Upper Arm Fat-Is Your Work Causing It? Share
Nov 30th, 2009 by Katherine Crawford, M.S.
The crazy answer is yes. Solid research has clearly shown a link between work conditions and weight gain. Thus, your job could be the source of your upper arm fat.
How can we make such conclusions? Well, this groundbreaking research was done in England and showed how rank, among many other factors, can influence what you eat, how much you exercise and how much fat you carry.
So here is what to look out for at your job:
1. Lack of control. Not being in control is a primary cause of work related stress. And the stress causes your body to secrete hormones which lead to more arm fat accumulation.
2. Stiffness. Do your upper back muscles get really stiff? One cause of this can be excess tension at work. If you work within a very extreme environment, those stress hormones are going to flood your system. So please seek out a different team or manager if you constantly feel affronted.
3. Clarity of given tasks. If the work you are supposed to do is unclear, stress will rise. Ask your superiors for more clearly defined work. State how your productivity will increase and never point fingers. After all, finger pointing will only increase work-related stress.
4. Were you are on the totem pole. Unfortunately, lower ranking jobs lead to more weight gain and poorer nutrition-according to the research. So I would suggest looking for things you can do outside of work where you can assume a more dominant role. Doing so can help offset the negatives.
5. Letting your job title define you. You need to have other activities and hobbies that help define you as a person. Doing this will prevent the all too common emotional roller coasters that one-dimensional people go through.
Now keep in mind that changing your environment is much easier than changing yourself. So if you simply can no longer tolerate your job, please move on. Your body and your arms will thank you for it. And most likely, that upper arm fat will start to come off a little faster than before!
