Let me put stress into 3 main categories:

1. Physical Stress – poor nutrition, dieting, dehydration, heavy work schedule.
2. Emotional Stress – abuse, trauma, grief.
3. Mental Stress – the daily grind, money matters, family problems.

All forms of stress cause a physical response in your body that you can feel. One of the most obvious is the feeling of nervousness, or “butterflys in your stomach” when you are placed in a stressful situation. It is undeniable that all forms of stress, regardless of its origin, will cause a distinct and very real physical response in your body. This stress has very real and physical consequences and it is this predetermined response to stress which can make you fat.

Here’s why…

CORTISOL aka The STRESS HORMONE

The biochemistry of your body’s response to stress is to produce a hormone called Cortisol which is released from your Adrenal Gland.

Now some Cortisol in your body poses no problem and in fact is vital for your survival. However, the chronic stresses of our modern world cause a situation where Cortisol is  released over long periods of time. This can cause major health problems, the most apparent with regards to your health, is Obesity.

Cortisol is responsible for Obesity via two distinct conditions.

1. Insulin Resistance
   Many studies have shown the effect of chronically elevated Cortisol on your cells – of which you have millions – is to cause them to become Insulin Resistant. When you become Insulin Resistant, you lose your ability to burn fat, so think about this for a minute… 

   If you are chronically stressed you lose your ability to burn fat, where do you get your energy from?
   Food, and quickly. And, the most readily available form of quick release energy your body loves is – sugar!
   Now, ask yourself this question: when you’re stressed, do you crave sweets and junk food?

   Unfortunately, the answer more often than not is “yes” and so that helps explain the link between stress and unhealthy cravings.

2. Leptin Resistance – Leptin is a hormone secreted by your fat cells and one of  its roles is to tell your brain how much fat is contained within them. When you are stressed out, and therefore  have elevated levels of Cortisol in your cells, you become Leptin Resistant. So if you’re overweight and stressed you will still have lots of Leptin, but the problem is, your brain isn’t listening to it. Your brain thinks your body doesn’t have enough fat in its cells. Now, that’s a problem!

So how does your brain react to these elevated Cortisol levels in your body?  It  forces you to gain weight by 4 distinct mechanisms…

1. It will slow your metabolism, making you feel tired and lethargic.
2. It will increase your tongue’s sensitivity to sweetness, causing cravings for sugar.
3. It will stop listening to your stomach’s signals that it’s full so that you just keep eating.
4. It signals to your liver to stop burning fat.

To wrap this all up…
Restrictive dieting and endless exercise will not work for long term fat loss unless you adopt a less stressful lifestyle too. By reducing your stress and the subsequent level of Cortisol, your brain and body will work with you to burn fat more quickly, help you gain energy and vitality, and free you from cravings.

Techniques to help you manage your level of stress is a topic in itself and will be the subject of future posts but in the meantime, I would love to hear what you do specifically to avoid becoming over-stressed in your day to day life. Leave me a comment below if you have a moment.

I of course think a massage is always a good start, so make sure you let me know if I can be of any assistance.

What is DOMS? (Delayed onset muscle soreness)

DOMS is the pain and stiffness felt in muscles several hours, to days after strenuous exercise or after any exercise you’re not used to doing.  The soreness is felt most strongly 24 to 72 hours after the exercise – for me it was the next morning as I got out of bed. It is a symptom of muscle damage caused by eccentric exercise. Eccentric exercise is basically any exercise that requires the lengthening of a muscle under load.

For example, when you curl your arm, the movement is “concentric” meaning a shortening under contraction of the target muscle – the bicep. When you straighten your arm from the curl position, the movement is “eccentric” meaning a lengthening of the bicep muscle. After such exercise, the muscle adapts rapidly to prevent muscle damage, and thereby soreness, if the exercise is repeated.

The soreness is perceived as a dull, aching pain in the affected muscle, often combined with tenderness and stiffness. The pain is felt only when the muscle is stretched, contracted or put under pressure and not when it is at rest. Although it varies among exercises and individuals, the soreness usually increases in intensity in the first 24 hours after exercise, peaks from 24 to 72 hours, then subsides and disappears about five to seven days after exercise.

I have a strange love/hate relationship with DOMS…
I don’t really enjoy the symptoms but I do revel in the knowledge I’ve pushed my muscles sufficiently to cause an adaption, that is, to get stronger and fitter. I think this is a sensation you start to crave as acknowledgment your work is having the desired effect.

What Is the Best Treatment for DOMS?

There is no one simple way to treat delayed onset muscle soreness. Actually, there is an ongoing debate  about both the cause and treatment of DOMS. Gentle stretching was one of the recommended ways to reduce exercise related muscle soreness, but a study by Australian researchers published in 2007 found that stretching is not effective in avoiding muscle soreness.

Nothing is proven 100% effective, and although some people have found the following advice helpful, it’s best to try a few things to see what works for you. Ultimately, best advice for treating DOMS is to prevent it in the first place.

Using a Foam Roller After Exercise May Help Reduce Soreness

I spent the weekend rolling around on the floor. Sounds like fun, but I was using my foam roller to try and iron out my sore spots. It worked a treat and I would recommend this technique as one of the most effective. I think using the roller as part of your regular cool down would bring the greatest benefit.

