Some stress is good for us, but too much can harm our health – and waistline. In this episode, Jen shares how stress can significantly impact weight gain and why, if you want to get your weight under control, you need to manage your stress better first.
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SHOWNOTES
Stress is good for us, but too much stress is bad for us. So, for our own health and wellbeing we need to learn how to manage stress better.
Chronic adrenal stress shows as crappy energy, sleep, moods, AND weight.
When the stress hormone cortisol is in balance it gives us the energy to get out of bed in the morning. But when it’s out of balance for too long, it becomes what we naturopaths call ‘the death hormone’.
Cortisol is important in helping your body in stressful situations. It’s what causes the flight, fight, freeze, or flop that gives us the ability to deal with a perceived attack. This mechanism helps keep you safe.
Chronic stress has us in survival mode as there is no downtime for recovery and rebalance. We don’t chase dinosaurs for our food nowadays. We don’t have that big stress that we wind down from.
Instead, we deal with life and the little bites that hit us daily, which do more damage because cortisol is out of balance. Our brain, nervous system, sleep, cardiovascular health, and weight take a direct hit.
What’s the link between weight and stress?
We can get to a stage where we can eat clean and exercise, but we still can’t move the weight. Sound familiar? Uncontrolled stress and poor sleep are often the culprits.
In episode one of this podcast, I talk a lot about the importance of sleep and how to sleep your way out of stress. When we sleep, we rest, recharge, and bring everything back into balance – including our stress hormones.
When our body is inside the alkaline corridor, everything is great. We crave good foods, sleep well, deal with life, and our body is strong, fit, and healthy. That’s where we’re meant to be. We get kicked out of this corridor every now and again, and our body responds more acidic. This is when we crave crappy, acidic food.
Now we all get kicked out of this corridor. As a naturopath, I only care about how quickly you bounce back.
To bring everything back into balance – including your stress hormones and get back inside the alkaline corridor, it comes down to three key things:
- GOOD FOOD
- GOOD REST
- GOOD PLAY
We often prioritise good food and rest when trying to improve our health, but we often miss play, which is critical to our overall wellbeing.
When it comes to playing, I have an essential oil blend called Play More that can help lighten your spirit. It includes May Chang, which has a lemon sherbet aroma that keeps you calm and light.
Stress is unavoidable, so let’s navigate the stressful times better, so it doesn’t tax our health and sanity.
Helpful links
- Jen’s Adrenal Tonic
- Jen’s Weight Loss Program (plus you get Jen to coach you through the program for free)
- Jen’s Play More blend
Healthy Life Hacks
The Healthy Life Hacks I want to share with you today are:
- Eat good food (Episode 14)
- Get good rest (Episode 1)
- Enjoy good play
Did you enjoy the podcast today? Please let me know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Every month I draw one lucky reviewer to have a free one-hour consultation with me. Also, remember to subscribe wherever you’re tuning in from so that you always catch the next episode.
Are you looking for more great resources? Get a free copy of my Feed Your Body ebook here and be sure to explore my blog while you are there.
