Welcome back, listeners!Sarah and Stacy are back to a regular recording scheduleThis morning America's royal baby was bornThis prince is half-American and that is pretty coolThis week's episode is sponsored by Butcher BoxStacy loves Butcher Boxand she loves the convenience that they offer via their delivery serviceShe also loves the variability they add to her well-stocked pork supplyStacy and Matt receive a custom box where you get a certain number of cuts based on the size of the box you select and then they can mix and match what they receiveThey know that the quality is good and that they are going to get what they needThey haven't had to buy any meat from a grocery store since signing up for Butcher BoxThis has been a huge time and money saverA very substantial amount of the meat that Sarah's family eats comes from Butcher Box, but she loves their Surprise BoxShe has a few specific add ons that she gets with each delivery, but the main part is the surprise varietySarah feels like her cooking is more inspired when someone else is choosing for herWhen Sarah makes her own meal choices, she often feels like the family is eating a lot of the same thingsButcher Boxoffers a lot of flexibility and is a simple way to reduce stress by having high-quality meat delivered right to your doorstep from a trusted meat source
On this week's episode, Stacy and Sarah are talking about stress and how they have reduced stress in their livesStacy didn't at first utilize Butcher Boxand then when she did, she realized what a no-brainer resource it isYou can put your subscription on hold at any time, which Matt and Stacy did when they went to Europe - you are not forced into anythingYes, it is convenient, but more importantly, the meat is so goodThe Paleo View listeners can give Butcher Boxa try and get $15 off your first box, plus receive free baconNo code is needed, but you have to sign up using this link to receive the perks mentioned above: https://www.butcherbox.com/thepaleoview/(9:10) Let's Talk About Stress Baby
This podcast theme was received via a social media requestYears ago Stacy and Sarah did a joint presentation on this topic at AHSStacy hit her one-month anniversary of working for herself and she has seen so many positives from a health perspectiveShe has been getting more sleep, doing water aerobics and water therapy, she had time to connect with people in more meaningful waysAll of this led to Stacy losing 10 pounds without changing anything elseThis was an obvious sign to Stacy that she was too stressed before and hormones were getting back into a place where they were healthier and happierAs Stacy shared on this in social media people asked for Sarah and Stacy to cover the science behind how stress impacts our healthStacy hopes that listeners can walk away from this episode and implement any of these tips that feel right for youDon't listen to this episode and let your stress, stress you out moreSarah was surprised that they haven't yet done a deep dive on this topicPersonally, Sarah has chronically struggled with stressIt is her biggest challenge when implementing diet and lifestyleThe place to start with this topic is the HPA AxisThis is our flight or fight response; how our bodies detect danger and prepare to respond to itIt is made up of the complex communication among three organs:The hypothalamus: The part of the brain located just above the brain stem that is responsible for a variety of activities of the autonomic nervous system, such as regulating body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, sleep, and circadian rhythmsThe pituitary gland: A pea-shaped gland located below the hypothalamus that secretes a variety of important hormones, such as thyroid-stimulating hormone, human growth hormone, and adrenocorticotropic hormoneThe adrenal glands: Small, conical organs on top of the kidneys that secrete a variety of hormones, such as cortisol, epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), norepinephrine, and androgensHow the HPA Axis works:The hypothalamus receives signals from the hippocampusReleases corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH)Signals to the pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)Signals to the adrenal glands to secrete cortisol and catecholamines (like adrenaline)Cortisol provides negative feedback to the pituitary and the hypothalamusWhat is true for these feedback systems, is that when they are always on, we become resistant to the signalIf our adrenal glands can't keep up with the demand (i.e. HPA axis dysfunction - what use to be called adrenal fatigue) and can't produce cortisol you lose that negative feedbackSome of the effects of stress are mediated by cortisol, but some of them are mediated by higher level signaling hormonesSo it isn't all about cortisolWhen this axis is turned on all the time and we are pumping out all of these hormones into our bloodstream chronically, it is the collective action of all of these hormones that cause so many problemsWith acute stress, essential functions for survival are prioritized - things like perception, decision making, energy, preparation for wound healingSo what happens is functions that are not essential for immediate survival in that situation are not prioritized - things like digestion, reproductive function, growth, collagen and bone formation, etc.When that signal is never turned off, those nonessential functions are never prioritizedThe hormones that are part of the HPA axis end up controlling every function in our bodyCortisol has a huge range of effects in the body, including:Controlling metabolism (thyroid function)DigestionGut microbiomeInsulin sensitivitySex hormonesGrowth hormoneBone remodelingKidney functionImmune systemBlood flowCenter nervous system (impacting things like mood, depression, and anxiety)Chronic stress (via cortisol, cortisol resistance, CRH) causes: Increases inflammation while reducing immune functionCauses leaky gut and gut dysbiosisReduces sleep quality, dysregulates circadian rhythmsChanges to mood, depression, anxiety Increases hunger, cravings, addictionHinders productivity, problem-solving, and memoryCauses insulin resistance and sex hormone imbalancesSarah often talks about the importance of managing stress from a productivity standpoint because stress highly impacts your ability to actually get stuff doneThis is the piece that hits Sarah personallyThe impact of chronic stress on CNS/mental health:High stress (acute or chronic) reduces performance and productivityImpairs memory retrievalImpairs memory and our ability to learn new informationInduces a shift from a flexible, ‘cognitive’ form of learning towards rigid, ‘habit’-like behaviorHinders the transfer of knowledge and reduces cognitive flexibility in problem-solvingReduces collaborative capacityDeterioration in attentionReduces productivityDecreases risk aversion in men and increases it in womenThe immune system effect is also very problematicChronic stress has been unequivocally shown to increase susceptibility to a variety of conditions, including autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, depression, infection, and cancer(31:11) Managing Stress
