FACT #1: Unaddressed stress is generally the culprit if you are doing everything right and still not reaching your belly-shedding goals.
FACT #2: Eating less and exercising more will only make matters worse.
FACT #3: In menopause – cortisol spikes up 74% and is basically running the show. It causes an increase in blood sugar which increases insulin which encourages hunger and cravings for carbs which stimulates glucose production and ultimately goes to fat storage and I’m sure by this point you can guess where. That’s right – that menopausal middle!
So, what’s the plan here? We live in a world filled with stressors coming at us 24/7. How do we calm down those stress hormones so we can reach our weight-shedding and wellness goals?
Assuming that we are eating healthfully to nourish those stress hormone-producing adrenal glands of ours, it’s mostly about lifestyle here.
Calm down your stress hormones and start shedding your menobelly with the following tips:
• Take 4 deep abdominal breaths every hour: Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4, hold for a count of 2, breathe out of your mouth to a count of 6. This technique is scientifically proven to lower your stress hormones and your blood pressure. Set your alarm on your phone until this becomes a habit.
• Try humming: Research shows that it results in reducing stress, inducing calmness and enhancing sleep, as well as lowering heart rate and BP. You can even combine it with your deep breathing practice and hum as you breathe out.
• Visualize: Go to your happy calm place through visualizing. This may sound a little woo woo but is totally backed by science and a great way to start and end your day. Check out my Color-Me-Calm Visualization to get you started.
• Meditation: This is the bomb of stress-busting techniques. Use any of the many online apps to find a guided meditation that resonates with you and commit to doing it on a daily basis.
• Smell your first fork full of food: This weird little habit takes you from a sympathetic state which is stress to a parasympathetic state which is calming.
• Spend Time In Nature: Studies have shown that there are actual clinical stress-reducing benefits to spending time in nature or even bringing nature into your living space. So schedule some outdoor time each day, and fill your living space with air-purifying plant babies and watch the benefits roll in.
• Making Time For Fun!: Seems so simple right but guess what – as we get older it happens less and less doesn’t it? Laughing and participating in enjoyable activities has so many health-promoting, stress reducing benefits so just like you schedule other appointments in your life – make sure and schedule in some fun activities as well – your adrenal glands will thank you.
• There’s no such thing as perfect: Perfectionism is a stressful habit and can lead to adrenal burnout. Aim for good enough – not perfect!
In a world filled with internal and external stressors coming at us 24/7, lets do all we can to calm down those stress hormones so we can all reach our weight-shedding and wellness goals?
