TULSA, Okla. –<\/p>\n
Stress can show up in everyday moments, from driving to worrying about bills or lack of sleep. Over time, it can lead to unhealthy habits and even affect weight and overall health.<\/p>\n
Mo Smith with Bailey Bariatrics says managing stress starts with recognizing those patterns and finding simple ways to respond, including breathing techniques, stretching and short bursts of movement.<\/p>\n
\n Q: What does stress look like in everyday life?<\/p>\n
Smith says stress often appears when people least expect it and can come from a wide range of daily pressures. \u201cIt could be driving down the highway. It could be that you\u2019re not getting enough sleep at night. The anxiety of, I\u2019ve gotta pay bills,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
She says those stressors can lead to patterns like fatigue, irritability and frequent snacking.<\/p>\n
\n Q: How does stress affect habits and health?<\/p>\n
According to Smith, stress can push people toward unhealthy coping mechanisms, especially with food.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of times, we go to food when we are in stress,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWe just get into a pattern, and you\u2019re trying to disregard that\u2026 we make an excuse of, well, it\u2019s okay. I deserve that right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says breaking that cycle requires retraining how people respond to stress.<\/p>\n
\n Q: What role does cortisol play?<\/p>\n
Smith says cortisol, often called the body\u2019s stress hormone, plays a major role in how stress impacts weight.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s your body\u2019s natural reaction hormone. If it\u2019s in a fight or flight situation, it\u2019s a fat hormone,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
She explains that elevated cortisol levels can cause the body to store fat, especially when paired with poor eating habits.<\/p>\n
\n Q: What are simple ways to reduce stress?<\/p>\n
Smith recommends starting with controlled breathing. One technique she calls \u201cbox breathing\u201d focuses on steady timing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe inhale for four, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She says this type of breathing helps calm the body and reduce cortisol levels.<\/p>\n
\n Q: How does exercise help manage stress?<\/p>\n
Smith says even light movement can make a difference because it helps release built-up tension and lower stress hormones.<\/p>\n
\u201cLittle baby movement helps immensely,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She recommends simple stretches like:<\/p>\n
Raising arms overhead and lowering them slowlyRolling shoulders to release tensionSide stretches to loosen the coreForward folds and basic yoga movements like plank or downward dog<\/p>\n
\n Q: Are there other quick ways to manage stress during the day?<\/p>\n
Smith says small changes in environment and routine can also help.<\/p>\n
\u201cStep outside, get some sunshine, put a plant in your office\u2026 get some oxygen circulated through the body,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Even a short walk or a few minutes away from a desk can ease tension and improve focus.<\/p>\n
\n Q: What should people take away from this?<\/p>\n
Smith says stress is normal, but managing it comes down to awareness and simple, consistent actions.<\/p>\n
She encourages people to recognize their triggers and replace unhealthy habits with breathing, movement and short breaks throughout the day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TULSA, Okla. – Stress can show up in everyday moments, from driving to worrying about bills or lack…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":624691,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[64,63,538,137],"class_list":{"0":"post-624690","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-fitness","11":"tag-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=624690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624690\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/624691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=624690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=624690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=624690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}