Cortisol and Stress. How to Stay Healthy

Cortisol and Your Body
By Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About.com

Cortisol is an important hormone in the body, secreted by the adrenal glands and involved in the following functions and more:

•Proper glucose metabolism
•Regulation of blood pressure
•Insulin release for blood sugar maintanence
•Immune function
•Inflammatory response

Normally, it’s present in the body at higher levels in the morning, and at its lowest at night. Although stress isn’t the only reason that cortisol is secreted into the bloodstream, it has been termed “the stress hormone” because it’s also secreted in higher levels during the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response to stress, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body. Small increases of cortisol have some positive effects:


•A quick burst of energy for survival reasons
•Heightened memory functions
•A burst of increased immunity
•Lower sensitivity to pain
•Helps maintain homeostasis in the body

While cortisol is an important and helpful part of the body’s response to stress, it’s important that the body’s relaxation response to be activated so the body’s functions can return to normal following a stressful event. Unfortunately, in our current high-stress culture, the body’s stress response is activated so often that the body doesn’t always have a chance to return to normal, resulting in a state of chronic stress.

Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream (like those associated with chronic stress) have been shown to have negative effects, such as:


•Impaired cognitive performance
•Suppressed thyroid function
•Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
•Decreased bone density
•Decrease in muscle tissue
•Higher blood pressure
•Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences
•Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body.

Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, the development of , higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems!

To keep cortisol levels healthy and under control, the body’s relaxation response should be activated after the fight or flight response occurs. You can learn to relax your body with various stress management techniques, and you can make lifestyle changes in order to keep your body from reacting to stress in the first place. The following have been found by many to be very helpful in relaxing the body and mind, aiding the body in maintaining healthy cortisol levels:


•Guided Imagery
•Journaling
•Self-Hypnosis
•Exercise
•Yoga
•Listening to Music
•Breathing Exercises
•Meditation
•Sex
•Other Techniques

Cortisol secretion varies among individuals. People are biologically ‘wired’ to react differently to stress. One person may secrete higher levels of cortisol than another in the same situation. Studies have also shown that people who secrete higher levels of cortisol in response to stress also tend to eat more food, and food that is higher in carbohydrates than people who secrete less cortisol. If you’re more sensitive to stress, it’s especially important for you to learn stress management techniques and maintain a low-stress lifestyle.

Beware of Counterfeits!

I was at the grocery store yesterday and had to shake my head at all of the deceptive labels with everything claiming all sorts of things that are supposedly "healthy", but aren't really.

One of the things that really disturbed me was that I saw several examples of healthy foods in their natural state, but I saw counterfeit versions of these foods claiming that they were healthier than the original...

Yet in reality, all of these counterfeit versions were actually MUCH worse for you than the original... and they still have the balls to claim that their overly processed "junkified" versions are better.

This is food marketing deception at it's worst!

**Example #1: Product claiming "Better than peanut butter"

This product is ludicrous! I can't believe anyone would ever believe that this junk is better for them than natural peanut butter.

First of all, if you buy a good simple peanut butter (organic is best), it is usually nothing but 2 ingredients... peanuts and salt. And they don't add much salt so it's not high in sodium.

However, this counterfeit peanut butter which claimed it was "better than peanut butter" (trying to seem healthier than peanut butter based on it's label claims) had a list of junk in it you wouldn't believe. First of all, they strip all of the healthy fats out of the peanuts so that it is a "low fat" product. Ok, now you've just taken away one of the healthiest parts of the product...the appetite satisfying healthy fats that you need to control cravings and manage more stable blood sugar levels.

To make things worse, the healthy fats were replaced with 2 different types of sugary syrups as well as additional dehydrated cane juice (aka SUGAR), in addition to added refined starches.

This product has taken something as simple and natural as peanut butter, and turned it into what should really be called some sort of processed candy. Yet, they claim that it's healthier than peanut butter. And somehow they get away with deceiving people like this. Don't be their fool!

**Example #2: Product claiming to be "better than eggs".

I won't get as detailed on this one because I recently talked about this entire topic in another newsletter.

But basically, this product was just egg whites with a bunch of added chemical colorings, flavorings, and other nonsense, including fake added vitamins.

Again, this product has essentially ruined a good thing by removing the healthiest part... the YOLKS! And yes, the yolks ARE the healthiest part of the egg. Anybody that tells you different doesn't understand much about true nutrition. The important thing to look for in quality whole eggs are cage-free and organic.

**Example #3: A product claiming to be "better than butter".

This was essentially crappy margarine loaded with highly processed and deadly trans fats, yet it had the nerve to claim it was "better than butter".

Heck NO!