1. SET REALISTIC GOALS

These motivate you to continue practicing good health habits: like eating well and exercising regularly. I set realistic and measurable short-term goals like training 3 times per week or drinking 2 litres of water a day. What’s more important is living a long, happy and fulfilling life. To achieve this ultimate goal, I recommends plotting it out in small, attainable increments, begin with the end in mind.

2. WALK THE TALK

Getting started can be the hardest thing to do, with day one usually the hardest. But once you start it can be very empowering, as you regain control over your life – not just your physical self but your mental self as well. Emotional wellbeing is as important as physical wellbeing, as one greatly influences the other. Recognizing this, seeking help for emotional issues which may be troubling you, or learning skills to best handle stress will greatly influence your total wellbeing, and ultimately the way you present yourself to the world. Many of us need healing for an events we went through as a child, as a teen, or adult. This process can be extremely beneficial for your long term health.

3.    MAKE YOUR HEALTH A PRIORITY

Treat a workout as an appointment – an important one. In the same way you make time for a haircut or a dentist appointment, schedule your workout time into your day. Sometimes you may have to turn down something just to be able to work out but that’s ok. If you focus on your health as a top priority, all else seems to fall into place. I realize not everyone will have the same flexible timetable that I have, but it is possible to schedule in physical activity and healthy eating regardless of your busy schedule.

4.    DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU

Try different things to see what workout routine and meal plan will work best to help you achieve your goals. Source out qualified advice, and get expert guidance especially when starting out.

Getting the right advice at the beginning will ensure the work you put in will get you the results you’re after.

5.    GO EASY ON YOURSELF

Even I slack off on my training sometimes.  I am partial to a few too many beers with friends on the odd occasion as well but I don’t beat myself up over it.  Listen to your body, work with it, push when you can, and rest when you need to. Once you realise that living life is about enjoying yourself and that if you remain focussed on your long term goals minor bumps along the way take on no significance.

It is used extensively in Europe by medical practitioners and in hospitals, and has won many, many awards for its effectiveness and quality.

It is used by many of Europe’s  Olympic teams.

I firmly believe in Traumeel, and know from my own experience, Traumeel is one of the most effective natural remedies on the market today.

Uses of  Traumeel

For the temporary relief of muscular pain, joint pain, sports injuries and bruising

Traumeel is beneficial for everyone with inflammatory conditions, including :

Swelling and bruising of soft tissues and muscles

Muscle sprains

Cuts and local injuries

Over-use injuries,strains

After any trauma or shock

Inflamed and swollen joint

Dislocations

Ligament injuries

Concussion

Inflammatory processes of various types and origin e.g. abscesses, dermatitis, skin irritations, conjunctivitis, herpes blisters

Inflammatory degenerative processes, e.g. arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis.

It is completely safe for all ages, and I have personally seen it provide pain relief for babies, through to the elderly. You can also use it on animals, as we did with our dog Tippy, to provide him relief from arthritis.

If you suffer from pain, or know of someone who does, I strongly recommend you purchase this amazing natural healer.

Buy Traumeel for yourself, family and friends, keep it close and use it at first sign of pain or injury for effective, long lasting relief.

Ever wondered why we have body fat?
What’s its role in your body?
We have eyes for vision, ears for hearing, our bones give us a frame…
but what’s the purpose of body fat?

Fat has one main function – it’s vital for our survival.
Our prehistoric ancestors, who we haven’t evolved as much as we would like to think, required fat to keep them alive. Without it they would have died. Fat kept them safe and provided them with protection from two of their greatest threats – Famine and Temperature. Did you know the word “fat” is actually derived from these two threats:  F – fat and T – temperature?

Famine & Temperature

A part of our ancestors brain had certain genetic survival programs designed to force them to hold fat as protection against starving, or freezing to death. In our modern world, the majority of us experience  none of these threats, and in fact live in a world of gross excess. However, we share the same genetic makeup of our ancestors, and this survival program is hard wired into our brain. This most basic of survival programs is part of our inherited genetic make-up. A pregnant woman is a modern example of this programming being switched on, as her body lays down fat in preparation for her growing baby.

Jon Gabriel has coined the phrase for this most fundamental genetic survival program, The FAT Program.
So, here lies the answer as to why so many people are losing the battle against obesity: their FAT Program is switched on.

What occurs when your FAT Program is switched on?

In response to a threat, your brain sends the signal for a cascade of events to occur within your body to lessen the threat’s influence. If this threat is interpreted by your brain as one which may cause FAMINE or a lowering of TEMPERATURE, your FAT Program is switched on. Certain hormonal and chemical changes take place that will ensure you lay down and hold onto FAT.

When your FAT programs are on, this is what happens…

• You will be hungrier and crave fattening foods.
• Your metabolic rate (the rate your body functions) slows down, you burn less energy and you become tired and lethargic.
• Your body gets very efficient at converting consumed energy to fat, and storing it for later use.

All of these changes occur to keep you safe from the threat of famine and temprature – essential for our ancestors survival but not required in our modern world.

Can you turn your FAT Program off?

The good news is yes, you can!  Jon Gabriel, and his hundreds of success stories are testament to this fact.
As I continue to learn these techniques, I look forward to sharing them with.

If you would like more information regarding The Gabriel Method, you can take a look here.