Over 60, Do Not Forget the Harm of Stress
Happy Wednesday, friends. Today, I have a reminder…Over 60: Do Not Forget the Harm of Stress.
It has taken me awhile to fully assess the harm of stress, but I believe I can now after a thorough self-evaluation.
And I want to write about this topic for anyone facing a major life change or recovery from surgery.
It is not in my nature to have a “victim-mentality” or find ways to lay blame when I face challenges.
My nature is to press on, but occasionally sometimes it is important for us to have complete understanding of our bodies and wellness.
This top picture was me right after my two foot surgeries in November 2023.
Before the surgeries, I was 30 pounds down and looking and feeling my best.
Despite the boot and the pain, I was active and enjoying life.
However, the slow down of my complete activity level began to kick in around this time….and we all know that is more difficult on us over 60.
Also, at that time, we decided to re-locate our lives to another town to help my daughter’s family.
Suddenly…everything would need to change and I stopped thinking about my overall health.
Completely….
OVER 60: DO NOT FORGET THE HARM OF STRESS: CURRENT DAY
So here I am…yet again…with weight on…and NOT at the top of my game.
At one point I was so busy, that when I realized I had gained all of my weight back, I was honestly shocked. What happened?
So I began researching low metabolism thinking it was only about the surgeries…I discovered, of course, that lower activity was a huge problem with metabolism.
I began to do all that I could to increase my metabolism again…eating healthier (less eating out); regular probiotic; increased hydration and moving more.
I felt better, but still not seeing the results I wanted until I happened upon the biggest discovery…the harm of stress to my metabolism.
And, let’s face it, the surgeries and major move, back to back, had been a source of great stress.
I have an AI summary for you here that I am going to share from Google, simply because I believe the information is good and worthy of your time:
“Chronic stress significantly impacts metabolism, potentially leading to weight gain, increased appetite, and slowed metabolic rate.
Stress can trigger the release of cortisol, which disrupts normal bodily functions and can contribute to metabolic changes.
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- Stress triggers the release of cortisol, a hormone that prepares the body for a “fight-or-flight” response.
- Elevated cortisol levels can lead to increased appetite, especially for high-calorie foods, potentially contributing to weight gain.
We ate out way too much during this move…and it was for months.
- Stress triggers the release of cortisol, a hormone that prepares the body for a “fight-or-flight” response.
- Cortisol can also slow down metabolism, making it harder for the body to burn calories efficiently.
2. Metabolic Changes:
- Stress can alter the way the body processes carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, potentially leading to metabolic imbalances.
- Chronic stress can also affect insulin sensitivity, increasing the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
- Stress can disrupt the balance of hormones involved in hunger and satiety, contributing to overeating and weight gain.
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- Stress can lead to changes in gut microbiota, potentially impacting metabolism.
- Stress can also disrupt sleep patterns, which can negatively impact metabolic function.
- Stress can impair cognitive functions like self-regulation, further contributing to unhealthy eating habits and weight gain.
- Practicing stress-reducing techniques like deep breathing, prayer, and exercise can help manage stress and improve metabolic health.
- Prioritizing sleep and getting enough rest can also be beneficial for metabolic function.
- Adopting a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet and regular physical activity, can help mitigate the negative effects of stress on metabolism.
This really resonated with me. My husband of 56 years has had several serious health issues. My 2 best girlfriends of 47 years have stress caused by various factors. The three of us seem to be living day to day. It’s hard. Exercise does help quite a bit as does meditation and praying. I think a lot of women are under stress. Its good to read about the affects it causes. Thank you for the information.
You are welcome, Carol. The fact that stress is part of most of our lives is why I wrote this. I did not pay attention to the toll it was taking on my body, so I really want others to join me as I change that. I hope your stress lightens soon.
Soo true,great tips!
Thanks for this to remember how important positivity is when we face challenges prayer, thankfulness, gratitude, what’s going right in our lives, love and necessities some people don’t have. Even small things,sunshine birds,and rain.
You made me smile…thanks Debra.
