Weight Gain and Adrenal Imbalance

The words "weight gain" immediately click in the brain as something we do not want to see with our health. The words "Adrenal Imbalance" don't necessarily have this swift effect. Let's explore how adrenal imbalance and weight gain can be connected.

The adrenal glands are located above the kidneys and they produce the stress-related hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that helps make sure we have enough energy (blood sugar) between meals. We even have a fresh supply of this hormone provided to us by the glands around 8 a.m. each morning.

When everything is running smoothly, the buzz from the morning cortisol helps wake us up and its gradual decline through the day helps us wind down and get ready for sleep. The body feels balanced, we eat when we need to, and the adrenals support our energy levels between meals.

Today we can't discount stress from entering this equation and introducing new variables into adrenal function. Stress produces cortisol fluctuations, such as high levels when it should be low at night. Ever had the feeling that you're so amped that you can't find sleep even at 1 in the morning? That feeling is partly being sponsored by cortisol.

Or how about it's nice and bright outside, the birds are chirping, and all you feel like doing is burying your head in your pillow? That's when cortisol is too low. With cortisol fluctuations comes unpredictability in the way we eat, burn calories, and store energy. When the body becomes tired from stress and adrenal imbalance, it craves fatty and sugary comfort foods that are high in calories and tend to pack on around the waistline.

Adrenal imbalance also makes us less physically spry for exercise, predisposing our bodies even more toward weight gain. The excess cortisol released during prolonged chronic stress will cause blood sugar to go up and there will be nowhere for it to go, but to fat stores in the body.

Here are 10 tips to make sure adrenal imbalance, and weight, don't partner up and start getting out of hand. These tips help support adrenal health, blood sugar control, relaxation, and healthy weight for the short- and long-term.

Have a regular sleep and wake schedule, for smooth cortisol release.Eat meals at regular times, keeping portions at a reasonable level.Don't wait until you're too hungry to eat.When your body and mind are feeling buzzy from stress, don't turn to coffee or nicotine.Instead, close your eyes and imagine something that feels calming for about 5 minutes.Or drink a glass of cold water with cucumber slices and/or mint leaves.Listen to some calming music.Exercise for stress relief and make it fun and reasonable for your body.Don't watch the needle on your weight scale like a hawk... it will make you feel more stress!When you feel weight creeping on, attend to your stress level and lifestyle habits.

Health Constellations can help you support adrenal health, reduce stress, and lose weight with a personalized health-over. A health-over is like a makeover--for your health!

Please visit http://www.healthconstellations.com/ to find out about health-overs and to sign up for your Free Health-over E-Book.

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5 Tips To Help Eliminate Adrenal Fatigue

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Adrenal Fatigue is at the base of all body ailments. When we are stressed out or feel that we are in danger our bodies produce cortisol. This causes an increase in blood sugar so that our muscles and brain have fuel to run from danger. Part of our immune system is activated to produce inflammation so that if we get hurt, we can clot well and keep running. Another part of our immune system is suppressed - the part that helps us fight things like cancer, because who is worried about cancer when we are facing danger?

While these changes are important for our survival in the short-term, over the long run adrenal fatigue can cause detrimental problems in our bodies. The dangers we are facing in our lives now are very different from years past. Today it is childhood trauma, relationships, finances, lack of time, job stress, divorce, death of family members, chronic ailments, aging and car accidents. We start to mentally consider those things as normal daily occurrences even though our bodies are responding to danger. The adrenal glands still produce cortisol as if we are fleeing for our lives or fighting a battle. That excess cortisol for some - stores in fat cells wrapped around our middles. No matter how hard you try to lose that belly fat, it sticks to you and reduces from your muscles, face, arms, etc. It can also interfere with our sleep and can keep us up at night or even make us short-tempered. The inflammation that is produced to help our blood clot now turns into something that hurts us continuously. Many suffer with "arthritic" type problems and end up addicted to pain relief. No one considers reducing the stress in their lives.

Why Does My Doctor Not Tell Me I Could Have Adrenal Fatigue?

Most doctors do not look for or even acknowledge adrenal fatigue. If they send you to an Endocrinologist they would look for only the extremes of Cushing's or Addison's Disease. These are extreme and produce very obvious symptoms. There is no where in between when it comes to adrenals. Other glands and organs have ways to help improve different levels of need. For example: there are many oral medications for the pancreas and diabetes before you reach insulin dependence.

Adrenal Fatigue | Emotions | Ailment History

For example, if you ask a person that suffers with fibromyalgia what happened the year before they started having pain, most of the time they will be able to relay something traumatic. How many people do you know with unexplained back pain or a history of chronic sinus problems. We need to take stock in the performance of our lives. How much do we try to cram into a day? What happens to us when we overwork our body and our brain? Stressful emotions and traumas accumulate, fester and show up as chronic ailments. When someone is in a car accident the emotional results are harder to get over then a broken bone.

Can We Change Adrenal Fatigue?

No one needs to suffer or should be at the mercy of what their traditional doctor is unwilling to pursue. Life is not complicated. Every part of our body runs on a fuel. How simple to understand that when those levels are low the body malfunctions. What makes our adrenals separate from any other area of our system? There are supplements that you can take to reduce the reactions to stress that in turn help your adrenal glands to cope better. Below there are also ways to help relieve the constant abuse to our adrenal glands that you can implement immediately.

5 Tips To Reduce or Relieve Adrenal Fatigue

1. Look at your current diet and see if there are too many starches and sugars stressing out your digestive track. Are you eating enough protein? A great direction would be to eat according to your blood type. (If you don't know it, get an inexpensive at-home typing kit or Donate Blood to your local Red Cross.

2. Do something to relax. Start and end your day with 10 deep breaths. If you have more inclination to improve, join a Yoga Class or learn to meditate.

3. Get 8 hours of sleep per night. If you have a problem sleeping check to see if it is your body that is too tight or that you cannot shut off your "mind talk."

4. Utilize supplements that support your adrenal glands, there are a couple of amino acids that help to get your physical body to relax. There are also herbs that can support and help reduce adrenal fatigue symptoms.

5. If you are completely unsure or unable to lose weight or achieve enough relief from what you have already tried, look for a Nutrition Consultant that understands the use of proper eating, vitamins, minerals and herbal supplementation that can put you on a specific path for your concerns.

Your long-term life expectancy just went up by your decision to take better control of your life.

The author has been working with Supplementation Programs for 30 years through Muscle Resistance Testing. The success of her practice has brought people from all over the world as well as referrals from many MD's in the Rochester, NY area. To Set up an appointment with Marge call: 585-787-4251 ext. 2 and To learn more about Marge Pickering-Picone go to http://www.professional-nutrition-services.com/

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