed.
How Stress Affects Our Bodies
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Cortisol is often called the "stress hormone". Too much of this hormone can be released into your body when you feel physical or mental stress. Studies have shown that stress and high levels of cortisol can cause extra fat to deposit in the stomach area. This extra fat has been strongly connected to developing heart disease, which includes heart attacks and strokes.
Stress Habits
When you are under stress, there's an urge to do something (think of the fight or flight mode).
Sometimes eating becomes the activity that relieves stress. It's easy to do and it's comforting. One way that you may respond to feeling stressed or having more cortisol is to crave sugar. When you feel stressed, the stress hormone can give you a signal to eat sugary or starchy foods. Once you eat these types of foods, you quickly learn that it is comforting. If you are not paying attention, you may repeat that behavior whenever you feel stressed.
❖ See Handout: Creating a Stress Journal
✓ Skill Building Activity: Journaling Your Causes of Stress (your coach will lead you through this activity)
Track Your Stress Level
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If you are not already doing so, begin tracking your stress level via the app or website. This will help you to see when you are feeling more stressed. You will also be able to note what types of foods you ate on a more stressful day.
➢ To track stress on the mobile app:
● Tap the blue plus sign icon
● Tap Add Stress
● Select your stress rating, Low (1) to High (5)
● Tap SUBMIT
➢ To track stress on the website:
● Click on the Timeline button
● Click on Add Stress Level
● Rate your stress from Low (1) to High (5)
● Answer Yes or No if you have you done a
stress reducing activity for the day
Fighting Stress
When you take the time to pay attention to stress, you can learn how to prevent it. Sometimes, stress can’t be prevented. That is when you work your best to relieve stress. Different things work for different people when it comes to stress. For some regular exercise works well, for others deep breathing is the key. The goal is for you to find what works best for you. The chart below provides several options for both avoiding stress and relieving it.
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Spot the Warning Signs of Stress
➢ Anxiety, feeling irritable, and muscle tension.
Practice Relaxation Skills
➢ Yoga, stretching, massage, deep breathing, or meditation.
Find Rewarding Activities that are Not Related to Food
➢ Journaling, enjoying the sunshine outdoors, or watching a funny movie.
Engage in Regular Physical Activity
➢ Exercise can decrease the “stress hormone” & trigger the release of “happy” chemicals that relieve pain & improve mood.
Seek Help from Supportive Friends & Family
➢ Ask for help, it may be hard but when you open up you may find your closest friends or family struggle with stress & have tips for you.
Plan Ahead
➢ Schedules & lists can help keep you more organized.
Use Problem-Solving Techniques
➢ Managing your stress can help you lose weight and maintain a healthy weight long term.
➢ Use the problem solving skills you learned in Session 8.
❖ See Handout: Ways to Fight Stress Part 1 & 2
✓ Skill Building Activity: Deep Breathing (your coach will lead you through this activity)
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Summary
Stress can affect your weight and your overall health. Using the tips you have learned in this session, you can prevent some stress. You can also deal with your stress in a healthier way. Remember that you may have to practice new stress reducing activities several times before they feel as good as the old unhealthy ways of coping with stress. Give it time. Be sure to reach out to your coach for support as needed.
Activities
□ Start tracking your stress level on the app or website if you have not already begun to do so.
□ After you have tracked stress levels, take a look back at your meals to see what foods you may have eaten on a more stressful day. Ask yourself these questions and discuss them with your coach:
Keep Moving
Incorporate a daily stress reducing activity like a walk, light stretching or yoga. This will add more movement to your day, while also lowering your stress level.
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➢ Have you eaten more or less?
➢ Do you eat a certain type of food when you are
more stressed?
□ Do one stress reducing activity each day this week.
□ Goal setting: Work with your coach to determine one stress reducing activity that you feel will help you the most. Example: I will take a walk around the office when I am feeling stressed instead of reaching for a sugary snack.
List your goal here or message it to your coach: ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________
Discussion/Questions
□ Share some of your daily stressors in the discussion group and ask what other group members may struggle with.
□ Share a tip that has helped you reduce stress in the group discussion.
□ Ask group members if they have any tips or suggestions for stress relief that you can use at work, home, school, etc.
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“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” -William James
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Creating a Stress Journal
􏰀 A stress journal is a great way to recognize the cause of your stress.
􏰀 If you continue with the journal, you will be able to identify patterns and common themes.
􏰀 This information will be useful because you can come up with a way to prevent or combat the common stressors in your life.
Here Are Some Questions to Ask Yourself!
1. What is the cause of my stress?
􏰀​Work, finances or family 2. How did I feel physically?
​􏰀​Heart racing, stomach pains or shortness of breath 3. How did I feel emotionally?
​􏰀​Angry, sad or scared
4. How did I react?
​􏰀​Eat candy, go on a jog or call a friend

Ways to Fight Stress, Part 1
Practice Relaxing
● Yoga, stretching, massage, and meditation are great de-stressors.
Breathe
● Take a deep breath in for 4 counts, hold your breath for 7 counts, and breathe out loudly and slowly for 4 counts.
Engage in regular physical activity
● It can help decrease stress hormones and release “happy” chemicals in the body.
Find rewarding activities unrelated to food
● Read a book, call a friend, work in your garden, or take up a new hobby.
Listen to music
● A string of songs that put a smile on your face can turn your mood around.
Learn to say “no”!
● You don’t have to participate in every event, group or activity, especially if they add stress instead of enjoyment.
Get adequate sleep
● 7-9 hours of sleep is recommended.

Ways to Fight Stress, Part 2
Get a massage
● Foot massages can be especially wonderful. Take a soothing bubble bath or shower
● Feel the warmth!
Go out for an evening of dancing
● Dancing can be freeing. Tense and relax your hand
● Feel the tension leaving your body. Laugh!
● Enjoy an old favorite sitcom or a funny YouTube video. Take some punches at a punching bag or pillow
● Most gyms have punching bags. Get your hands dirty
● Gardening is a great de-stressor. Enjoy warm herbal tea
● Try a cup of peppermint tea.
Go for a brisk walk with your friend or your dog
● Furry friends can be great company.
Scream!
● You will feel better once you let it out! (A car is a great place to contain the noise or into a pillow!