hormones

Could Stress be making you fat???

Stress in our environment (fear, anger, shame, anxiety, urgency) and toxins in our food trigger our adrenal glands to release stress hormone cortisol.

This keeps us ready to react to the stressor in a way that our body thinks may save our lives. It's an outdated formula and with modern fast pace and high stimulation, the very chemicals that kept our ancestors alive, are keeping us fat.

 

Digestion is harmed

When we're stressed, we can't digest our food properly and we don't absorb all of our nutrients. Our body shoots it through to ditch any blood flow distractions not necessary to get us out of that jam. Hence why people in super scary situations have the sudden intense urge 'to go'.

High Cortisol = Tummy Fat retention

Beyond our body not metabolizing our food, chronically high cortisol goes from being a performance enhancer, to a serious liability. The body holds onto tummy fat in the presence of cortisol incase it needs future caloric energy reserves and as a protective buffer for our organs.

Cortisol may save our lives in extreme situations, but it doesn't help get us ready for bikini season. The body releases fat stores when it's calm, breathing in oxygen, and sending the messaging to the brain that everything is A-ok.

Toxins stress the body & are stored in fat cells!

If you're sleeping, meditating, breathing, and chilling but the weight isn't releasing, look at internal trapped toxins that could be creating a state of constant inflammation.

Chronic high inflammation reads as stress to the body. The body releases cortisol to manage the inflammatory incident. Inflammation, when acute is quite healing. But longterm, it's extremely damaging. It's a sign to the body that there is something to fight, something wrong. Chronic inflammation puts the body in a state of internal war as immune system soldiers get mixed signals and often friendly fire bringing on autoimmune diseases. The body often holds onto protective fat. 

The body also manages toxins (chemical stressor) by getting them out of circulation and stored away IN FAT CELLS. This means the more toxins, the more the body holds onto fat cells as protective cubbies keeping toxins from damaging parts of the body.

The body is not going to burn important toxin cubholes (fat cells) when you exercise. It does not want to re-release toxins into the system. People that have stored toxins and lose weight too quickly often see a panicked body recruit even more fat cells and quickly put weight back on to get those toxins again out of blood circulation. Resulting in EVEN MORE WEIGHT GAIN!

Here's the GetHSH Weight Release Program I wrote to address this 20th century stress syndrome and give us a real chance to be our body type's ideal happy, healthy weight.

Stress releasing slimming system with the 9 free recipe, workout, and mood enhancing bonuses

Stress releasing slimming system with the 9 free recipe, workout, and mood enhancing bonuses

Exercising harder doesn't work when our hormones are off and our toxins are being stored in fat cells. Let this book show you how to lower your stress & systemic inflammation and release trapped fat.


BONUS VIDEOS:  Stress keeps us tired & fat

Dr. Steph from Functional Medicine SF breaks down what stress really does to you, what Adrenal Fatigue is, and what you can do about it. Get HealthySexyHappy interviews top experts to help us look & feel our best.

We know how important sleep is and it's frustrating to miss out on essential healing, restoring beauty zzz's. Dr. Steph from Functional Medicine SF breaks down what's been getting in the way between you and a blissful night's sleep.


3 ways to increase your Dopamine

The dopamine naturally produced by your brain makes you feel good and have self confidence. You get a rush of rewarding dopamine in response to pleasurable activities like food, sex, and nailing your to-do list.

On the other hand, without enough dopamine, you may feel sluggish, depressed and uninterested in life. Here are some different methods to boost your dopamine levels if you're feeling a little low.

 

1. EAT YOUR WAY HAPPY

a.  Tyrosine.  Almonds, avocados, bananas, low-fat dairy, meat and poultry,

Lima beans, sesame and pumpkin seeds all help your body to produce more dopamine. Well sourced soy products, fish, dairy, and meats also help.

Here is MY DAILY SUPPLEMENT.

b. Increase your antioxidants. Dopamine is easy to oxidize, and antioxidants may reduce free radical damage to the brain cells that produce dopamine.  Antioxidants:

  • Beta-carotene & carotenoids: Greens, orange veggies & fruits, asparagus, broccoli, beets
  • Vitamin C: Peppers, oranges, strawberries, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
  • Vitamin E: Nuts and sunflower seeds, greens, broccoli, carrots

c) Phenylethylamine (PEA), an ingredient found in chocolate, elevates dopamine. PEA also provides weight loss-related therapeutic benefits. You can order this online. Talk to your doctor beforehand. I recommend Dr. Stephanie Daniel of functionalmedicinesf.com

2. MOVE, REST... and SET GOALS!

a. Exercise increases blood calcium, which stimulates dopamine release and uptake in your brain. Try 30 to 60 minutes of walking, swimming or jogging to jump-start your dopamine levels. It also ups your endorphins. A genuine laugh or a stretch gets your endorphins going, which is similar to a dopamine high. 

b. Sleep. One of the best ways to feel energized and ready to tackle the day is to get plenty of sleep. Help the body rebuild your dopamine stores Don't get fooled by the temporary Dopamine burst you get from skipping sleep. It's an evolutionary work around the body provides to get you through sleep deprivation but comes at a price. You'll feel fatigued, groggy, and irritable, but your dopamine levels will be through the roof for a short time.

c. Goals make everything a game!

Reach a new goal. Dopamine is all about pleasure and reward. We can absolutely train our brain. Whether it's important to you to get to the coffee shop on time or finally get that PhD, reaching a new goal will put your pleasure centers into party mode. Every little goal counts.

3. SUPPLEMENTS & MEDS

a. Try a supplement.  Vitamin B6 & L-Phenylalanine (DLPA) can elevate dopamine in the brain. Here are the bundles I've put together from top companies. WholeFoods & boutique shops like Rainbow Grocery also carry good brands.

b. Medication that increases dopamine. Depending on the symptoms you're exhibiting, your doctor can prescribe medication that will increase your dopamine levels. The brain tends to upregulate over time and attempt to adjust back to your base level which results in many people taking more and more of the substance to achieve the same levels. Here is what is currently out there.

  • ADHD: If you're really struggling to focus on tasks and experiencing hyperactivity, your doctor can prescribe psychostimulants like Ritalin to inhibit dopamine reuptake (putting dopamine away). More dopamine is left in the synaptic cleft, where it has its effect.
  • Depression: Low dopamine is associated with depression. You can talk to your doctor about starting an antidepressant if natural methods don't work to relieve symptoms of low energy. Most antidepressants deal with serotonin, a different neurotransmitters associated with calm bliss over dopamine's motivated reward. The most popular Dopamine affecting antidepressant on the market is WellButrin. The major downside is the body's adjustment to the additional epinephrine on the synapse making the drug less effective over time. It can affect sleep in the beginning as well. And if your Dopamine issue starts higher up in the chain at nutrient absorption or toxin levels, an antidepressant will bandaid over the symptoms at best.
  • Parkinson's disease: People who have Parkinson's disease often experience involuntary bodily movement. A dopamine booster called levodopa is often prescribed for Parkinson's patients. There is some correlation to low dopamine being a possible cause of Parkinson's. Scary!

Apparently there's even something called ECT (electro-convulsive therapy -- once deemed precarious is now returning in popularity) have shown to be effective in raising dopamine levels. I'm assuming it's an electrical impulse strategically sent to a specific part of your brain. Hadn't heard of this one.  Talk to your doctor.

SUMMARY:

Eat, sleep, & move to feel good. Structure your day around little winnable games to enjoy boosts of dopamine throughout the day. Sleep enough to refill the tank. When in doubt, nap or sweat it out. You deserve to feel good.