I've been focusing a lot of my personal research on stress and fat loss recently, and how nutrition plays a big part in combatting both 'unexplained' tiredness and plateaus in fat loss, even when exercise regimes and calorie intake seem conducive to success.
Following a live & dry blood analysis with rugby, boxing and strongman strength and conditioning guru Phil Richards last weekend, I am now even more convinced that both our feelings of well being and body transformation success are enormously influenced by 2 things. Our diet and our stress levels.
To put it simply, we are only as healthy as the liquid we float in, and if our blood is congested, tired, & sticky, the likelihood is that's how we'll feel too. At a basic level, it comes down to blood acidity; the more acidic, processed foods we consume, the higher the acidity level of our blood & the worse we feel. This goes for water too. Many of us still drink tap water by the gallon thinking that it is good for us, but it's actually riddled with hundreds of chemicals (350 in the UK), rust & sediment from pipes, and a number of nitrates that are washed off fields, including herbicides and pesticides. Yum.
It was interesting to hear a coach like Phil, who has worked with some of the biggest, strongest men in the sporting world, reiterate over and over again how important a positive mental attitude and the ability to talk about problems rather than bottling them is for both health and fat loss. People who have a tendency to harbour intense emotions are proven to experience more bowel problems, and those who suffer from anxiety, pessimism and other repeatedly negative states of mind are at twice the risk of disease. This ties in convincingly with the fact that high and maintained levels of cortisol (caused by a variety of different stressors) results in impaired metabolism, insulin resistance (potentially leading to what is known as Syndrome X, or Metabolic Syndrome), and consequently, more fat, particularly around the abdominal region. I will be going into more detail about the relationship between cortisol, testosterone and insulin resistance in the next few days, but today I just want to give you 3 quick tips on how you can immediately start feeling brighter and more alert.
So,
1) drink bottled water only. Remember you are only as healthy as the liquid you swim in. So keep it really clean.
2) Take alkalising salts or bicarbonate of soda every day to help reduce your blood acidity levels and promote healthy red and white blood cell production.
3) Get as much sleep as possible. It sounds obvious if you're constantly feeling below par, but it's more than just a simple case of shut eye. A lot of people get into the habit of staying up late, getting up early, and generally depriving themselves of the sleep our bodies really require in order to function optimally. The problem with getting too little sleep (ie. less than 8 hours a night) is that sleep deprivation results in elevated cortisol levels, which in turn contributes significantly to insulin resistance. Studies have shown that people who sleep less than 6.5 hours per night secrete a whopping 50% more insulin yet are 40% less sensitive to the effects of insulin compared to normal sleepers..bad, bad news for both fat loss and health at large.
I will be in touch in the next few days with more easy tips on how you can start lowering your cortisol levels, improve your blood composition for good health, and take the handbrake off your fat loss without changing your exercise programme.
Until then, stay Strong,
Charlotte
www.phoenixprofitness.com
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