The coronavirus pandemic is stressful for everyone.
Fear and anxiety about a new disease, economy and what could happen, can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Social distancing can make people feel isolated and lonely and can increase stress and anxiety.
So, in this difficult times, you really have to learn how to cope with stress in a healthy way. It will make you much stronger mentally, emotionally and physically.
Did you know that our gut microbiome is our “second brain” and the connection between our guts and our emotions is very strong and our stress is seriously affecting our gut function.
Millions of years ago, our bodies were designed to react quickly to danger. Like wild animals we were on constant alert so we could run or fight if threatened. When your brain thinks your life is in danger it stimulates the release of adrenal glands hormones: adrenaline and cortisol. This fight or flight response is incredibly clever, it provides instant energy for 5-10 minutes allowing you to react swiftly to dangerous situations.
Typically, if you’re in a stressful situation for a short period of time, your body goes back to normal. But if you’re constantly stressed, your body is stuck in that fight or flight phase over an extended period of time. These days, many of us live under chronic stress and our bodies are unable to distinguish between COVID anxiety, loss of job, spiralling debt, family disputes and the truly life-threatening stress. So our brain reacts exactly the same as it’s always done.
The reason why lots of people these days gain weight and especially gather more fat around their middle than others is specifically because of the action of the stress hormone cortisol.
Cortisol stimulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism for fast energy, and stimulates insulin release and maintenance of blood sugar levels. The end result of these actions can be an increase in appetite and can cause cravings for sweet, high-fat, and salty foods. With elevated cortisol levels, the body also produces less testosterone, leading to a decrease in muscle mass. With less testosterone to build muscle mass, your body starts to burn fewer calories.
This constant state of stress causes chronic inflammation; the body reacts to the stress as a type of infection and tries to overcome it. Because inflammation is at the root of many diseases, this exposure to prolonged stress can have serious consequences for your health, ranging from high blood pressure to autoimmune disorders.
Unless you do something physical (as your body is expecting you to), all that extra energy, in the form of fat and glucose, has nowhere to go. It must be simply re-deposited as fat.
And the fat around your middle behaves differently from the fat that lies just below the skin (the sort you can pinch between your fingers).
Visceral fat is dangerously toxic, it’s actually highly active and constantly pumping poisons into the bloodstream. Visceral fat is known to cause inflammation in the colon and the artery walls, and is a major cause of heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer. Research show that visceral fat in turn affects mood by increasing production of the stress hormone, cortisol, and reducing levels of feel-good endorphins. So, you are stuck in the vicious circle unless you start making changes in your life.
That’s why I have created the programme that will help you to restore your gut-brain connection, increase testosterone and serotonin( happiness hormone), burn fat, improve sleep, manage stress and feel much happier and healthier!