Thank you for this today, Pamela, I did need to hear it! We’re going through relocating, and finding a new home & selling a home I love has been extremely stressful (I know that I don’t need to tell you). Prayer and feeling the Lord’s presence throughout this process has been what has gotten me through. At times He has made His hand in this so apparent that there was no mistaking his presence. I appreciate all of the information about how stress affects our bodies and can now be more aware going forward. The fact that we’re moving back to where our family is and how excited they all are about it has also been a huge blessing!
Hi Niki, I do believe one way to lessen our stress each day is to count our blessings like you have done here. Just remember the toll that stress may take on your health, and immediately begin to pray and think of the huge blessing. We can do this!
It is the rare woman whose weight does not fluctuate over time, and I appreciate the fact that you show how to dress with style and class whatever your size. Your desire to be healthy, engaged in life, and open to new adventures is inspiring. Thank you!
You are welcome, Joan. I truly want to help…this time of life is fun…we just have to navigate a few bumps. Thanks for your kind words.
Perhaps you can research how long it takes to recover from a cracked rib. For me it was 8 weeks. It was necessary to find a balance between getting mild movement in and not overdoing. Will you be taking a break from Osteostrong? As a long time reader of Connect, the Weight Watchers social media thread, I have seen many people who have lost weight with no exercise. I imagine that takes tight control. Ugh…but doable.
Pam I’m so sorry about the stress in your life. When we can’t control circumstances we can try to control how we respond to them. Recognizing the causes of stress is a first step. I have had a yoga practice for over 35 years and it has helped me deal with some extremely stressful events in my life. Maybe not perfectly but better than I could have without it. Yoga emphasizes a mind and body connect and has made me more attuned to the influences of stress in my life and how to work through them. I’ve heard so many times someone say that they can’t practice yoga because they are not flexible or some other reason. My practice began when I had a painful shoulder injury. I was sent to a “healthy back” practice that focused on spinal issues. Within months my injury healed and I moved to a hatha practice. I was not particularly flexible when I started and I needed all kinds of extra support but a consistent practice has helped me in so many ways. Its important for anyone who is beginning a practice, at any age, to find the right program and the right instructor. For instance our studio has a “50 and over” program and most of the students in that practice make use of chairs and other props to modify the practice appropriately. The studio has all sorts of special educational programs about preventing falls, dealing with stress, foot health etc. When I first moved here I had to find a practice and the 3rd studio I tried was the right one for me. You might want to consider looking into yoga. I’m sure a town the size Abilene has options.
Hi Linda, I am doing my best to be aware of what I eat…not sit for too long…and sadly, I am taking a small break from OsteoStrong…but will get back as soon as I think I can. Deep breathing is a problem with this…so far I have not left the house. I choose to believe that anything is doable.
Yes…there are many yoga options, Kathie. Thank you..I am looking closely at what might be best for me. I know OsteoStrong is and I will return…but looking to add something else when I can.
Thank you. Stress is something i have been dealing with for quite a while. When you said you will not take in others stress and make it your own is exactly what i do. Then when i had a health issue of my own the stress in me reached a new level. My blood pressure was out of control and i just did not feel well.
I feel now i need to focus on what is best for meand let others deal with their own stress. I can listen but i won’t make it mine.
Good luck going forward.
Thus is such a timely message and I thank you Pam. I hope you are doing a bit better too! You’re really sore I imagine! Right now my back is on the “outs”and moving is grating….my husband has some health issues cropping uo too. Were quite the pair. Feeling so old, really old! But I know that these setbacks will pass. I look forward to that!
Gaining weight in my tummy and midsection is already showing as I’ve missed weeks of yoga, tai chi my brusk two mile walks!
While stress can certainly lead to weight gain it can also lead to weight loss. You mentioned cortisol but did not mention adrenaline. Both of these hormones are released during “fight or flight” mode. “Adrenaline prepares your body for vigorous activity, but it can also minimize your desire to eat.” As I recover from my second total knee replacement about a month ago I have lost 12 pounds and am still losing more weight. This weight loss also happened with my first knee replacement last year and I never regained that weight. I’m now to the point that I will have to try and supplement my diet to try and recover some of this weight as I was not overweight to begin with. I mention this only because there may be others facing a surgery or going through a stressful period that may find they lose weight unexpectedly instead of gaining. Bottom line is that stress definitely can impact our lives in a negative way. Hang in there Pam as you will get through this!
