There’s Stress. And then there’s STRESS.
Everyone responds to life differently based on disposition, past life experiences, current pressures, and unresolved traumas. When our hormones become out of balance – especially the adrenal hormones – this response become amplified, and our stress threshold lowers dramatically.
Here’s a basic flow of why stress causes weight issues – but of course there’s a lot more to it as well!
Stress > elevated cortisol > insulin surge > elevated blood sugar > store excess energy as fat > (if this goes on too long) cause an rT3 issue > less active thyroid hormone in the blood > slows metabolism > weight gain
One way to help bring the balance back to this stress response is with meditation, and herbal adaptogens can speed up results.
What Is Meditation?
Meditation is a broad term that covers a range of things, from mindfulness, to yoga, to binaural beats, to breathing exercises. Ideally, whatever the form of meditation, it should facilitate a calming of the nervous system, an activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, and a space for inner reflection and self growth.
Just like doing physical repetitive exercises, these practices deepen with practice and change the way you respond stress for the better.
The Way You Stress Affects Belly Fat
Studies have found that people with a high degree of attention to their present thoughts and feelings — “dispositional mindfulness” — are less likely to be obese than people with a low degree of dispositional mindfulness. They also had about a pound less belly fat on average.
Mindful Eating
Mindful eating techniques, in combination with a regular mindfulness meditation practice, may bolster the long-term effects of diet and exercise weight-loss programs for obesity on risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, including fasting glucose levels and the ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol.” ~ Jennifer Daubenmier, PhD to Endocrine Today.
Mindfulness has been proven in many studies to have the following effects:
- Improve cortisol levels.
- Increase GABA secretion – calms pain, anxiety, twitches.
- Turns off the ‘fight-flight-freeze’ response.
- Aids weight loss.
- Manages headaches or migraine.
- Reduce blood pressure.
- Improve quality of life.
Nutrient Deficiencies
If you have been under stress for too long, you will end up with nutrient deficiencies that leads to adrenal malfunction, fatigue, insomnia, hair loss and lots more!
Nutrients heavily involved in creating stress hormones are B5, B6, Zinc, and selenium. We see a lot of issues with nutrient depletion requiring correctional therapy.
Do you have stubborn weight? Then first step is this…
A thorough consultation uncovers all sorts of vital factors, such as your health history, medical history, diet, water intake, stress levels, response to stress, and digestive health.
From here, we know exactly what test are needed to get a full understanding of where your hormones are at, and what is driving the imbalance.
Once we know, treatment is based on fact rather than guess, and our goal is to get you feeling better in 12 weeks – and 75% of our patients have achieved ALL their goals well before this!
Make this next year YOUR year to finally commit to a program that gives better health – not just short term results.
Book your appointment now and ensure you start 2021 right.
