The Naked Warrior

Nutrition

Reduce Your Stress to Reduce Your Waist Line

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Did you know that if you are stressed, busy and not taking enough time to relax and wind down that this can be impacting your ability to lose unwanted fat as quickly as you like?

The stress of modern day life coupled with a lack of quality sleep and poor nutrition is a driving factor to people either gaining excess body fat, or having trouble losing it, especially around the midsection.

Cortisol is the hormone that is produced by the adrenal glands and is released in response to any stress. Stress comes in many forms, including work, family, kids, emotional and environmental.  When I ask people about their stress levels they respond by sitting bolt up and saying, “I have no stress” so before you do the same, just know that stress manifests itself physically and psychologically and you can become accustomed to a heightened state of stress without realising it.

Whilst cortisol is essential to our daily function, if we have a constant stream of stress, it leaves our bodies unable to cope.  When we experience excessive periods of stress, your body kicks into its natural “fight or flight” response.  To deal with a stressful situation your body must provide you with the energy you will need to either stand and fight, or run. Now you have raised cortisol levels which elevates your blood sugar to give you the energy to respond.  If you had a physical need for that freshly supplied energy, like a caveman fighting off a lion or an intruder, it would be useful, but the problem nowadays is that you don’t. So where does all that energy go?

The hormone that kicks in when blood sugar is elevated is insulin, also known as the “fat storage” hormone. When insulin goes into action to deliver the energy, it has no requirements, as most people are sat down all day, so the energy gets stored as fat predominantly around the belly region.

So to lower body fat around your midsection, you must first address your stress.

Top Stress Busting Tips

  1. Identify your main stresses and work on reducing the impact it has on your daily life
  2. Learn how to cut back and take time out for yourself. Look at your diary and plan some time every day for you where possible, if not daily at least a few times a week
  3. Clean up your diet and start to add the right nutrients to support your mind and body rather that living on food with no nutritional value. Poor food quality saps essential nutrients from your body that you need to function optimally. Poor nutrition starves your body which is a huge stressor.
  4. Soak in a bath of Epsom salts 40 minutes prior to bed to help relax the body
  5. Use calming herbs such valerian and chamomile tea
  6. Be active daily
  7. Reassess your beliefs – Take a look at what is important to you, your attitudes and how you currently react to stressful situations.
  8. Spend time with those people/friends who have similar values to you.
  9. Make sure you get 7 – 8 hours of deep restful sleep per night by eliminating distractions such as phones, TV and keep the room dark

CJ’s Principles of Eating

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I believe the food you eat has a direct impact not only on how you look and feel but your overall health. I also feel that in today society is bombarded with the latest diet or quick-fix solution as well as there being multiple philosophies to follow. In my mind this creates confusion and does not make it easy for you to understand which foods to eat.
The trouble with diets is that they just don’t work. Why? Because when people start a diet they go full on into a restricted eating plan and then come off of it – more often than not this can cause a rebound causing people to go back to their starting point or end up in a worse place! This not only can be emotionally draining and disheartening, it also causes unnecessary stress on the body.
Eating should be enjoyed and we should eat to live not live to eat! Food should nourish the body and food can be used to heal, as Hippocrates said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” and I believe that having “healthy intentions will assist in disease prevention”.

HOW FIT IS YOUR FRIDGE

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How often have you heard the phrase “eyes too big for your belly?”  This is because the process of eating starts with our eyes and the better it looks the more we want; staring at a delicious dish can actually make your mouth water.

A key element to following a successful healthy eating plan is to make meals tasty.  A common complaint is that vegetables and ‘diet’ food can be boring and bland yet it doesn’t have to be.  With access to such a wide variety of flavoursome food there really can be no excuses in the taste department with every mouthful providing lip smacking nourishment and satisfaction.

How often do you cook at home and what percentage of your meals are eaten out?  To be in control of your results you need to take ownership of what you eat and know exactly how meals are prepared.  Healthy eating starts at home so it is essential to make your fridge inviting and to not be a stranger in your kitchen.  Remember when you were a teenager with a messy room that your mum refused to go in to clean?  This is exactly the same with your fridge, if it’s full of food wrapped in plastic with items going soggy, half open tins, spillages and stains then why would you want to stay home to cook.  At least an empty fridge can be filled with fresh goodness!  Do you know how long you have had every food item in your fridge?  When was the last time you cleaned out the vegetable tray and removed the drops of milk and juice from the door?  Are you met with offending odours that cause you to cringe in disgust when you open the door?

We regularly spring clean our homes to clear out the clutter which is extremely therapeutic and cleansing for body and spirit so can you imagine how you will feel if you do this to your fridge?   With a clean, fresh smelling neatly filled fridge you will be more inclined to open the door and create your own Masterchef dishes.  The more you visit your kitchen, the more your confidence will increase, so then  try experimenting with new flavours and ingredients as this is what makes cooking and healthy eating fun and enjoyable.  Once you reach this stage you will find that sticking to your healthy eating plan for 80% of the week easy and before you know it the goal you were aiming for has been achieved!

CJ’s Top Tips for a Healthy Fridge

  • Regularly clean out your fridge, wiping away all spillages, drips and food bits
  • Remove all vegetables from plastic wrapping and use the vegetable tray at the bottom of the fridge as this prevents moisture building up
  • Shop at least once a week for staple items and buy ingredients you can use in many dishes so you use them up quickly
  • Where possible, store items in plastic jars so you can see what you have inside the containers and group food types together
  • Organise your fridge so you have cooked and raw food on separate shelves and items with an imminent use by date towards the front of the fridge
  • If you find an odour cut open a lemon and leave it inside on a shelf overnight then discard

EATING TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY

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Why is it that at this time of year everyone you know is getting sick? It starts with one person in the office and spreads like wildfire. Your partner or one of the kids comes home sick and before you know it you are wrapped up in a blanket sipping on hot lemon and honey working your way through another box of tissues.

How quickly your body can fight the infection and get you back on your feet is totally dependent on an optimal intake of vitamins and minerals. You need to make sure you are eating a diet rich in vitamins A, C & E as well as all the B Vitamins and this will ensure you are getting enough of the immunity boosting nutrients such as Zinc, Iron, Magnesium and Selenium.

You should take into consideration the type of fat you are eating as saturated or hydrogenated fat can clog up the lymphatic vessels which results in toxins building up in your system. Eating omega 3 rich foods such as salmon, walnuts and flaxseed are recommended instead.

It is important to eat your required amount of protein each day but if you are suffering from a build up of mucus you should avoid eggs and dairy products. Don’t forget to continue to drink plenty of fluid to flush the infection and avoid becoming dehydrated.

The best foods to consume at this time are all types of vegetables, especially sweet potato, beetroot, carrots, broccoli and beansprouts. Fruit; in particular watermelon and berries as well as whole grains such as brown rice plus fish should be the foods of choice.

If you feel like you are starting to come down with something back off the strenuous exercise as this ensure you do not put additional stress on to the immune system that is already working hard to fight the infection. If you feel up to it and wish to be active try something calming such as yoga, tai chi or a gentle stroll.

Eating right, drinking plenty of water and increasing the amount of sleep is the key to fighting off the cold and are a sure fire way of you bouncing back as quickly as possible!

Stay healthy, Stay Fit!