If your thoughts of summer skies are getting slightly clouded with fears of how your bathing suit looks on you, you’re not alone. And, I’m right there with you.
I’ve been feeling a little nervous that I’m almost 10 months postpartum and still being offered seats on the train with my abdominal wall continuing to heal from the twin pregnancy. But! I’m working at it each day with my exercises and when the critical thoughts jump in, I’m doing my best to move them along, and instead remind myself that I’m doing everything I can to help my body heal. The biggest challenge for me this summer is not just accepting, but loving my body for where it’s at.
I didn’t choose this topic because it’s bathing suit season. Instead, I chose this topic because summer is THE best season to nuture your adrenals, and yourself.
So, What Exactly Are Your Adrenals?
The adrenal glands look like little “hats” that sit right on top of your kidneys. If you feel the end of your ribcage on your back, your adrenals are tucked right behind there. Their main job is to send out stress hormones and give you the extra “push” to do what you need to survive.
When you’re crunching a deadline and get that spark of energy and clarity to work extra fast, or feel the pit in your stomach or tingles in your feet when you step to close to the edge of a cliff, it’s your adrenals at work.
The problem is, if they're “on” over long periods of time, the stress hormones your adrenals make start to affect other hormones, and ultimately lead to abdominal weight gain.
How To Know If You’re Adrenals Are The Culprit
The easiest way to know if your weight gain is probably linked to your adrenals is to answer a simple question:
Are you an apple or are you a pear??
Think about your sillouette in general. Are you larger in the middle around your belly button, or are you smaller in the waist but instead tend to gain weight around your hips?
If you’re apple-shaped, you can bet that your adrenals have something to do with it.
If you’re more naturally pear-shaped and tend to gain weight around your hips, although you may have stressors going on your weight gain pattern is more likely linked to digestion or inflammation.
How Do Your Adrenals Cause Weight Gain?
This is where the link between your stress hormones and your other hormones becomes really important.
Stress hormones block your body’s ability to use up blood sugar. The hormone involved in balancing blood sugar is insulin. Since your body's ability to get the sugar out of your vessels and into your cells is blocked (i.e. your insulin can't do it's job), your body has no other option than to turn into into another form and store it away. The most common storage form for extra sugar is fat, and the most common place this is stored is your belly. A drag, I know.
So, What Can You Do About It?
Here are 3 big ways you can lower stress levels and help your body rebalance:
1.Eat every 2-3 hours – if you go longer than this between meals, your stress hormones naturally spike.
2.Sleep! – at least 7.5-9 hours each night. If you’re having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, you need guidance and support to make this happen because this reality is available to you.
3.Take adaptogens – these herbs are amazing because they have a special ability to balance out your adrenals. They can tune them down when you’re feeling ramped up, and help boost them when you’re feeling tired. Some of my favorite adaptogenic herbs include rhodiola rosea, ashwaganda, and astragalus (also incredible for your immune system).
Changing how you eat and how you sleep is BIG terrain to navigate on your own. And, your adrenal challenges are most likely completely different from everyone else, so you really need a personal approach.
I’m here for you and would absolutely love to help you live in tune with your body.
Contact me at info@drvivianlord.com to book your complimentary health visioning call. There is no pressure or expectations but I'd love to meet you and give you insight and hope that you can feel WAY better.
All the best,
Vivian