The effects of stress on the body are vast: It can mess with your immune system, raise your blood pressure, impact your weight, and even hinder your ability to stick to a healthy eating plan. Stress eating, or emotional eating, happens in response to a stressful situation and can provide temporary comfort or distraction from certain emotions. Emotional eating—soothing yourself with food—is normal, and everyone does it on occasion. However, using food to cope is not an ideal regular strategy, and it can be a difficult habit to break. One simple tip to stop stress eating before it starts, according to a dietitian? Walking.
Meet the expert: Jessica Levinson, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N., a culinary nutrition expert
Taking a 15-minute walk, for instance, can do wonders to reduce stress and put some distance between emotions and a coping mechanism, like eating. “When the urge to eat out of stress, boredom, sadness, or another emotion hits, I head outside and go for a walk or run,” Jessica Levinson, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N., a culinary nutrition expert, previously told Prevention. “Exercise releases endorphins that can stimulate relaxation, and the fresh air is also a natural stress reducer.”
Levinson isn’t the only one who thinks so, either. “Immediately after an exercise session, the brain is flooded with neurochemicals that help regulate mood,” Jennifer Heisz, Ph.D., an associate professor in the department of kinesiology at McMaster University, added in conversation with Prevention about walking to lower stress. This includes endorphins that reduce pain, serotonin to help us stay calm, neuropeptide Y to protect the brain from trauma, and dopamine to activate the brain’s reward system. “Regular exercise such as daily brisk walking also helps tone the stress system and makes you less reactive to everyday stressors,” Heisz added.
There are many whole-body benefits from walking. Research shows that the simple, low-impact exercise improves heart health, boosts sleep, reduces the risk of chronic disease, and helps with maintaining a healthy weight. Plus, one recent study even found that walking every day can add 11 years to your life!