Thank you for sharing your story, Sonja. It would be interesting to know what causes one or the other. Take care of yourself and I hope you can get to a healthy place with your weight soon.
Focus on you, Paula. We are of no use to others if we are not our best healthy life. I do carry the stress of others, but now am practicing other methods…praying for them and not focusing on their issues.
Thank you, Pam, for sharing your current experience with stress! It is an important topic and I appreciate you bringing it to our attention. I’ve had some stressful situations over the past several years and have gained weight, mostly in my mid-section. Being thin most of my life has made this weight gain difficult to accept. I’m thinking some of it is just part of the aging process but I need to get back to regular exercising which was disrupted during Covid when I could no longer go to the gym. I really appreciate the positive outlook you have and the encouragement you give us!
I hope you and your husband feel better soon. I may have to locate a chiropractor in town once the rib is better…every since the fall, my back has hurt. It was X-rayed so I know there is nothing significant there…and hope a re-adjustment will help. I say this to let you know that I understand back pain is no fun. Focus on your metabolism while you are not moving as much. Research what might be best for you in order to speed up your metabolism. If we remain aware and on top of things, we are less likely to experience the weight gain I sadly allowed to happen.
Pamela I realize what you’ve gone through and as we all know, each day hands us more stress. Also, more joys if we look for them I’m a half full glass kind of person and I count that as a blessing for sure. After a hip and a shoulder replacement I have done water exercise at my own pace in our heated spa or pool….EVERY DAY for mobility, range of motion….and total relaxation. I get in feeling like I don’t want to and get out feeling like a new person with energy. Try water when you can, great and non stressful on joints.❤️🥰
It is that pesky mid-section where it hits! I understand and remember all that you have been through. Mine has been difficult to accept after just recently reaching sizes where I wanted to be. Pay attention to your metabolism and maybe speak to a doctor or research the best ways to speed it up. I am increasing protein and veggies and cutting down on the eating out. Eating out and more processed foods played a major role in this. I just was not as observant as I should have been.
When I was still teaching, I think I lived constantly with much stress which is why I so often had a migraine on Saturday mornings. But back then I weighed 100 lbs, probably because I usually only ate one meal a day…plus I was moving constantly all day. Now retired I certainly move less although I do walk every day and go to yoga twice a week. But I have gained 35 pounds which is distressing when I’m used to be smaller. I’m now going to a former student who is a nutritionist and she is encouraging me to add more protein to my diet. She says I need at least 60 grams daily and I need to eat some protein every few hours. My doctor has also said I need to eat more protein so I’m passing along this advice to any trying to lose weight. Summertime brings us so many beautiful vegetables and fruits we so are trying to do better about what we eat with me concentrating specifically on increased protein. My weight is slowly coming down but with our slowed metabolism, it is indeed slow…but worth the effort for better health.
You are right, Celia…so worth the effort to be able to do more! I also was told to eat more protein, and I have been increasing that…I have worked to include protein throughout the day. Thank you for sharing what you know.
I started wondering myself why some might experience weight gain while some might experience weight loss from times of stress. I headed to the web and here’s what I found-
“Regardless of where your stress is
coming from (or how long it lasts), it can impact your weight. In fact, duration is a possible indicator of whether stress will cause a gain or a loss. According to a study on animals, chronic stressors may be more likely to lead to weight gain, while acute stresses may be more likely to result in weight loss.”
This certainly makes sense to me as my stress is due to an acute stress from surgery and your stress Pam seems to have been chronic for some time especially in the last year. There’s lots of great info out there on this topic and I am convinced that stress is something that can negatively impact your life if not managed.
Thanks Sonja…that makes sense.