Even low quality butter is healthier than any margarine. One problem with butter is pesticides and hormones from improperly raised cows.

For this reason, you always want to choose organic butter, and if you can find "grass-fed" butter, then I would even say it can be healthy for you. In fact, adding a little butter to your steamed vegetables helps your body to absorb more of the vitamins and minerals in the veggies.

Also, due to the content of stable saturated fats in butter, this makes butter one of the best oils to cook with. Oils high in polyunsaturated oils are the worst to cook with due to their highly unstable nature.

And no, the saturated fat in butter is NOT bad for you!

If you found the topics in today's newsletter interesting, do your friends, family, and co-workers a favor and fwd this email to them.

For more information go to TruthAboutAbs.com

Til next time... Don't be lazy... be lean.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - Truth about Abs

6 Secrets to Six Pack Abs!

I wanted to give you 6 things you can do starting today
that will help you get six-pack abs.

Ready?

1) Do away with the crunches and sit ups. In real life, your
abs are used to stabilize your body, so you should train them
as such. That means getting rid of crunches and adding
more movements to your routine like push ups, planks and
squats. Besides, crunches aren't fat burning exercises, so
they play no role in getting rid of belly fat.

2) Focus on compound movements. What I'm talking about here
is simply doing exercises that work more than one muscle group
at a time. Again, in real life, your body works as one integrated
unit. Doing isolation movements like crunches, bicep curls
and leg extensions that only work one muscle group at a time
is not the way your body was made to function. Focus on
movements that work more than one muscle group at a time,
like push ups, pull ups, sprinting, squats, lunges, step ups,
etc. Plus when you work many muscle groups at once, you can
shorten your workout, saving you time. Isn't that sweet? : )

3) Pay attention to what you eat. Concentrate on eating foods
that are in their natural state. The fewer ingredients a food
has, the better. Eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout
the day and make sure you include breakfast and a meal after
you workout that has a carb to protein ratio of about 3 to 1.
Your diet should contain plenty of fruits and vegetables, eggs,
nuts, seeds, lean protein, fish, sweet potatoes, almond butter,
olive oil, oatmeal, etc.

4) Ramp up your cardio training. Walking on a treadmill isn't
going to cut it. Make sure to add in some interval training
alternating between short bursts of high intensity exercise
with longer bouts of lower intensity exercises. For even
better results, vary your interval training. Try hill sprints,
regular sprints, jump rope intervals, squat thrust intervals,
treadmill, etc.

5) Train your back. A lot of people only focus on the
muscles that they can see, like arms, crunches, chest and
shoulders. But what about your hamstrings, and upper and lower
back? Your body needs balance and these muscles shouldn't
be ignored. Some of the best exercises you can do for these
are pull ups, back extensions, supermans, stability ball
hamstring curls, deadlifts and one legged step ups.

6) Hire a coach. Studies have shown that if you have a coach
or a support partner or team, you will be much more likely to
achieve your goals. It is important to know exactly what to
do and have someone guide you through the process.

You can consider trying Scott Colby’s “ My First Six Pack” which is a coaching program designed to walk you through the process of getting six-pack abs.

I hope these tips help you. Put them into practice today
and I promise you'll be well on your way to being able
to show off your new body in your swimsuit in no time.

Have a great day!

In good Health!

Linda and Rachel

http://losefatlivehealthy.com/

The Most Natural Mood Enhancer on the Market!

The mood-enhancing effects of exercise are well documented, but a study presented in May at the 56th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), in Seattle, suggests that the benefits may last much longer than previously thought.

The study enrolled healthy men and women to complete a survey about their mood states at 1-, 2-, 4-, 8-, 12- and 24-hour intervals following either exercise or rest. While previous studies have noted improvements in mood for up to an hour after exercise, this study found that benefits lasted as long as 12 hours following activity, compared with rest.

“These positive effects on mood occurred in all types of participants, regardless of age, gender or fitness level,” said lead author Jeremy Sibold, EdD, ATC. “In some cases, exercise may be able to complement other standard therapies as a cost-effective alternative in the treatment of mental health issues.”

Test subjects performed exercise at 60% of aerobic capacity, indicating that moderate-intensity exercise—like walking or light cycling—is enough to boost mood.

Because the mood-enhancing effects of exercise fade after more than 12 hours, it’s important to make physical activity a daily habit, says Sibold. ACSM guidelines support the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that adults participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, which can be achieved in 30-minute segments over 5 days.

In other research, investigators have found that even major depression responds to consistent exercise.