If you can carve out some time in your day for resilience activities, you will become so much more efficientYou will more than make up that time that you dedicate to resilience activitiesManaging stress makes you better at everything and makes you healthier tooStacy wants to take a moment to note that if you need more motivation to change your lifestyle and whatever aspect is affecting it, to dig deeper into the science and all of the many side effects of chronic stress mentioned aboveTake a look at any of Sarah's books and her blog for additional informationThere are things in your life that you can consider that you may not associate with stress that certainly impact your body's hormonal response (certain tv shows is a great example)Stress isn't just work or family dynamicsIt is easy for us to recognize psychological stress (deadlines, traffic, bill), but stressors often compound and physical stresses (a workout, sitting at a desk for a long time, not getting enough sleep, an injury) add to the impacts of stressWhen the psychological stresses feel beyond our control they are additiveSo if you are dealing with a deadline at work that is not a good time to be pushing it at the gymThe physical stress of the workout is going to magnify the psychological stressThere is a happy medium where a workout can help reduce stress, but heavy lifting or endurance training can increase your stress levelsNot getting enough sleep is the most common physical stressor and this feeds into everything elseNot getting enough sleep reduces our resilience to stressWe are more easily stressed out over the littlest of stressorsAnd then we have an issue actually falling asleepIt is really important to recognize physical stressors on top of psychological stressorsThere are also chemical stressors to consider, like smoking, alcohol, drugs, allergenSensory stressors, like loud noises or overcrowding and bright lights, also impact our stress levelsIt is important to recognize that all of these small things build upWhere we can reduce stress if often in these small thingsExamples include:Be smarter about exerciseIncorporate movement throughout your dayPrioritize a bedtimeThink about what we are putting into our bodiesIt is really important to think about stress in a more comprehensive way so that we can not just recognize how stress is impacting our bodies negatively, but also recognize what stress we as individuals are facingStacy shared her personal experience with these "background stressors" and how these elements run in the backgroundYou don't think the one little straw will break the camel's back, but this is what basically happened to Stacy that created a cascade of challengesWe have a hard time getting lost in the busy of life to slow down and recognize where the many sources of stress are hidden, or how important it is to prioritize a bedtimeStacy also spoke to new moms and how important it is to follow the age-old advice you are given as a sleep-deprived motherSleep when the baby sleepsSay yes to help when it is offeredDelegate the things that nag at you in the back of your mind (ex: folding the laundry)The best way that Sarah personally manages stress is to actually get stuff doneShe incorporates resilience activities daily, but working through her to-do list brings her a significant reduction in stressStress impacts us all differently and how we can each best handle stress is an individual challenge to problem solvesSarah wants to note that a lot of the stress that we deal with is closely tied to how isolated we feel in our communities and how social media reduces our ability to truly connect and relationship buildThis has essentially removed a tool that we use to have for stress managementCulturally families use to live multi-generationally within the home and help each other out, which isn't something you see these daysStacy notes how beneficial it can be to take a week and audit your stressorsOn a sheet of paper, take note of any time you feel that blah thing where you don't want to do something or deal with somethingTake a look at what can be removed, what can be delegated, what you can avoid, how you work through difficult thingsStacy shared her personal example of how she handles the stress she feels around emailsSarah now creates a schedule for herself for the day, where she takes her to-do list and identifies when she is going to handle her various responsibilitiesHer time is batched and she is working on one task at a timeShe is much more efficient following this approachThis has also been huge for managing work stressSarah has also incorporated movement into her work in the form of her treadmill desk, which helps with her stress levels as wellWhen it comes to managing stress there are two sides to the equation, reducing stress wherever we can and the other piece is increasing our resilience to stressWhen we build our resilience, the stressful thing doesn't have as big of a physiological response on our bodyThere are many character traits that dictate our individual resilience to stress, but there are also things we can do to build that resilienceThere are three things that Sarah thinks are the most important things to do to build resilience to stressPrioritize sleepIncorporating movement and activity throughout the day, essentially living an active lifestyleMindfulness practice, like meditation, which can look very different from one person to the nextSarah shared examples on how we can disconnect and be in our thoughts as a form of meditative practice(1:02:11) Closing Thoughts
Sarah's other tip for destressing - Butcher BoxDon't forget if you are interested in getting$15 off your first box, plus receive free bacon, be sure to https://www.butcherbox.com/thepaleoview/to take advantage of that offerStacy and Sarah want to thank listeners for supporting them when they do have sponsors on this showWhenever a sponsor is featured, please know that these are brands that Stacy and Sarah love and personally useIf you have any questions, please always feel free to reach out via social media or emailButcher Boxis a service that Stacy and Sarah personally love and have a feeling listeners will love too
Thank you again to Butcher Boxand thank you to the listeners for tuning in
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