I concur that stress is toxic and can lead to weight gain, among other things. The stress in my family has been pretty unrelenting over the past 6 years. It did lead to a 10 pound weight gain for me.
Interesting that you mentioned berberine. I have an order for Pilgrim’s Pride berberine arriving from Amazon today. I am very curious to see if it makes a difference in how I feel and if it leads to any weight loss. I have been seeing more and more about the benefits of the herb. Here’s hoping!
Hi Kathy, for me, since taking Berberine, I am not as hungry and easily going with less food. I hope it helps you as well.
Dear Pam,
It’s so hard to deal with everything you have been through. Then this fall with the flip flops. Give yourself GRACE. Everything will be okay. You remain in my thoughts. I know you are a very positive person.
Speaking of stress, I wonder if anyone has heard of this one. I woke up last week with my eye hurting. I thought I had something in it from the wind and cleaning the backyard. Eye doctor confirmed it was an ulcer, on my eye in front of my pupil probably caused from….stress! Very painful but not as rare as one might think. Two antibiotics later and after a week, my eye is almost completely healed! So….apparently stress can cause all manner of random problems! Hope your stress level is better and I’m confident you will be heading in the right direction again soon!
Thank you for today’s message. It is good for me to examine my failure to lose 11 pounds in the last two years that I have been attending WW meetings from a different angle. (I have been a usually successful WW for 40 years.) Now I think that stress has made me lazy. Lazy to walk an extra mile. Lazy to track my intake. Lazy to search out new recipes. I am active: gardening, meditative journal water coloring, short walks, grocery shopping, socializing etc., but stress has me taking shortcuts. (If it is raining, I don’t want to walk; if I have been gardening or painting my outdoor furniture, I want to order out.) I need to devote a few hours to finding healthy and quick stand by recipes that will satisfy my husband as well as me. (It seems that quick and easy involves a lot of canned soup and stuffings lately.) I am dismayed by my new belly fat. But, I need to reexamine many triggers that I now believe are stress related. The first thing that comes to mind is that my husband never gives up his run or workout and I find many chores that ‘have’ to be done asap. He has gently reminded me that nothing that I do ‘has’ to be done before taking care of myself. Many of those chores he will help me with later. I need to reassess, and thank you Pam, for reaching out to us about stress today. It is so detrimental to our health, and the source is usually something we can’t control anyway. We feed and track birds, walk the beach, plant beautiful flowers. I need to slow down and focus on the beauty around me. I think it is time to try chair yoga and make it a priority.
Thank you, Katherine. You are a so kind. It helps me to understand what is going on with my body in order to turn things around. I will be ready when the rib heals…God must want me to be still for awhile.
Oh my, Merri Lynn! I am glad you are better…but this is another serious stress lesson. It can do a number on us.
Stress does do a number on us! I hope to use this summer, after the rib heals, to begin a daily routine that I stick to and ask my family to honor with me. So that I do my workouts faithfully no matter what. I love to work on the blog in the mornings, but I may need to shift it to later and just hold firm to mornings including workout times. My husband also NEVER gives up his Peloton time or running time…and now he has added Pilates. He holds firm…so I plan to do the same no matter what. We can do this, Deborah. Let’s check in on each other sometime in July.
Pam,
Thank you for sharing your story and being honest about it….I lost 50 pounds and then my husband became ill and passed away in 5 weeks after being diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer that spread to his liver and lymph nodes….Needless to say, my stress level was through the roof….I gained 2o pounds back and I have been desperately trying to lose it…I know I have to start walking again which I stopped when Joe became ill but I seem to have a mental block about it…. .I am considering buying one of those walking pads as the weather has not been optimal for walking outside…I am a stress eater and I do suffer from a low metabolism due to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis which is an auto immune disease… The first year since has passing and funeral service is now over and I do feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders….So I do plan on buckling down and trying to get this weight often…..AGAIN!!! I wish you success in your journey and will be looking forward to you sharing some updates about it….Take care!!
