Evolutionary Addictions

My friend Thea recently wrote an article about how stress sparks our desire to want something --anything-- to make us feel better.  It turns out that food -- sweets, specifically -- increase endorphins in our brain, and endorphins make us happy.  That's why we so often turn to food as comfort when we're stressed out.

Going with a Primal theme, Thea's article talks about how this chemical surge has existed since our hunter-gatherer days, and was necessary for our survival.  But given that over time, we've adapted to a sedentary lifestyle, our stressors are no longer "can we make the hunt today?  I hope the buffalo doesn't trample me," but instead are "am I going to make the deadline at work?" or "why is there morning traffic?"  These stressors are mostly mental, not physical, and as a result, our bodies do not need the "sugar/carb" rush that we seek, but we give into that desire anyway.  So, we end up gaining weight.

The good news -- when we stress, we can train our brains to want something else -- like exercise!  Thea also informs us that we should be aware of what we eat, and eat mindfully.  Instead of shoveling that bag of Doritos in our mouths to feel better, thinking about what we eat while we eat it makes a significant difference.

I like to think I am developing a healthy exercise addiction since I get incredibly cranky and antsy when I go without exercise.  Having a workout of the day makes a huge difference in my general outlook and attitude.

Speaking of workouts, here's my workout of the day from yesterday:

Run 1.2 miles (11 minutes for me, on the treadmill);
100 push ups
150 sit ups
200 squats

It was awesome.  Next time, I'll run another 1.2 miles after the squats.

I also like to think that I am kicking my sugar addiction (which researchers have discovered, sugar is more addictive than cocaine) by eliminating it from sneaky places like coffee creamers, marinades, and my personal favorite, hard cider.  It hasn't been easy, but I find that when I eat foods with a lot of sugar in them, they are far too sweet for me.  I've also been healthier this winter -- while my coworkers and family members have gotten nasty flus and colds, I've been relatively cold-free, which is highly unusual for me.  Pretty impressive, I think, especially since I'm a middle school teacher, which means that I work in a germ factory.  I'm still working on the sugar-free lifestyle, and for some motivation, I read this article from Men's Health. (Random aside: I love reading Men's Health, and renewed my husband's subscription because I look forward to it coming each month.  I find it far more helpful and interesting than Women's Health).

The more I read and the healthier I feel, the more convinced I am that sugar is bad news.

How do you handle stress?