Stress

I do a very advanced form of fat callipering called The Biosignature. Basically where you store your body fat tells you alot about your health. And if you hold most of your fat around your navel, this is a sign of stress. Guess what one of the most common profiles in the UK is? You got it, stress. Profiles are different in each country – the Americans have much more of a problem with the insulin sites. The Australians have problems with pesticide detoxification. But we have stress.

OK, if your house is falling down, your significant other is having affairs, awful illness is found in your nearest and dearest, you will be stressed. But fortunately most of the time most of us are not experiencing this degree of stress. Yet still we collect that fat around the belly button.

So what exactly is stress? The simplest explanation is that it is when a sabre tooth tiger jumps out with the intention of making you lunch, you get stressed. The body mobilises all it’s energy into running away – and you either get away or get eaten. Job done. Ho, ho. No more sabre toothed tigers now. The stress response is when the body mobilises itself to move in order to survive. In response to a stressor, it releases cortisol into the blood stream which shuts down digestion, reproduction and any repair jobs being done around the body and raises the heart rate in preparation to feeding oxygen to the limbs in order to survive. It also releases Glucocorticoids. These things are like the back up guns – they essentially prepare more bullets for the fight for survival. Temporarily your immune system is ramped up. And you charge on through life.

Did you notice what I just said in the middle of that? It shuts down digestion, reproduction and any repair jobs being done around the body. This is hardly the time to repair the roof (read thyroid/pancreas/liver etc etc etc). The guts are lined with mucus to protect the stomach and small intestine from the Hydrochloric Acid and various digestive enzymes necessary to break down food. And the large intestines are similarly lined with mucus. Under stress, this vital mucus production is turned down. In other words the body is geared up to save you at every unnecessary expense. And we in Britain are highly stressed.


So why is our life so stressful? Here are some factors - not exhaustive, depressingly.

Missing breakfast. Body thinks it is a famine. It gets stressed. Mobilises you to get some food.

Skipping lunch – same as above

Eating lunch at your desk. Body not relaxed and able to digest food properly – not enough mucus lining the intestines, no production of HCL and digestive enzymes to properly digest the food.

Not eating regularly – going for more than 4 hours between eatings.

Poor diet – not enough protein and fat and too many carbs. Amazingly common in the UK. Body keeps on producing insulin exhausting the pancreas (which isn’t being repaired, remember) and blunting the response of the insulin receptors. (Carbs are all sugars, the worst offenders being starches (pasta, bread etc) and things like biscuits and sweeties. Ie too much sugar therefore increases the stress load on the body).

Not crapping enough.

Not getting enough sleep. Huge issue. It does matter. When on earth is the body meant to repair itself????

Daily hassle of commuting.

Squeezing too much in in the day

Pollution – we are an old and overcrowded country. It is very stressful on the body to constantly have to detoxify the very air we breathe – never mind the rest (eg painkillers for that irritating headache or cold you keep getting and won’t go away). The liver gets overworked. And not repaired.

Reverse breathing patterns. Unless you sang or played a brass/woodwind instrument, it is likely that you have reverse breathing. This means when you breath in, your tummy goes in. When you breath out, it sticks out. This is not good. It means your breath is shallow and akin to panic breathing.. Just as you would if a sabre toothed tiger suddenly appeared.

Perception of personal wealth. If you feel you are poorer than you would like = stress. Go, kill more tigers. But the bloke next door has already killed them all.

Not enough proper laughing. Find your favourite comedian on You Tube – and laugh out loud. It’s good for you. It helps you relax and lets the body get on with things other than mobilisation of the troops.

What I am saying is that if you reduce the stress on the body, you will lose belly fat – and feel an awful lot happier. Do you really want to stay up late to watch the telly -having drunk too much wine and stuffed down the nibbly bits MORE than you want a flatter belly and a happier and healthier life? For make no mistake about it – apart from giving you a belly, stress really is not awfully good for you....