Hugs,
Deb
Thank you for sharing your experience. One the highest rated causes of stress is losing a spouse. I thought I was handling my loss well. I was seeing a counselor, spending time in prayer & devotions & doing all the other things I was supposed to do, but it did catch up to me in couple of ways. I believe I am moving in the right direction now. Self-evaluation & self-awareness are definitely key factors in getting better. I wish you well on your journey.
Hi Deb,
I am so, so sorry to hear of all you have been through. I am certain this was very hard for you. Please use this moment as a new starting point to take back your own health and lead a vibrant life. We can both do this with determination and staying aware of what is happening around us. Please report back sometime this summer and let us know how you are doing.
Thank you for this much-needed tutorial on the impact of stress. I have been seeing mentions of cortisol online and just assumed it was the latest health buzzword that probably wasn’t relevant to me. Learning what it is and how it can affect our weight is so helpful! Since December, 2022 I have gone through a major illness, lost a romantic relationship I anticipated would lead to marriage, retired from a job of almost 25 years that brought purpose to my life, had a serious car accident, cared for my mother in the last two years of her battle with Alzheimer’s, dealt with her passing and sorting out her business affairs, sold her house, purchased my new house, tried to sell my old house, (getting closer!) hosted overseas visitors for a three-week grand tour of Texas and moved into my beloved new but smaller home. No wonder I have felt stressed and anxious! I recently realized that I’ve been avoiding some of these stressful situations by eating out too much, spending time with friends, and generally wasting time feeling paralyzed by the lengthy “to do” list. For the past week I’ve been cooking and making more salads, eating frozen bananas instead of ice cream, cutting down to two sodas a day and trying to move more, even if it’s just line dancing to the radio in the kitchen waiting for water to boil. It won’t be an overnight fix, but I’ve lost two pounds so far and I’ve been more productive this past week. I realize that sometimes the only way out is through, and I am going to focus on getting down to one house, which will relieve stress in several areas – time, finances, workload, etc. So many of us are dealing with similar situations, and I believe we can all do hard things. Pam has laid out some concrete steps for dealing with these events in our lives, and I’m going to follow them. Here’s to our collective success and continued inspiration from Pam!
You are so sweet, but the amount of stress you have been through is stunning. I am glad we are here to encourage one another. Bless you, Lorri.
Pam – I just quickly scanned the replies so someone else might have already told you about this book. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. It is about the stress in our lives, how it gets there, and gives strategies for coping with it. I’m not sure about the coping techniques but the information about stress is an eye opener.
Thank you, Pam, for sharing what stress can do to our bodies. I had my own gigantic stress period during the pandemic — and yes, it sure did affect my health. I’m now retired, but was teaching elementary school then. On March 13, 2020 we packed up and left school — and didn’t go back until a year later. Everything suddenly had to be done online. It didn’t matter that I was pretty tech-adverse…it had to be done (and pretty much overnight). A HUGE learning curve! Add to that the worry about students and their families (their health, parents’ jobs, and everyone’s mental health)…well, it was very difficult. And a big part of my comfort zone (co-workers) were inaccessible. YIKES. The result: missed sleep, weight gain (too many Doritos), and general grumpiness. I finally realized I needed to get outside at least once a day, and so began my long walks. They were one thing that made that time bearable.
You are so wise to find what stresses you and how best to deal with it. I know you’ll take it on and win!
Thanks Marin! I will look for it.
Thank you for sharing, Heidi…I know so many can identify with your story.
I needed to hear this message. I need to take steps to reduce stress and the accompanying side effects. I love taking aquatic classes. Very safe, no injuries, and the aquatic offerings at our Sports Center range from Deep Water Running, Aerobics, Water Zumba, Yoga, Balance-Walk-Stretch to Muscle Strengthening. Different instructors, the best of which is 69 years young! And the Water Yoga instructor is 65!
It’s on my list, Deanna. Will be checking out at our Y
Thank you Pam for sharing what you’re going through and your thoughts and feelings on this subject. So many of us are triggered by our life demands i.e. family, retirement, health concerns etc. that we don’t take the time to self reflect and get back on the wellness journey. Wishing you the best as you pivot and focus on you!
Thank you for being here, Marianne!