IDEA Fit Tips, Volume 7, Number 7

The 1% Rule for Losing Fat and Getting Fit!

by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist

So, what is the “1% rule?” Well, what this means is that it really only takes 1% of your given time every week to keep yourself in top shape…

Let’s think about it in terms of your available time… if you dedicate only 25 minutes per day, 4 days per week to a good exercise routine, that’s only 100 total minutes per week. Considering that you have 1440 minutes in each day multiplied by 7 days equals 10,080 minutes per week of total time.

So now look at those 100 minutes per week dedicated to exercise and divide that into the 10,080 minutes total that you have in a week, and that represents approx 1% of your total time in any given week.

1% of your time… that’s it!

When you think about it in those terms… isn’t it really ridiculous when you hear someone say that they “don’t have time to workout”… it’s actually almost comical that someone would claim they can’t dedicate 1% of their time every week to exercise.

So based on that rule, I wanted to share an article with you. written by Mike Geary, the author of Truth About Abs. We Love him and all he stands for. We hope this gets you motivated!
Why Do You Miss Workouts? Stop the Procrastination and Excuses and Start Working Out!

Here’s a common theme I see all the time at the gym…

Somebody that was doing well working out and finally starting to get results at the gym all of the sudden stops coming in for several months.

When they eventually come back and start working out again a couple months later, they’re usually back in horrible shape, have gained back all the weight or more, and lost most of their strength gains that they worked so hard for.

So while talking to them, I’ll ask where they have been the last couple months, and that’s when the excuses start…

•Perhaps it was that they had a special assignment at work and have been “too busy” to work out lately
•Or perhaps it was that they had a shoulder or arm injury so they thought that they couldn’t work out during this time
•Or perhaps they had a knee, ankle, or leg injury so they thought they couldn’t work out.
•Or perhaps they were busy with house renovations, or family issues, or too busy with the kids, etc, etc, etc… excuse, excuse, excuse

You can see where I’m going with this… if your health & fitness and how you look and feel is important to you, then there is no such thing as an excuse. Either you want it, or you don’t, and it’s either going to be a priority in your life, or it’s not!

After all, your health and fitness determines not only how good you’re going look and feel every day that you’re on this planet, but also how long you’ll exist on this earth to enjoy the time you have with your friends and family… So with all of that said, why wouldn’t you make your fitness a priority in your life!

Here’s my opinion on the example excuses above…

Excuse #1 – Too busy at work:

Ok, so why don’t you squeeze in really brief but really intense 5 minute workouts before and after work each day… after all, that’s only 10 minutes of your time, and despite popular belief you CAN stay in excellent shape working out as little as 5 or 10 minutes a day (as long as your time is well spent with the right exercises and right intensity).

“Too busy at work” excuse busted!

Excuse #2 – Shoulder or arm injury so haven’t worked out:

Bum shoulder… so what… are you saying your legs and abs don’t work all of the sudden just because your arm or shoulder is hurt? After all, most of your fat loss and metabolism-boosting results come from lower body based exercises anyway, as they burn more calories due to the larger muscle groups involved.

Your upper body injury just gives you a good reason to focus even more intensely on your lower body, abs, and interval training during this period when you won’t be able to do upper body exercises.

Shoulder injury excuse busted!

Excuse #3 – Knee, ankle, or leg injury so haven’t worked out:

Ok, so now you’re saying that just because you have a leg injury, that somehow your upper body no longer works? Even if you need to walk in there on crutches, and then do nothing but seated upper body exercises, that’s a lot better than doing nothing and letting your entire body get weak and soft during while your leg heals.

Knee or leg injury excuse busted!

Now don’t get mad at me about these injury excuses… Believe me, I DO understand that there are some serious injuries and disorders that do prevent some people from doing any exercise at all. However, for most minor injuries, there’s no excuse not to at least continue doing some form of exercise.

Excuse #4 – Too busy with the house, family, kids, etc:

Once again we need to get back to priorities. If your house and kids are priorities, why wouldn’t your health and fitness be top priorities also, so that you can enjoy your life and everything and everyone in it!

Remember, you don’t need to work out for hours every day to be in great shape. It’s all about maximizing the intensity and amount of full body musculature you work in a given time period, even if that time period is just a brief 4 minute daily workout.

(In fact, Linda and I have provided you with these short workouts throughout our blog/website)
Excuse #4 busted!

I know I take a hard-nosed approach with this stuff, but if finally getting into shape is important to you, nothing less will do, than to adopt a true fitness lifestyle and mindset.

I hope today’s article helps trigger some new motivation if you’ve struggled in the past with excuses or procrastination to getting in shape.

Til next time, don’t be lazy… be lean.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Author – world-wide best seller: The Truth about Six Pack Abs