WEEK 3: DAY 3 · WEDNESDAY
The Impact of Stress
REGULAR MACRO DAY
Weekly affirmation: “This week I will choose to trust the process, trust my coach and trust myself. I believe that my journey is a marathon and not a sprint. I am doing good things for my mind and my body every day. I am becoming the very best version of myself.”
Happy Wednesday, friends! 🎉 The past couple of days, we have discussed the impact that sleep has on our bodies and our overall health. Yesterday, we also briefly touched on the negative impacts of stress. As already mentioned, lack of sleep and high-stress levels often go hand-in-hand. Today we are going to go a little deeper into the topic of stress and talk about how chronic, long-term stress hinders us from reaching our fat loss goals.
Stress can either accumulate over time or come and go in short periods of time. Our body naturally releases the hormone cortisol when we are under stress. Just to reiterate what we learned yesterday - short term stress can be good for the body. Exercise is a great example. We temporarily put our bodies under stress for growth. Another example is when we are in danger - short-term stress tells us when we need to get out of a bad situation. This is commonly referred to as our "fight or flight" response. The problem occurs when our "fight or flight" response never turns off. This is identified as chronic stress. When stress is chronic or prolonged, too much cortisol is released and begins to wreak havoc on the body. Prolonged cortisol negatively affects the body in the following ways:
raised blood sugar
reduced ability to access body fat for fuel (the reduced ability to burn fat)
increased sugar cravings
the body stores more fat
We all know that some stress is here to stay. It’s a part of life; however, it is important to reduce or mitigate long term stress for our overall health. There are many ways to destress - prayer/meditation, deep breathing exercises, therapy/counseling. Do whatever you need to do to lessen the load of chronic stress in your life. It could very well be the underlying cause for your inability to shed fat. 🔥
TODAY’S ACTION ITEMS:
Track your macros and post them for me to review! Accountability is everything, friend!
BONUS ACTION ITEMS:
What are some practical tips that help YOU reduce stress? Share with us today. Remember: On your very worst days, you need the group and on your very best days, the group needs YOU! ✨
Participate in today's strength training workout in your app!
XOXO!
MORE TO LEARN
We all know that simplicity is the name of the game. Well, it doesn’t get much simpler than a store bought rotisserie chicken. Can I get an “Amen”? Today, I want to give you some ideas on how you can make a delicious, macro-balanced dish with a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken! You can eat rotisserie chicken on low carb days by leaving the skin on (for more fat) and on regular macro days by removing the skin (to lessen the fat content).
This website has numerous, simple recipe ideas for any weeknight! If you’re anything like me, the easier, the better! Check out the recipes below! It’s important to use discretion when it comes to gluten and dairy.
Do not overcomplicate things in the kitchen. At the end of the day, this isn't culinary school. We are simply learning how to fuel our bodies and if that looks like buying a store bought rotisserie chicken some nights, then bring it on! 🎉