Happy in Your Skin
I want to begin by saying, it’s not your fault and this may help. Shifting weight, particularly that stubborn fat around the middle without addressing the hormonal implications, particularly those responsive to stress is a source of frustration for countless women (Glenville, 2006). Yes, I said women! According to a study on gender differences in the impact of stressful life events on changes in body-mass-index, a nationally represented sample showed significantly greater stress related weight gain than male counterparts (Udo, Grilo and McKee, 2014). And before pontificating about loving your body whatever it’s condition, I would like to state that this type of weight is symptomology of reactivity to environmental stress and/or stress producing thoughts. If this is not the case for you, and you love ''the bones-o'-yourself' and the skin you're in… Great! However... for many women, the stubborn fat that erodes confidence, self-esteem and self-image is being acknowledged here, empathically and in recognition of the struggles. I hear ya Sista! Furthermore, Dr Marylin Glenville (2006) highlights the health implications for this “fat around the middle”, in the risks of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer and high blood pressure.
The Hormone Train
We’re all pretty familiar with the ole Fight/Flight/Freeze scenario and its role in our survival. Corticotrophin-releasing-hormone (CRH) stimulates the adrenal glands releasing adrenaline and cortisol. The adrenal glands produce hormones that help regulate metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, response to stress and other essential functions. And the glucocorticoid…. Cortisol which when high, can affect skin, promote inflammation, lead to stubborn fat around the middle and a multitude of other unpleasant symptoms.
Now, when we are exposed to stress, whether situational, environmental or induced by mental chatter, these hormones are at play.
Stage one of the process (alarm) which is usually short lived is when our body goes into full alert. The body commonly recovers once the threat or perceived threat is gone, with adrenaline levels coming down relatively quickly. However, cortisol levels come down slower and can take days to do so. Hans Seyle (1907-1982) founder of the stress model the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) explored what happens as a consequence of persistence of stress factors in a persons’ life and posited that we enter Stage 2 – resistance. In this case, cortisol levels remaining high with the body adapting to this constant level of stress. Cortisol is responsible for increasing blood sugar levels for energy to cope and retain sodium to keep blood pressure up. And voila… fat around the middle so you have enough energy storage to keep the whole show on the road. And if that wasn’t enough, this state induces cravings and increased appetite.
And…. Stage 3 – exhaustion, burnout, chronic conditions.
The tendency in the contemporary world is, to be more in our Sympathetic Adrenal mode (Flight/Fight/Freeze) than our Parasympathetic mode (Relaxation/Balance/Calm).
According to “The Yerkes-Dodson law” productivity and performance increases with physiological or mental arousal (stress) but only up to a point. After which when the body adapts to low grade constant stress we end up in a constant state of underproductivity. Sounds exhausting.
What can we do to Manage and Cope with Stress
If you’re alive, breathing and living in the world, some encounter with stress at some point in your life is inevitable. Of course we need a pinch of it, enough to get us out of bed, motivated to engage with life, family, work and passions. Many stress models (Dual Continuum model, Stress Diathesis Model) refer to the type of stress that pushes us beyond our “hypothetical threshold” or natural resilience limit. I nearly didn’t mention the recent Pandemic, there, I said it! Then there is loss; job, home, loved ones, work pressures, deadlines, financial worries, relationship issues, chronic illness and constant pain… and for some women the process of menopause. Sometimes the tipping point is an aggregate of burdens that become too much to manage.
Dr. Sarah Godfrieds Hormone reset is an excellent resource in order to learn how to adjust your diet. Her system is a result of extensive research and will give you insight about your hormone status as you undertake the programme (Gottfried, 2017).
Physical exercise is up there. But don’t fall into the trap of overtraining in a desperate attempt to shed the fat, as this can place the body under stress and keep cortisol levels high. By all means hit the gym, swim, run. I particularly like the work and research of Phil Maffetone who acclaims the metabolic benefits of fat-burning with the inherent value of effective aerobic development (Maffetone, 2017). This means walking while you maintain a heart rate conducive to fat burning. To calculate yours:
220 - Your Age = Maximum heart rate (Eg. 220 – 35yrs = 185)
Find 70% of 185 = 130 beats per minute is Fat Burning Zone
There are no end of wearable devices that can help you maintain the pace to stay in this zone. This has given me great solace, considering I realised that I Do Not like running after a brief and unsuccessful 3 month experience of imposing the activity on myself. You can find resources and valuable information to get started here; https://philmaffetone.com/
Yoga Practice and How it Helps
Yoga practice offers you many different ways to address stress and bring you into Parasympathetic mode. And the effect goes beyond your time on the mat. The premiss of the practice is that the movements are threaded on the breath. This involves physical exercise (excellent for reducing stress), breathing patterns that quieten the Flight/Fight/Freeze mode, and focus/concentration on what you are doing, bringing you into the present moment. This principle of Manas following Prana (mind following breath) is one of the tools utilised to starve the mind of the internal distractions or mind chatter. The nature of learning the forms and movement patterns of the practice entrain the mind also. As does the focus required to co-ordinate the limbs, movement with breath, rhythm, and control. There is countless research around the benefits of yoga practice and The Mayo Clinic assert that yoga has positive impact on stress reduction (improving mood, managing anxiety & depression), improved fitness as it integrates movement pattens involving the whole body working on strength and range of movement, management of chronic physical pain, chronic medical conditions and insomnia (The Mayo Clinic, 2022). The space to withdraw the senses at the later phase of most classes is meditative through sitting or lying in savasana. This allows the practitioner to move within to the quieter internal space and tune in to the stillness that is, not the mind chatter or the “phantom itch”, and other distractions (which is inevitable when we are new to meditation). It does take practice, repetition and engagement to yield stress reduction and resilience. Back in 2018, I underwent back surgery and I recall some interesting conversations with my surgeon about the growing area, of particular interest to him, of the role of yoga for inoperable patients to help them manage chronic pain. I attribute my own yoga practice to my speedy recovery and a testament to the fact that seven weeks after surgery, I was on an advanced teacher training programme in Canada. I was careful! And so grateful for having a set of tools, a system to help me to physically recover, mentally attune to my needs and the confidence to manage my process in an agile accepting way.
Linda receiving her Certification from Srivatsa Ramaswami (Canada, 2018)
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